Steptoe Butte

About this spectacle

Steptoe Butte is a quartzite island summit rising dramatically above the rolling Palouse, one of North America's most photogenic agricultural landscapes. From the summit, visitors look out over an ocean of undulating wheat and lentil fields that ripple in gentle curves to the horizon — emerald green in spring, gold and amber at harvest, and dusted with snow in winter. The butte itself is a geological outlier, an ancient rock formation that survived the volcanic basalt floods that shaped the surrounding plateau. A paved road winds to the top, making the panoramic 360-degree view accessible to nearly anyone. At dawn and dusk the low-angle light catches the contoured furrows of the fields, creating sweeping shadows that emphasize the landscape's almost surreal geometry. The wind is often audible and the silence profound, broken only by hawks riding thermals below your feet.

When to go

Jan — Dec, peak Sep — Jun

Getting there

Nearest airport: GEG. Nearest city: Pullman.

Booking options

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