Entry No. 60 — the Spokane file — filed under: history

Steptoe Butte

A 3,612-foot quartzite knob jutting nearly a thousand feet above the otherwise rolling Palouse, Steptoe Butte is so old it is a geologic 'island' the surrounding lava flows never buried—the very rock that gave the word 'steptoe' to geology. In 1888 eccentric English homesteader 'Cashup' Davis built a lavish hotel with an observatory and telescope on the very summit; the crowds never came, it was abandoned after his death in 1896, and teens burned the ruin down in 1911. A spiraling road still climbs to the top for a 360-degree view over the wheat country.

The move: Drive the spiral road to the summit at sunset and toast the long-gone hotel of Cashup Davis from the same viewpoint.

📍 Before you go A Discover Pass is required; the summit road is narrow and exposed, and wind at the top can be fierce.

• 📍 Oakesdale (near Colfax), WA
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Steptoe Butte State Park, Scenic Hyw, Colfax, WA

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24