Rolling hills that look like giant green waves.
Quiet backroads that twist through miles of wheat fields.
Tiny towns and hidden viewpoints tucked into dramatic landscapes.
Eastern Washington’s Palouse region delivers some of the most surprising scenery in the state, yet many road trippers speed right past it without realizing what they’re missing.
This scenic drive winds through soaring viewpoints, peaceful parks, historic towns, and some of the most photogenic landscapes you’ll find anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.
If you love wide open views, quiet country roads, and places that still feel a little undiscovered, this Palouse road trip will end up being one of your favorite drives in Washington.
1. Palouse Falls State Park
Palouse Falls State Park sits in Franklin County, just less than 15 minutes away from Lyons Ferry State Park.
The star of the show is Palouse Falls, a roaring 200-foot waterfall where the Palouse River suddenly drops into a huge basalt canyon carved by the Ice Age Missoula Floods more than 13,000 years ago.
You don’t even have to go far to see it because the main viewpoint is just steps from the parking lot.
You can spend your time here relaxing while watching the river twist through steep black rock walls.
The park covers about 94 acres and the real magic happens at sunrise or sunset when the cliffs glow orange and the waterfall sends mist swirling through the deep canyon.
2. Colfax
After soaking in those canyon views, drive just over an hour to Colfax, a small town located in the rolling hills of Whitman County.
Colfax sits along the Palouse River and is famous for its steep streets, including the one that climbs to the top of Steptoe Butte, a 3,612 foot quartzite peak nearby.
In town, you can stroll past historic brick buildings from the late 1800s, snap a photo of the 1887 Perkins House perched high above the valley, or cross the Iron Bridge that stretches across the river downtown.
If you time your visit for early summer, the surrounding hills explode into bright green waves of wheat, turning the drive in and out of Colfax into one of the most photogenic stretches of road in eastern Washington.
3. Steptoe Butte State Park
Keep the views rolling with a stop at Steptoe Butte State Park, located about 20 minutes from Colfax in the heart of the Palouse.
Steptoe Butte rises 3,612 feet above sea level and towers 1,000 feet above the surrounding farmland, giving you a 360 degree panorama of the famous Palouse hills that stretch for miles in every direction.
A paved road spirals all the way to the summit, where scenic viewpoints let you soak in sweeping views of Colfax, distant grain silos, and the patchwork of wheat and lentil fields below.
Photographers flock here at sunrise and sunset when long shadows ripple across the rolling hills, turning the landscape into glowing stripes of gold and green.
4. Kamiak Butte County Park
Next, swing over to Kamiak Butte County Park, located about 30 minutes from Colfax near the small farming town of Palouse.
Kamiak Butte rises to 3,641 feet and stands out as one of the tallest points in Whitman County, with forested slopes that feel completely different from the wide open wheat fields you’ve been driving through.
The park’s main adventure is the Pine Ridge Trail, a 3.5 mile loop that climbs about 900 feet through dense pine and fir trees before reaching rocky viewpoints where you can look out across the rolling hills.
Spring is especially fun here because hundreds of species of wildflowers bloom along the trail, including bright balsamroot and purple lupine that paint the hillside with color.
5. Pullman
Soon the road rolls into Pullman, a lively college town located just 20 minutes from Kamiak Butte County Park and home to Washington State University.
The WSU campus spreads across more than 1,700 acres, filled with red brick buildings and leafy walkways.
You can also wander past landmarks like Bryan Hall’s clock tower, which has been chiming across campus since 1909.
If you want a quick outdoor break, head to Lawson Gardens, a peaceful park with paved walking paths, colorful flower beds, and a quiet pond.
Football fans know Pullman for the Cougars at Gesa Field, a 32,952 seat stadium where game days pack the town with energy and crimson flags waving all across the rolling hills.
6. Uniontown
Continuing south, you’ll roll into Uniontown, a tiny farming town about 20 minutes from Pullman and just a few minutes from the Idaho border.
Uniontown is best known for the Dahmen Barn, a beautifully restored 1935 dairy barn that now works as an art center filled with local pottery, paintings and handmade jewelry.
Before you even step inside, you’ll spot one of the town’s most photographed landmarks, the Artisan Gate, a huge entrance arch built from more than 1,000 wheels collected from around the region.
The surrounding countryside is classic Palouse scenery, with winding backroads that climb and dip through soft rolling wheat hills, making the short drive in and out of Uniontown a perfect final stretch for your scenic road trip.
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