Today we visited Steptoe Butte State Park located 12 miles north of Colfax, WA – maybe 50 miles south of Spokane. Steptoe Butte a 3,612 foot-tall quartzite butte and is over 400 million years old. The state park encompasses 150-acre most of which was donated by Virgil McCroskey in 1946 and the Butte is also a National Natural Landmark due to its unique features. Thimble-shaped, the quartzite butte looms over the rolling hills of the Palouse area. Steptoe Butte was named for Lt Col E.J. Steptoe; however, the term Steptoe is now used worldwide to describe other “islands” of ancient rock.
You can see the butte from a few miles away, it is the only hill around that isn’t covered in wheat, the prevailing crop of the Palouse. We approached Steptoe Butte by traveling south out of Spokane on Hwy 195, then east on SR-271 through the small town of Oakesdale, the a right onto Hume Rd. The route was very scenic, through miles and miles of rolling wheat fields. They looked so soft & fluffy, like a curly-haired dog. Golden in color, although there were spots of green here and there.
The top of the peak is accessed by a paved road that spirals to the very top. There you will find several microwave/cellular/who-knows-what-kind of towers and a very clean port-a-potty. Good to have after the narrow road (with no guard rails) going up. For the first time, the Jeep almost overheated. (I’m blaming Bryan’s slow, careful drive up and the blowing AC to keep Bear cool) We got out of the Jeep & heard this awful gurgling noise… nothing boiled over but it was pretty hot. 
The views were fantastic, although a bit cloudy/hazy in the distance. Certainly worth the drive we thought. Not many amenities, some picnic tables at the base along with another port-a-pot, and then a bench up on top.
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