Steptoe Butte State Park in the Palouse of Washington: What to see, photography spots and more!

Steptoe Butte State Park is one of the most beautiful spots in the “Palouse” area of Washington State – and in Washington State itself! The spiral road leading up to the park’s major point of interest – the viewpoint that gives you a aerial patchwork overlook of the area’s rolling hills and farmland, is one of the most photographed spots in Washington State. If you’re on a photography road trip of the Palouse region or just happen to be in Eastern Washington State, you’ll definitely want to hit up Steptoe Butte State Park, even if it’s just to snap a few photos and be on your way! In this guide, I’ll give you everything you need to know before visiting Steptoe Butte State Park in Colfax, Washington! Let’s begin.

IMPORTANT: Steptoe Butte State Park will be undergoing some major construction to roads. The park will be closed for several months, starting March 2024. Until then, Steptoe Butte State Park is open, so if this is on your summer road trip agenda, make sure you visit between now and March 2024. Please check the park’s official page for up-to-date information on the park’s road closures.

Wait – what is the “Palouse”?

The Palouse is a geographic region made up of small areas from three states in the Pacific Northwest – Idaho, Oregon and Washington, with the majority of the Palouse region being in Southeastern Washington State. This is an agricultural area famous for its rolling hills of wheat, barley, canola and lentils. This region is very popular with photographers who enjoy photographing rural, pastoral scenes – and one of the famous photographs taken in this region is taken at Steptoe Butte State Park.

When is the best time to visit Steptoe Butte State Park and the Palouse?

You can visit this region year-round but I’m guessing that you want to get those famous photos of green rolling hills. So your best bet would be to visit during the spring.

In the spring and early summer, the fields are a lush green. As the summer rolls on, the fields turn brown as they are ready for harvesting.

Our visit was the first week of July and as you’ll see in my photos, the fields were still green. Exact timing of this will depend on what type of weather this region experiences, so it can be hit-or-miss. We probably lucked out in that we still got the green rolling hills – so again, your best bet would be to plan on a spring visit.

Steptoe Butte State Park – Quick Overview

Admission: $10 per vehicle or a Washington State Park Discover Pass that’s valid for a year for $30. We had the Discover Pass as we were visiting many other Washington State Parks during our road trip out here, so it just made sense to purchase a pass.

Hours: 6am to dusk, daily

Winter Hours: 6am – 6pm

Dogs are allowed, on a leash

Related: Read about my visit to Palouse Falls State Park

Where is Steptoe Butte State Park?

Steptoe Butte State Park is located outside the city of Colfax, Washington. It will take you about 20 minutes to get to the top of Steptoe Butte State Park from the Colfax city center.

Related: Here’s how to find #ThatPNW Bus in the Palouse

Visiting Steptoe Butte State Park

Steptoe Butte State Park basically amounts to an overlook. You’ll drive up the actual butte via a spiral road. There are no hiking trails here – there’s really nothing else to do here except drive up to the overlook – but there are a few restrooms and picnic tables. Restrooms and picnic tables are available at the base of the butte (so near the park entrance). Only restrooms are available at the top.

We purposely waited until close to sunset to make the drive out to Steptoe Butte State Park. We had spent the earlier part of the day farting around the nearby area, taking photos at all of the famous spots in the Palouse. Steptoe Butte was our final stop of the day – and we wanted to save the best for last (or sunset, I should say).

And it did not disappoint! We had a beautiful evening with gorgeous lighting conditions – I seriously couldn’t stop taking photos!

Being warned that this location was very popular with photographers, I was expecting a lot of crowds up a the top, but to my surprise, we had the place pretty much to ourselves. I thought there would be a line up of photographers with tripods here but we only saw one other photographer.

All in all, we probably spent about 30 minutes up at the top, getting all the photos we wanted and more, before heading back down and back to our hotel in Colfax.

Where to stay when visiting Steptoe Butte State Park or the Palouse region?

My sister and I stayed at the Best Western Wheatland Inn in Colfax, Washington and found it to be a great location for exploring the area. The staff at the hotel is used to getting bookings from photographers and provides its guests with an awesome map of the most-photographed locations in the Palouse – I thought that was a really nice touch.

Check current rates and availability here for the Best Western in Colfax, Washington.

Or check current rates and availability for all the hotels in Colfax, Washington.

Otherwise, you can also stay in nearby Pullman, Washington, which is a larger town with more selection of hotel choices. Here is a list of hotels with current rates and availability in Pullman, Washington.

Steptoe Butte State Park – Final Thoughts

This is an absolute must-visit spot if you are in the area – especially if you love photography! Although the $10 entry fee might be a bit pricey for a state park that is essentially just an overlook, it truly is an amazing site to see. The viewpoint requires absolutely no effort, other than just driving up a spiral road. All you need to do is park the car, get out and snap photos. It’s best to go at sunset during the spring or early summer to get the colorful rolling hills of the palouse – but I bet sunrise would be great here too! I highly recommend a visit to Steptoe Butte State Park!

Have you visited Steptoe Butte State Park? Did you get some epic photos? Let me know in the comments!