Rocks of Sharon EarthCache
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Approach (1) From the south on Stevens Creek Rd: Park at the Stevens Cr. Trail Head lot. The one mile hike from here is fairly steep in places. It climbs about 700 ft. in elevation. (2) From the NE off Dishman Mica Rd to Iller Creek Conservation Area. The 3-5 mile route includes some difficult terrain including a 1,200 ft gain in elevation. Caution: Climbing onto the rocks is not necessary to log this cache nor is it recommended without proper training and equipment.
Rocks of Sharon
Rocks of Sharon are clusters of stone outcroppings spaced out over a distance of about one kilometer (about 2/3rds of a mile) that overlook the Palouse Hills of Eastern Washington and Idaho. Coordinates put ground zero at the intersection of several trails near the east end of the rocks. Rising to an elevation of 3,600 feet they equal the height of Steptoe Butte some 35 miles to the south. Geologists believe that about 70 million years ago volcanic magma from the earth’s hot mantle just below the continental crust pushed upward into the fractures of the bedrock and eventually cooled to form the erosion-resistant stone outcropping of tthe Dishman Hills area. Then about 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, local landforms were shaped by massive glacial age floods. Thick glacial ice dammed up a huge lake to the east, called Lake Missoula. As the climate warmed, the dam of ice repeatedly failed over the course of several thousand years, each time catastrophically draining the lake. The Dishman Hills area was in the path of the rushing 500-foot-deep wall of floodwaters that scoured the Spokane Valley. The flood left rocky pothole-poxed hills with ponds, ridges and gullies that support grassland areas and ponderosa pine forest communities. Big Rock in the Rocks of Sharon is the largest of the number of monoliths that protrude from a ridge that runs eastward from Krell Hill, also known as Tower Mountain.
This collection of scenic boulders got their name around the early 1900's when Spokanites ventured out of town for weekend picnics. The Sharon store, just south of Tower Mountain, was a stop on the electric railroad that ran from Spokane to Pullman, thus the name Rocks of Sharon. Adventurers would ride to that stop and hike up into the rocks for a day of sun and fresh air. While the store and the railroad are gone, the rocks and the name "Sharon" remain. Once atop the big hill, surrounded by the Rocks of Sharon, the views open up. Looking southeast are the rolling hills of the Palouse and in the far distance Steptoe Butte can be seen. Looking east you can see the mountains of Idaho and the Liberty Lake area. To the west is Krell Hill where the KHQ tower is located. Please take note that the KHQ tower area is not public land and you do not have permission to be there.
Resources:Washington Trails Association, Dishman Hills Association, Spokane County Parks.
Permission has been granted for this Earthcache by the Park Ranger for Spokane County.
Logging Requirements: After you have physically visited the site email me the answers to these questions at the same time as logging your find. Reference "Rocks of Sharon" on the first line. Photos are welcome.
1) The Rocks of Sharon lie along a fault line angled which direction? Provide the general direction.
2) What type of rocks are these outcroppings?
3) Why do you think that these rocks were not affected by the glacial age floods?
4) What is your estimate of the height of Big Rock?
Bonus Question: One rock formation in the Rocks of Sharon is called "The Three Sisters" or "The Triplets" by rock climbers and at times has also been referred to as "Hole-in-the-Wall" by others. Describe the location (direction and approximate distance from GZ) of the rock formation that you believe is the "The Triplets", or provide coordinates.
Congratulations to CacheDFish for First To Find honors!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)