This is part of my Photo Location Guide series. To see them all, visit this page.
My first trip to Washington's Palouse region was way back in 1995, just a few years after I started getting into photography, in fact. I didn't know a whole lot about it other than some pictures I'd seen by John Shaw as well as some pictures from local Seattle photographers. I however did know of one spot to go: Steptoe Butte. So, armed with that vast knowledge and a Washington State DeLorme map, I drove east to spend a few days on the other side of the state.
For a first trip to an area, I didn't do too badly. I manage to get two images that were eventually published, one of those in an Audubon calendar. But at the time I didn't care about that, I was just enjoying my time exploring, getting lost, and finding some great light along the way.
On this first visit to the Palouse I based myself out of Colfax, WA. And it's such a good base that I now base all of my annual Palouse photo workshop in Colfax. Other options include the much larger towns of Pullman, WA (home of the Washington State University Cougars) and Moscow, ID. But for being right in the middle of all the good stuff, it's hard to beat staying in Colfax.
On that first trip I spent a lot of time in the middle of the day just driving around and taking pictures in bad light. Needless to say, most all of those pictures have been tossed. But it did give me a feel for the area and I found some places I wanted to return to in better light.
As an aside, having a compass and knowing the azimuth of sunrise and sunset was what enabled me to get one of my all-time favorite and successful shots. Now I always scout an area with my compass in hand and the sunrise/sunset bearings written down (or in an iPhone app).
If you're thinking about or actively planning a trip to Palouse, I've got some suggestions and a few resources to share.
First about the roads. There are basically three types of roads in the Palouse: paved roads, gravel roads, and dirt roads. Whatever you do, avoid the dirt roads if it's been raining. The dirt roads will turn into slick mud that can either get you stuck or make you slide into some farmer's field. The farmers in the area all have stories about using tractors to pull out stuck cars. Don't become one of those stories.
There are plenty of paved and gravel roads to explore though, so you'll have plenty to see even if it's wet out.
Maps
A good map is a must. Sure you can use your GPS and mark locations you've found, I do that as well. But for planning routes, there's nothing like having spots marked on a map. The Washington Delorme Map is pretty good (the newer versions seem to have omitted a lot of the dirt roads though). But if you want a map already marked with good locations, take a look at the map that photographer and tour leader Teri Lou developed. It's easily worth twice the price she charges for it: Photographer's Map of the Palouse.
You'll find a similar map (but without locations marked) at the Pullman Chamber of Commerce. Your hotel may also have copies of the Chamber's map.
Some favorite Palouse locations
Steptoe Butte State Park is located north of Colfax. It's justifiably famous for its aerial views of the surrounding farmland. Give yourself about 20 minutes or so from Colfax to drive to the top of the butte. This is a Washington State Park and does require a parking permit. There's an envelope station near the entrance to the park and an automated pay station in the parking lot at the very top. The fee is $10/day. If you plan on several visits during your stay, it may be more economical to just purchase a Washington State Discover Pass for $30, which is good for a year at all Washington State Parks. You can get one online here. Or you can purchase one at the Chevron station in Colfax at the intersection of Hwy 26 and Hwy 195.
The Dahmen Barn is in Uniontown, about 20 minutes south of Pullman on Hwy 195. This location is actually pretty good in the morning or the afternoon. If there are big puffy white clouds in a blue sky, it looks great in the afternoon.
The big attraction is the Wheel Fence, made from hundreds of old metal tractor wheels, gears, and other round things. You'll have a lot of fun photographing this. The barn also houses a local artists' co-op so make sure you go inside too.
Continuing south on 195 for just a couple of minutes and you'll see the red "Palouse Country" barn on the west side of the road.
This is one of those classic Palouse locations.
Dave's Truck Rescue is a place you'll want to visit again and again. There's so much here that you can never exhaust the possibilities.
You'll find Dave's in the town of Sprague, which is at the intersection of I-90 and Hwy 23. It's at the intersection of West 1st St. and North B Street Here's a map.
If you're going there from the Colfax/Pullman area, drive north on Hwy 195 to the town of Steptoe. At Steptoe, turn left on to Hwy 23 and just follow, follow, follow it. Sprague is about 45 minutes from the town of Steptoe, an hour from Colfax.
This location is good in any type of light. Overcast is best for bringing out all the details and colors, sunny days will add some great shadows.
There's a great old abandoned house south of Pullman near the intersection of Weber and Whitman road. Traveling south of Pullman on Hwy 195, turn left on Chambers Road. Then Left on Johnson and right on Weber. Turn right on Whitman and you'll see the house.
This house is on private land and you'll see a sign in front of the house telling you to not go beyond that point. Please heed this sign. You'll be able to get great pictures from that point or even back on Weber Road.
This is such a picturesque old house that people have stolen a post that supports the overhang on the front porch. People have been known to enter the house to take things. A well known photo tour leader once published a picture taken from inside of the house. The owners had a talk with him about that the next time he was out there with a group.
At one point the owner was about to have it bulldozed but his daughter talked him out of it. She and her husband now own the property and live across Weber road in full site of this house. So if you stop by to photograph, one of them may just come out for a chat. They're very friendly people and want to keep the house available for photographers and sightseers. So don't abuse their kindness.
Here's one of my favorite sunrise routes:
From Colfax, take State Route 272 towards the town of Palouse. About two or three minutes after leaving Colfax you'll come across a very nice red barn with an old truck (or maybe two!) parked in front of it. There's room on the right hand side of the road for parking. There didn't used to be. But so many people stop to see this barn that I believe the owner made a little extra room on the side of the road to accommodate a few cars. I have no first-hand knowledge that this is true, but it sure looks that way.
