Steamboat Rock — Sunday, Apr. 25, 2021

Fantastic hike. The steep sections get your heart pumping but they are short and well worth it. We climbed up the main trail to a T where the uphill route meets the loop. We headed right to where there was one more uphill jaunt and then we were on top of the rock. The views from this section were the best: the grassy prairie on top of the rock, peppered with wildflowers; the sheer cliffs across the lake to the right; and the mounds of islands to the north, with Electric City homes and farms also in sight. The soil is soft and pleasant to walk on - we took the whole loop around the northern part of the rock. The route along the western side of the rock provided me with some good exposure therapy for my fear of heights -- the cliffs drop sharply into the water so keep dogs/kids close. As we neared completing the loop we spotted another trail with an opportunity to climb up and do a much shorter lap of a different section of the rock, so we added that too. We spied many birds, marmots, and mule deer. Though we got a seemingly late start a little after 9 am, we had most of the hike to ourselves, passing several groups only as we made our way down. Put this one high on your list!