Steamboat Rock and Lenore Lake Caves

View from top of Steamboat Rock

Steamboat Rock - April 11th, 2015               Lenore Lake Caves - April 12th, 2015

Central Washington - Wenatchee                  Central Washington - Wenatchee

Mileage: 4.0 mi./6.4 km (Round Trip)          Mileage: 1.5 mi./2.4 km (Round Trip)

Elevation Gain: 650 ft. / 198m                      Elevation Gain: 200 ft. / 60.9m

Highest Point: 2250 ft. / 685.8m                   Highest Point: 1300 ft. / 396.2m

Dogs: Allowed                                              Dogs: Allowed

Difficulty: Easy                                             Difficulty: Easy

Required Pass: WA Discover Pass                Required Pass: WA Discover Pass

I was lucky enough to have a 3-day weekend off work I was ecstatic about the idea of a weekend camping adventure. Since it looked like it would be a rainy weekend in the North Cascades I decided to head toward the more arid region of Eastern Washington.

I am still amazed by the variations in scenery when driving across Washington. We started out in the city of Seattle, driving along Highway 2 we passed through heavily wooded forests, then snow covered mountains, long expanses of highway along flat plateaus, and wildflower-covered coulees. As we dropped down into the Grand Coulee we saw the shimmering waters of Banks Lake and Steamboat Rock off in the distance.

Off-road view of Steamboat Rock

The trailhead for Steamboat Rock is conveniently located directly across the street from the campgrounds. After setting up camp we headed up the trail and quickly gained elevation climbing up rocky paths surrounded by the wildflowers of the shrub-steppes. There were numerous off-shoots to the path and initially we headed straight to the top. We reached a plateau and saw below us a grand view of Banks Lake and the protruding rocky cliffs surrounding. It was a spectacular, breathtaking view made all the more impressive by the strong gusts of wind that pushed us around the top of the rock. The winds were so strong they nearly blew us over as we clambered around the 600 acres of Steamboat Rock.

Looking out from inside one of the Lenore Lake Caves

Day 2: Following a particularly windy evening of camping, we packed up camp, made a hearty breakfast of potatoes, veggies, and eggs and headed out toward Soap Lake. Along Hwy 17 we spotted a small sign for Lenore Lake Caves and headed up the short, gravel road to the parking lot.

The first ~100 yards of the trail is paved and has stairs leading up to one of the seven cave/shelters in the area. We explored for a moment and then headed towards the cliffs looming overhead. We climbed along trails of loose dirt and rocks which proved to be a bit treacherous, but the end view was well worth it. The view over the parking lot and Lake Lenore was beautiful, but the real treat was the other side of the plateau which looked down over the Grand Coulee scabland. A prairie falcon soared overhead adding to the majestic view. The flood channels of the coulee appeared to drop of the edge of the earth into the blue skies. It was a breathtaking sight to behold.

The edge of the world a.k.a. Grand Coulee scablands

We explored a few more caves and while they were interesting, we were far more impressed with the view into the coulee than the shallow cave shelters. We made our way home and back into the snow of the mountains and the trees surrounding Seattle. Another perfect spring hiking and camping trip was complete.