A Steamboat in the Coulee

Supercharged vacation

Every once in a while, it’s fun to go on an unconventional vacation. I’ve been to the big National Parks of my resident state, Mt. Rainier and Olympic. Many summers ago, I took the ferry to the San Juan Islands, and around the same time I spent a week at the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood. So, when my parents visited the area in 2023, I wanted to go someplace off the beaten path.

Rita and I selected Grand Coulee Dam, the nation’s largest capacity powerplant. This “sparked” excitement in my Dad, a career electrical engineer. Also tagging along were my sister Valerie and her husband Paul. Unlike Hoover Dam, which gets tagged as an itinerary item to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon trips, Grand Coulee is not known as a bucket list destination.

The area truly is a hidden gem. The ancient Missoula floods carved out a spectacular geography of cliffs, buttes, and rocks known as Grand Coulee. Furthermore, sagebrush, one of my favorite plants, runs rampant. Interestingly, Paul hates the smell of sage, and doesn’t like eating game that has been snacking in those areas. The Columbia River passes through, and the massive Banks Lake fills out the landscape. Further, Banks Lake is manmade, part of a huge irrigation project involving the Grand Coulee Dam.

It is worth saying that my Dad loved the Dam itself, and its museum of “electrifying” history. He tracked down the 550 kV substation, the highest voltage he had ever seen. This is not a blog about electricity, though, so I’ll move on. In the Grand Coulee we hiked and rambled in some of the most unexpectedly scenic places I’ve been to.

Northrup Canyon

The first hike we did was Northrup Canyon. This is the longest in Steamboat Rock State Park, at 6 miles out and back. It starts on a sagebrush hill, and then descends into the canyon. Down in the valley the flora is mostly grasses and bushes. Tall rock walls loom overhead, and birds fly high in the sky. At one point we saw a flock of quail, bouncing around on the basalt. This occurred about the same time the gravel trail turned into a rocky scree, which was a bit hard on the dog’s paws.

At 1.5 miles the trail enters an open field with an abandoned homestead as the centerpiece. We spent quite a while exploring in that location. There is a home which had plumbing and electricity, a well on the hilltop, an old bunkhouse (or a big chicken coop), and an old shack. A massive pile of old aluminum cans lays nearby and is purposely left alone by the park so that it can be an exhibit of sorts. It is plainly obvious that the dwellers of the home survived off canned goods.

After the homestead the trail heads further into the canyon. The terrain densifies a bit, with more trees and several boulders hugging the trail. There is also a small bog. After mile 2 we started climbing out of the canyon. The trail got quite steep, but once on top there are great views of the surrounding wilderness. While it is not believed that Native Americans permanently settled the Canyon, they definitely passed through on their hunts.

The trail descends for a bit before ending at Northrup Lake, an oasis of sorts in the dry terrain. It is very secluded and peaceful. We were running a bit late (Rita was working at the High Voltage Cafe and we needed to pick her up for lunch), so we “charged” back and did the return voyage in half the time.

Steamboat Rock

The next day we visited the namesake of Steamboat Rock State Park. Rising 800 feet above Banks Lake, Steamboat Rock is a massive butte that dominates the landscape. It is nearly an island, only one small finger of land connects to the shore. We arrived in the morning and immediately started the climb to the top.

It is not so technical that it requires ropes or gear, but the trail is steep and crosses rocky stretches. To be honest, I would’ve appreciated a rope here or there. Looking back, the view gets more “powerful” with each passing step. There is a small plateau surrounded by rocky cliffs, and then another short climb before the true summit is reached.

Once on top, the hiker arrives at of the best rambling zones in the country. Steamboat Rock looks big from below, but you don’t really appreciate its size until you are on top of the butte. A meadow sprawls out as far as the eye can see, and you can explore in any direction. There is no formal trail, only deer trails that wrap around the perimeter and cross the landscape. It is approximately three miles to loop around the top, and that even leaves out a section of the rock in the south.

Ramble On

Ramble around and take in the views near the edge of the cliffs. To the east are the islands of Banks Lake, and to the north and south one can see down the Grand Coulee. To the west rise the snowy peaks of the Chelan Range, part of the much larger Cascades. The contrast between the deep blue Banks Lake and the dry scablands is stunning. In at least one spot, there is a gap in the rock where you can peer down the cliffs at a rocky beach on the shore.

I just can’t get over the “energy” of the Steamboat Rock rambling zone. It’s open, remote, and has plenty of space to explore. Simply being there is an open invitation to wander around. If it’s your first time though, make sure you know where the deer trail is. As I said, the area is very large, and the deer trail is the best way to find your way back to the point where you ascend/descend the butte.

Humans are not the only creatures that ramble on Steamboat Rock. We saw a herd of deer up there. I don’t know what motivated them to climb the steep trail, but hopefully they are rewarded with plenty of grass. Along with the rambling, we finished the deer trail loop and descended back down to Banks Lake. In a few spots I scooted along on my butt to remain stable.

Dry Falls

On the last day of Valerie and Paul’s time with us, we went to another hidden gem, Sun Lakes – Dry Falls State Park. Back in the time of the Missoula Flood, this part of Grand Coulee was the largest waterfall in the world. Now, the basalt cliffs are dry, but there are a few lakes in the area. For the first time on the trip, we took our Bulldog Toad along, even letting him off the leash.

We set out on the Umatilla Rock Trail, which winds through sagebrush around its namesake butte. Like Steamboat Rock, the area makes a great rambling zone. We took that liberty by doing some extra exploring outside the main trail. My favorite spot was Green Lake. Along with the nearby Red Alkali Lake, it is bone dry. The surface is moist and clay-like, with many cracks that form a pattern similar to that on a turtle shell. It looked like it needed a bit of watering, and I happily obliged.

Toad’s limit for hikes is about 3 miles, so when he started getting tired, we rambled through the sagebrush back to the Umatilla Rock Trail. Along the way we passed an interesting oasis of trees that was in a small depression in the land. There were also lots of large boulders, reminiscent of those that might be found in the National Parks of the Southwest.

You might be thinking, “there can’t possibly be more to Grand Coulee.” Oh, but there is. The next day, sans Valerie and Paul, we visited Lenore Caves. The trail climbs up the hillside and stops by a series of caves, each progressively larger. The Native Americans used to store tools and other wares in these shallow caves. In conclusion, while Grand Coulee is often “short circuited” off typical travel plans, visiting there is sure to give a happy “jolt”.