Location: Colfax
Top Things to do in Colfax
The 7 Best Things to Do in Colfax, United States
Colfax is the county seat of Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census. The population is estimated at 2,826 per the State of Washington Office of Financial Management in 2015 making Colfax the second largest city in Whitman County behind Pullman. It is situated amidst wheat-covered hills in a valley at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River. U.S. Route 195, which forms the town's main street, intersects with State Route 26 at the north end of town; in the past, Colfax also lay at the junction of three major railway lines. It was named after Schuyler Colfax, the vice president from 1869-73.
Restaurants in Colfax
1. Steptoe Butte State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 60 reviews
Reviewed By ballhawg - Marietta, Georgia
If you are photographing "the Palouse"---this is the place you want to go for sunrise and sunset....lots of pull-offs with great views for photos. 360 degree views---shot a sunrise or sunset from the top and then work your way down with different vantage points. Excellent!
2. Boyer Park & Marina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By kolekona - Oregon
In mid-August we took our cruiser from the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers all the way to Lewiston, ID. We locked through four dams each way and stayed at several marinas. This is one of them. Boyer Park campground and marina has all of the facilities and amenities that you need on an outing. If you arrive by boat they have transient moorage, gas, and waste pump-out. The mini-mart and restaurant building also houses a little motel called the Almota Inn. Boaters can also use the campground restroom and shower facilities. The place is very popular with steelhead and pike minnow fisherman so the store and marina are equipped with virtually everything you need. The grounds and facilities are well maintained. The park is almost right at the base of Little Goose Dam and there is a trail that you can walk from the park to the dam if you want. Very nice place for boaters. I will use it again.
3. Codger Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
Reviewed By Rainier72 - Lynnwood, Washington
Unless you bring a lunch, you're not going to spend much time at this park. The main attraction of course is the Codger Pole. If you enjoy sports history, you will appreciate stopping here. The signs tell the story of Colfax and St. Johns high school's football rematch with the same players fifty years later. That is correct. The pole itself depicts all the different players from each school. Very well done story wise and a great piece of art. Definitely a quirky roadside attraction, but one of the better ones. Even if you're just driving through Colfax, take a short break and check this thing out. You don't even have to leave the main drag. It's a worthwhile stop.
4. Palouse Tour
Overall Ratings
5 based on 6 reviews
For bikers with some experience, this trail runs along miles of farmland.
Reviewed By Photo-Girl-4 - Olympia WA
After doing an extensive search of the many photo groups offering photo tours to the Palouse, I finally settled on, Palouse Country Photo Tours (www.palousetours.com). The tour leader, Jack Lien, a professional photographer and long time resident of the Palouse, far exceeded my expectation; that is why I have decided to go along with him again this year on his “Golden Harvest-Palouse Country Photo Tour”.
If you are considering signing up for a photo tour or workshop, I recommend you first check his website and read the reviews. Don’t be enticed by one of those large photo tour outfits and being crammed into a van with 20 other photographers just to be driven around to a few of the common locations.
I also want to point out, after my participation in a Palouse Country Photo Tour, I now have an extensive landscape portfolio, not to mention the hundreds of barns images, I know I could not have got by going with anyone else.
5. Perkins House
Overall Ratings
5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By SpokaneRod - Tainan, Taiwan
Restored home of Colfax's founder, which also serves as the city and country museum. Charming setting in one of Washington's early, small towns. By itself, the House is a study in the life and times of Colfax and Whitman County. What the local historical society has done, though, is turn it into a treasure chest of the people and their lifestyles of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many of the items are historical to the home; others are of the area and era.
One should stroll through the House for half an hour, then turn right around and really look at the items in the house, their labels, and the design of the interior as well as exterior. Some of Eastern Washington's founding families' items are in there. The property on which the House sets is a small park-like site; picnics on the grounds are possible!
All too many folks pass Colfax en route to Pullman, the home of Washington State University. Certainly, there's no problem with going to Pullman, but skipping Colfax in doing so is a missed opportunity.
6. St. Ignatius Hospital
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Valoree G
This was so much fun. Great old hospital in Colfax. The Colfax Chamber of Commerce leads 2 and 3 hour ghost hunts in the summer. Super creepy and tour guides are fun.
7. Palouse Photography Tours
The Palouse is a photographers dream paradise where the rolling hills are covered with square miles of wheat, yellow flowering canola, and pea and lentil fields. This rural farm region is scattered with classic red and weathered barns, abandoned homes, rusty machinery, majestic lone trees, towering windmills, grain elevators and limitless treasures. Private all day tours available year long.
