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The rugged terrain and breathtaking views in Mary McCroskey State Park are best suited for those with a sturdy vehicle and an adventurous spirit.
McCroskey Snapshot
Overnight
Skyline Drive is an 18-mile long unimproved road that rises through dense cedar forest and ponderosa pines to spectacular vistas of the rolling Palouse prairie. The road provides access to 32 miles of multi-purpose trails for mountain bikers, hikers horseback riders and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The road is not safe for large RVs or trailers and it may be too rough for your family car, but if you've got a suitable rig and are willing to explore, you won't be disappointed.
Welcome to Mary McCroskey State Park
Mary McCroskey State Park was given to the State of Idaho in 1955 and is dedicated to the memory of frontier women and the hardships theyendured. Local conservationist, Virgil T. McCroskey, gradually bought up land endangered by logging and cobbled his purchases into a 4,400-acre parcel.
To make the land more attractive to tourists, he cut viewpoints into some of the slopes, built picnic areas, planted flowers, and established a road. The Idaho legislature, however, had serious doubts about the new park, thinking it would not generate enough revenue to justify the loss in taxes, and agreed to accept the gift only if McCroskey would maintain the park at his own expense for the next fifteen years. McCroskey, then in his 70s accepted the terms, and lived exactly fifteen more years, fulfilling his obligation to the state of Idaho just weeks before his death in 1970 at age 93.McCroskey named the park in honor of his mother, a pioneer woman who came to Eastern Washington with her husband and children to establish a homestead near Steptoe Butte.
McCroskey State Park
47° 6' 12.5928" N, 117° 2' 20.1264" W
McCroskey Snapshot
Overnight
Welcome to Mary McCroskey State Park
Mary McCroskey State Park was given to the State of Idaho in 1955 and is dedicated to the memory of frontier women and the hardships theyTo make the land more attractive to tourists, he cut viewpoints into some of the slopes, built picnic areas, planted flowers, and established a road. The Idaho legislature, however, had serious doubts about the new park, thinking it would not generate enough revenue to justify the loss in taxes, and agreed to accept the gift only if McCroskey would maintain the park at his own expense for the next fifteen years. McCroskey, then in his 70s accepted the terms, and lived exactly fifteen more years, fulfilling his obligation to the state of Idaho just weeks before his death in 1970 at age 93.McCroskey named the park in honor of his mother, a pioneer woman who came to Eastern Washington with her husband and children to establish a homestead near Steptoe Butte.
McCroskey State Park
47° 6' 12.5928" N, 117° 2' 20.1264" W