Burn Ban - Level 1

Fires allowed in all designated fire pits and grills. Propane and gas grills allowed.

General

Start Date:

Steptoe Butte will be closed for a road improvement project beginning spring 2025. Repaving this road will improve the visitor experience, access and safety. The vault toilet located on the butte summit will also be removed during this work. There is a restroom located in the lower picnic area on your way to the summit. Parks will provide opportunities for public comment that will inform future management options after this project is complete.

View from Steptoe Butte looking over Palouse wheat fields with fluffy clouds in a blue sky.
View of Steptoe Butte from bottom of the road.
Picnic tables in picnic area, surrounded by green grass and trees.
Panoramic view of the Palouse wheat fields from atop Steptoe Butte.
An interpretive sign sits in a grassy lawn with full, green trees and shrubs in the background. A picnic table sits alone under a tree.

Steptoe Butte State Park Heritage Site

Whitman, WA 99111

Steptoe Butte State Park Heritage Site is a National Natural Landmark, with stark, dramatic panoramic views of the surrounding farmlands, mountains and states.

Rules

  • Dogs Allowed on Leash
  • Fires Allowed in Designated Areas

During winter, the road is not maintained. Call the park for conditions.

Camping is not allowed.

Groups coming in buses, please schedule with the park.

View live Park camera:

Summit of Steptoe Butte

Activities

Bird Watching

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decorative image

Paragliding

Amenities

Automated Pay Station

Accessible Restrooms

Restrooms

Trash Service

Grill

Picnic Tables

Accessible Parking

Parking

Interpretive Opportunities

Park features

Field

Meadow

Mountain View

Viewpoint

Wildlife Viewing

Rules

  • Dogs Allowed on Leash
  • Fires Allowed in Designated Areas

During winter, the road is not maintained. Call the park for conditions.

Camping is not allowed.

Groups coming in buses, please schedule with the park.

View live Park camera:

Summit of Steptoe Butte

Map & visitor guide

47.034805297851, -117.29321289062

Steptoe Butte is a thimble-shaped, 3,612-foot tall quartzite butte in southeast Washington. It stands out against soft hills of green and mauve, an occasional barn dotting the landscape. Colors seem to shift and change in the light. Atop the butte, the natural eye has 200 miles to view Idaho and Oregon as well as surrounding mountains, including the Blue and Bitterroot mountains.

Aside from the incredible views, this 168-acre day use park also offers a picnic area with seven unsheltered picnic tables, four barbecue braziers, interpretive panels and two vault restrooms.

Interpretive opportunities

Interpretive signs provide information on the site’s natural history and surrounding mountain ranges. One sign shares the history of the Cashup Hotel, which once stood atop the butte.