This hike has been legend in our family for quite some time, and I am glad we finally conquered it. We parked at Steamboat Rock park and started at the bottom trailhead. I think there is another section you can drive to, but it doesn't save you much of the hike. 

We did this hike with a small dog and a slightly experienced 6 year old. I am out of shape and so is my brother, though we like this kind of exercise. The roughly 1,000 foot increase is a combination of what feels like minor rock climbing, loose rock, and some dirt paths that are slippery on the way back down. I advise using hiking poles for balance or joint issues. It was a definite challenge to keep breathing and paying attention to my footing, and making sure my kid paid attention too. I ended up putting my small dog in our backpack to prevent any potential falls or issues with his little feet until we hit dirt again.

Once the climb is over, you have the option of going left or right to finish the whole loop. We went right, which felt like the smaller increase of the two options! Once we reached the final top, the views were breath taking and the whole loop was like a different world if you aren't used to hiking this area. Wild flowers were beginning to bloom, so you will see glimpses of yellow, purple, and blue through the grasses. We got to see parts of the lake we had never boated to. We saw lots of marmot holes and snake holes, but wildlife was hiding this day. 

The loop on top is flat and very pleasant. Make sure kids and dogs stay on the trail because in many places it is a sheer drop off. I also recommend using the alltrails map since we lost our trail a couple times. It will also show you another smaller trail to save some miles/time that we took, which took us more through the middle of the field, which was awesome! Then you'll connect back with the mail looping trail. 

This was a fun, quick hike! It was the perfect addition to a rainy day spent driving up the Coulee Corridor scenic byway.

Parking was plentiful and it was easy to find the trailhead from the day use parking lot. The worst of the ascent was over quickly, and the views from the top were beautiful! The southern half of the butte is covered by a web of social trails, and I wasn't able to find any routes that made a continuous loop, but the trail on the northern side was much more defined. I completed the full northern loop before returning to my car, for a total of 5.2 miles in slightly less than two hours.

Misc. thoughts:

• Saww plenty of wildflowers and birds (plus a herd of deer!) at the top, and a few wild turkeys at the bottom!
• The scree-covered descent is no joke! I was hiking alone, and crab-walked down the steepest part of the slope because i was afraid of falling.
• I was trying to move quickly (it was late afternoon and VERY rainy/windy), but I wish I had been able to spend more time exploring the trails on top of the butte. Putting a weekend at this campground (and another hike up steamboat rock) on my list for future seasons

I spent the weekend camped at Steamboat Rock State Park. This was mainly a fishing trip but I felt like I had to get at least one hike in. Got up early this morning and hiked up to the plateau. Once on top I did a counter clockwise loop. Great views from up there on this cold clear morning. Quite a bit of wildlife too. There were probably 30 deer up there grazing, a bunch of marmots running around and a couple of chukar too. Wildflowers are just starting to bloom and with the warming weather should really take off. As for the trail it's very steep in places up to the plateau. The main issue is that there's a lot of loose dirt and rock that's pretty slick coming down. I'd recommend poles although I didn't have mine. If you're in the area this is a very worthy hike. RT from the campground was about 4.5 miles.

Such a beautiful and fun hike! Sun/cloud mix with a breeze and low 60's. The drive to the park, and the views during every part of the hike are amazing. We saw hawks, and what looked to be a coyote family, including pups. Another couple said they saw a badger. Wildflowers were small, but blooming, and lots of sage too. The trail system on the plateau was clear, and it is easy to go off trail too. Dog on leash is no joke, because there are sheer drop offs.

The trailhead is easy to find, and there is clean drinking water available before you start the ascent. It was a bit of a scramble to get up through the scree during the ascent....if you don't mind heights and a bit of a rock scramble in places, it is fun, just be cautious and careful. Our labrador did great, and we just chose our path carefully in spots. Trekking poles are helpful in places, especially on the descent, but easier not to use in other spots.

Once on the plateau....WOW. Again, just a gorgeous area full of sage, views and wildlife. We plan to return with our kayaks, and explore the water ways down below. A unique and breathtaking place to visit in Washington State. Camping looks great, if you have a trailer. As tent campers we might spend one night, but it is pretty busy. The park host was super friendly and helpful! Just a gem of a state park.