Steptoe Butte Reopens After Year-Long Repaving
Steptoe Butte in Washington has reopened with sweeping views after a yearlong repaving project. The site is famous for panoramic views of the Palouse hills and is especially popular with photographers and cyclists — the new road surface improves summit access just as spring arrives.
The $3.4 million repair project addressed damage from a flood that washed out the lone road to the summit, with work including improvements to culverts to prevent future issues. The project rebuilt 4.1 miles of the summit road with new paving, gravel shoulders, and also included repairs to the parking lots and ADA upgrades. Standing at 3,612 feet, Steptoe Butte is a quartzite island of rock that is over 400 million years old, predating the surrounding Columbia River Basalt lava flows by millions of years. This geological formation is so distinctive that isolated rock protrusions surrounded by younger lava flows are now known worldwide as "steptoes." The butte was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1965. The Palouse region, with its fertile, wind-blown loess soils, is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the United States. Whitman County, where the butte is located, has historically been the top wheat-producing county in the nation. Today, less than 1% of the native Palouse prairie remains, and the county has taken measures to protect it under a Critical Area Ordinance. The butte holds cultural significance for several Native American tribes, who know it by names such as “Eomoshtoss.” It was later named after U.S. Army Colonel Edward Steptoe. In 1888, a hotel was built on the summit by James "Cashup" Davis, which operated until it burned down in 1911. The land was later donated to become a state park in 1946 by local conservationist Virgil McCroskey.