Get there a few minutes before sunrise to check the area out. It will actually take the sun a little bit of time to fully light the barn, but in the mean time you'll see the first light touching the rolling fields to the east. There's also a nice shot of the road and telephone poles looking to the east.
After the sun has risen and lit the barn and you've gotten your shots, keep driving on State Route 272 for another five minutes or so and turn left on Glenwood Road. Follow Glenwood as it turns into a gravel road, takes a sharp right turn, and then starts a gentle climb. Look for a red barn on the right hand side. In June, this barn gets fully lit perhaps an hour after sunrise. And the light on it stays pretty nice for quite awhile. If you're lucky, you'll have big puffy white clouds in the sky to the north and west.
(Sadly, this barn has collapsed. I leave it here in memory of some good photos!)
After you're done here keep going on Glenwood for just a little bit and look for Brose Road. It's a dirt road (remember what I said about dirt roads!). Turn left and drive to the top of the hill for a great view. After this, continue on Brose and at the bottom of the hill veer right on Crumbaker Rd. up another hill to a great "Tuscany" like view of rolling hills with Steptoe Butte in the background.
Palouse Falls isn't actually in the Palouse farming area. It's about 90 minutes from Colfax, but it's worth the trip. If you've got a cloudy/rainy day, might as well take the trip to Palouse Falls. That Washington State Discover Pass will get you in to this state park as well.
This location can also be a great sunset spot. Or, if you've got some moonlight to light up the landscape, a night location.
You'll probably want a wide angle lens here. If shooting at night, I'd use my Rokinon 14mm.
From Colfax, travel west on HWY 26 to Washtucna (about 50 miles) and turn left. Follow the signs to Palouse Falls State Park.
Autumn in the Palouse
The Palouse can be great all year long. In the spring and summer you have the greens and yellows. Later in the summer is harvest and all the different photo opportunities that offers. But it's really, really hot during the day. Consider yourself warned.
The winter brings a completely different and unique look. Snow covered hills, trucks, fences and more become magical. But it's difficult to count on snow so if you want to go in the winter, watch the weather and be ready to go when the snow arrives. To save long drives on roads that might be difficult in the winter, you could fly into the Pullman airport and rent a car there.
Autumn has become one of my favorite times to visit. The colors are earth tones that include tans and several kinds of chocolate (Mmmm....chocolate...). You'll also find some fall color in places, especially in the town of Pullman.
Perhaps the best part though, is that sunrise and sunset are not at absurdly stupid times, like in the spring and summer.
If you plan an autumn trip, beware of the football schedule for the two local colleges, primarily Washington State University (and also the University of Idaho in Moscow). The Cougars are very popular and the hotels will fill up on football weekends.
So by all means, visit the Palouse in spring and early summer. But once you have, consider going back in the autumn. For me, it was like seeing the Palouse for the first time all over again.
Those are just a few of my favorite spots. If you visit my Palouse gallery, you'll find that many of the images have been geo-tagged. Click on the thumbnails to open larger images and look for the little map symbol in the upper right of the page. Clicking on this will take you to Google Maps and you'll have the GPS coordinates to that location. On some images the icons will be grayed out; they don't have GPS coordinates. I'm not keeping secrets; it's just that some of these are from slides and some I simply can't remember exactly where I was.
If a trip to photograph the Palouse is on your bucket list but you don't want to go it alone, click on over to my Workshops site; chances are I'll have a trip to the Palouse on the list.
Thanks so much for sharing the photos and information. I always enjoy seeing your wonderful photos.
Thanks, wish I would have had this last year on my initial trip.
You are extremely generous to publish this note. Thank you. I was able to spend a half-day around Colfax when on a drive from Banff back to NorCal. It was early September and out of season for the Palouse but the potential of the region was stunning. I hope to get back there before too many moons pass.
What a wonderful and generous gift you have given those of us that would like or plan on visiting the beautiful Palouse. My wife and I will be driving down from Canada in the early part of June 2017. I am elated that you recommend Colfax as the place to be, yes, that is where I booked. Your photos are absolutely stunning. If I can come away from our trip with just one image close to the photos that you have shared, I will be very happy.
Thank you for being so kind.
Thanks for the kind words. IF you’re staying at the Best Western, they’ll have breakfast stuff out there by about 4 a.m. for all the early rising photographers! And the best part is, since the good light will probably be done by 8 a.m. or so, you can get back to the hotel for second breakfast! Perfect for photographers and Hobbits!
Thank you for sharing your note on locations to see and take photos. It is very helpful. I am planning to go to this weekend to see the area first time. Your note gives an excellent guide.
Rod- Regarding Tom Hennegar’s property. We did a Palouse Tour the first week of June this year and met and talked with Tom. We also donated $50.00 to him. He was very pleasant to us and gave us full reign of the area, excluding his home and the stuff in his front yard.
He spoke of an episode earlier in the year where he and his wife woke up to a tour group in his front yard and that soured his taste considerably.
He asks only that photographers knock on his front door and ask permission to shoot. If no one is home, then leave your business card at the front door and, too, sign the guest book, which is on the truck near the gas pumps. He is a very nice man and accommodating if you only ask. Wayne Bennett
I’ve talked with him a couple of times in the past. He’s always been very friendly. And somebody always seems to signs his guestbook. From the signs I saw, it appeared he no longer wants anyone to stop by, so we just left. Next year I’ll try stopping by before my workshop and chat with him.