The Palouse and Surrounding Area
 

Just caught on-line the discovery of photos showing The Palouse area at the Washington/Idaho border. OMG, what a gorgeous sight! It said April-June is the greenest, while Aug-Sept is the wheat harvest colors. Has anyone been there to advise if the later in the year viewing is just as spectacular? Are there other scenic sights in this Washington/Idaho area within a couple hours drive that you can recommend? Would probablty fly into Spokane and not sure which other directions to check out. Thanks for any input!

I'd come in the spring; by late summer things can get very dried out, and it can also be quite warm and (God forbid) even smoky if it's a bad forest fire year.

Here are a couple of maps showing some of the area highlights, if you have enough time. You could fly into Spokane, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla or Lewiston, all of which have commercial service from bigger hubs like Seattle or Salt Lake, or, if you can make five days or so free, you could fly into Portland and combine the Palouse with the Columbia River Gorge and Hood River Valley, also spectacular beyond words in the spring (waterfalls, orchards in bloom, etc.)

Portland - originating: https://goo.gl/maps/8H2kkNFxWzWTNDHZ9
Spokane - originating: https://goo.gl/maps/noMxJAcziMJYtk4m7

I've included Walla Walla and Joseph, Oregon on these maps. Walla Walla is a lovely little town with great food, lots of nearby wineries, and the beautiful Whitman College campus. Joseph, Oregon is a gorgeous little town, full of public art and galleries, set against a stunning mountain lake and surrounded by the Wallowa Mountains, "America's Alps." It will leave you gobsmacked, if you aren't already by the time you get there.

Sample pics -

Views from Steptoe Butte (where a lot of the amazing pictures are taken)

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a518ed902b.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62ac371e32.jpg

Typical road scene (near Dayton WA)

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...68ac9b53e1.jpg

Palouse Falls

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...758cc9fb79.jpg

Wallowa Valley near Joseph (not my pictures)

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bf32c2d1cc.jpg

"Downtown" Joseph

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3f9da24a33.jpg

Gardyloo - Thank you SO much for the map, beautiful photos and very helpful info!

Gardyloo, also want to thank you for the beautiful photos and advice that you've given TravelinVic. We plan to do almost the exact route you mapped out from Spokane for 2 weeks in September.

I'd appreciate your opinion on the last 2 full days we have after leaving Walla Walla before our midnight flight home. After seeing Palouse Falls, thinking of cutting back up through Colfax and continuing into ID and then Coeur dAline. Your thoughts on this area?

I think that's fine. I'd probably look to follow the east side of Lake CdA rather than taking US 95, which is a fairly busy (largely 4-lane) road. The Idaho state highways farther east are slower but more scenic.

Don't miss Sandpoint when you're in the CdA area. It's a cute small town in a beautiful setting.