| Steptoe Butte State Park | |
| Alt Name: | Washington State Park |
| Map: | USA Washington#USA |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Location: | Whitman County, Washington, United States3612feet |
| Coordinates: | 47.0325°N -117.2986°W |
| Area Acre: | 150 |
| Established: | 1946 |
| Operator: | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission |
| Website: | Steptoe Butte State Park |
Steptoe Butte is a quartzite island jutting out of the silty loess of the Palouse hills in Whitman County, Washington, in the northwest United States. The 3612feet butte is preserved as Steptoe Butte State Park, a publicly owned 150acres recreation area located north of Colfax.
Steptoe Butte and nearby Kamiak Butte comprise Steptoe and Kamiak Buttes National Natural Landmark. This 1144acres area, designated in 1965, includes land in state and county ownership.[1]
The rock that forms the butte is over 400 million years old, in contrast with the 15–7 million year old Columbia River Basalts that underlie the rest of the Palouse. Steptoe Butte has become an archetype, as isolated protrusions of bedrock, such as summits of hills or mountains, in lava flows have come to be called "steptoes". Steptoe and Kamiak Buttes are outliers of Idaho's Coeur d'Alene Mountains.[1]
above sea level, approximately 1000feet above the surrounding countryside (prominence).
The butte was named after Colonel Edward Steptoe. A hotel built by James S. "Cashup" Davis stood atop the butte from 1888 to 1908, burning down in 1911. In 1946, Virgil McCroskey donated of land to form the park, which was later increased to over . The east,south and west portions of the butte were purchased in 2016 by two couples Kent and Elaine Bassett, and Ray and Joan Folwell. The owners planned to protect their of land from development, eventually donating it to the state. This plan came to fruition when they sold the land to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in December 2021.
A narrow paved road winds around the butte, leading to a parking area at the summit. The park offers picnicking facilities and an interpretive wayside exhibit. Popular activities include sight-seeing, paragliding, hang gliding, kite and model airplane flying, and photography.
| A paved road takes visitors to the top of the parkFile:PalouseHillsFromSteptoeButteMay2017-7.jpg | Steptoe Butte's summit provides scenic views of the Palouse farmland, seen here in the late spring.File:PhotographersPalouseSteptoeButteMay2017-11.jpg | The butte's expansive views of the Palouse attracts photographersFile:PalouseHillsFromSteptoeButteMay2017-15.jpg | Panoramic view on a spring eveningFile:PalouseFromSteptoeButteMay2023-1.jpg | A hazy golden hour, looking west from the summit of the butte in May 2023File:PalouseHillsFromSteptoeButteMay2017-6.jpg | Tourists and photographers park alongside the access road |