Wild flowers abound including prickly cactus. A great scramble to the top with Grand Coulee views all around.

Beautiful day and perfect weather. We started at 11:15am and were done at 4:30. The hardest part is at the beginning. It is steep, rocky and feels treacherous but not impossible. Once you are at the top the views are amazing and the breeze is refreshing. We walked all the way around and felt like we had the whole rock to ourselves.

Long drive from Seattle area but lots to see along the way. Wild flowers, wind farms, strong smell of smoke at the Wild Horses Lookout Point by the Gorge. Lots of camping and fishing along the Coulee Corridor. The drive made me feel thankful for farmers and ranchers and dads who take their kids fishing. I saw a few dogs on the hike but I'm glad I left my pups at home. I was worried it would be too hot and rocky on their little feet. It was warm but not too hot with a nice breeze. The first mile is uphill, sand then scree then dry dirt. Tons of flowers and incredible views from beginning to end. This is a great hike for rockhounds and geologists. Also for bird watchers and flower lovers. I saw: A weasel Ravens Bald eagle Vultures- 7 circling overhead Beetles- big ones Caterpillars and butterflies Lots of gnats but no mosquitos I heard birds the whole time. Chirping, whistling, and some that sound like R2D2. Next time I'll stay the night so I can do a sunset hike. As I drove away and saw Steamboat Rock in my rear view mirror the rain started to fall. Beautiful drive home on Hiway 2.

I began my ascent from the trailhead by the second campground loop. A number of walking sticks were left against the trailhead sign for anyone to use. The meadow below the rock was a riot of wildflowers that were clinging to end of season petals. A water fountain is available just before the steep portion of the ascent/rock scramble. What struck me most about this hike was the wildlife and the solitude. Pausing for a moment during the initial ascent, I spotted a deer calming grazing across a nearby grassy ravine. That was the first of many animal sightings. I saw a dozen deer, two marmot, wild turkeys, warbling birds, and a rabbit along the way. At one point, I cleared fresh scat (coyote?) off the trail to avoid potentially stepping in it on the way back down. I chose a sunset hike to beat the heat, and was rewarded with beautiful views. There was not another soul on the trail, perhaps because it was a weeknight. The borrowed walking stick gave me a lot more stability on the loose rock during my descent.

This hike requires you park in Steamboat Rock State Park and have a Discovery Pass. Able to park near restrooms in camping area and walk over to the trail head. Nice wide trail up through the sagebrush and wildflowers. Found a drinking fountain in the middle of the trail near a picnic table by the pine tree. Kind of cute. When you reach the base of the basalt rock that you can see from the campground the trail begins to climb up through the loose rocks. A few spots that are kind of a little rock climb and then as you get higher up the trail is well worn, steep with small loose rocks. It isn't bad going up but, coming down is tricky to not slip and fall. When you get up part way you have the choice of going left or right to continue up to the top. Which ever direction you choose requires you to come back down here before you can head up the other direction. Despite this looking flat from down below there are lots of little canyons and gullies on top. Beautiful view from both ends. It was only in the 60's but, a very hot hike as it takes a lot of work to get up there. Make sure you pack plenty of water and hiking poles would help coming down. I hiked this with my dog who wears a cool pack with a handle on top. This came in handy helping him down in some spots on the descent. Wild flowers were blooming. We did have cliff swallows after us in one spot when we ere at the edge.