Category Archives: Day Trips

Side Trips to interesting places you can visit for a day

Astounding Facts, Day Trips, In Your Own Words, Places to See, To Dos

Climbing Steamboat Rock

From the top
The view from the top of Steamboat

A recent visitor to the area was kind enought to post a great blog piece about their climb up Steamboat Rock.

Posting photos from significant stops along the route, you get to see how the climb looks before you decide to try it. (It’s pretty do-able for most folks, but it’s utterly without any services at the top).
I haven’t done this in a while, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor, especially is you’ve visited the Visitor Center at Grand Coulee Dam and understand how the Grand Coulee (the canyon, not the dam) was formed. It’s a jaw-dropper view from the top.

For a quick preview of it, see this couple’s great post.

Boating, swimming and fishing, Day Trips, Places to See, Soon, To Dos

Fireworks, musicians, food, crafts, fun and a huge waterfall

A great printed publication just came out on the festivities planned for this weekend and July 4 in the Grand Coulee Dam area.

To see it online, click on the link image below. It’s pretty nice, informative too.

[issuu layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml backgroundcolor=A4112B showflipbtn=true proshowmenu=true documentid=110628033800-36ada0fea6634aaf823b029b4cb6d770 docname=festivalofamerica2011 username=starnews loadinginfotext=Festival%20of%20America showhtmllink=true tag=4th width=600 height=419 unit=px]

Astounding Facts, Boating, swimming and fishing, Day Trips, Places to See, Soon, To Dos

Hot off the press — almost

It’s not even on the streets yet, but here you get to see our latest print edition of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Visitors’ Guide, 2011-2012 issue.

Flip through it and tell us what you think in the comments!

[issuu layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml backgroundcolor=2A5083 showflipbtn=true proshowmenu=true documentid=110612041904-88c0d040a2bb43cdbbf18acbbfbe07e6 docname=2011-2012visitorguide username=starnews loadinginfotext=Grand%20Coulee%20Dam%20Area%20Visitors’%20Guide showhtmllink=true tag=beach width=600 height=388 unit=px]

Astounding Facts, Day Trips, Places to See, To Dos

What a beautiful place

View from the air, looking south
When seen from the air, the relationship of Grand Coulee Dam to Steamboat Rock (far right middle) becomes apparent. It's the rock the Ice Age Floods failed to wash away from what is now the Grand Coulee.

I love the spring. As the local vegetation starts to green up, little tufts of green grass start to grow among the sagebrush. Soon dozens of varieties of wildflowers will spring up.

Our lakes are an obvious asset, but to those unfamiliar with our semi-arid desert, a less obvious thing of beauty (perhaps especially if you’re here from a more tree friendly section of the state) is our landscape full of hiking areas.

One of the most popular in the late spring is Steamboat Rock, the namesake landmark of Steamboat Rock State Park. It’s a great hike to the top, at one point very steep, but the vista is a reward you won’t forget. You can see the big rock that stands in the middle of the Grand Coulee back in the distance in the photo.

If you want to take the hike, let a park ranger know you’re heading up to the top, just so they’re aware someone is up there and to let them give you any tips you might need to know.

If you go, tell us what what you think in the comments!