Date: Oct. 10, 2021
Location: near Grand Coulee, WA
Distance: 6 miles Loop
Elevation Gain: 650 feet
This giant basalt butte, aptly named Steamboat, dominates the shore of Banks Lake, a tributary of Columbia River, like fortress. Hiking up to its 600 acres plateau makes a great Fall or Spring adventure.
First incline is steep and rocky, and the view is ever-present.
The trail branches East (right) and West (left) with about 200 feet of climbing left. I took the East route and was promptly misled by a social trail to a wrong plateau. My GPS watch earned its keep by redirecting me to the right path and up the main plateau. Above, a stonehenge like formation greeted me at the start of plateau path and from then on, the path was quite clear and always accompanied view of the lake.
A herd of deer roamed free on the plateau.
This trail is pleasant, highly rewarding and quite unique, and it is one of my favorite Eastern Washington hike.
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