What to See in Ellensburg, United States: Free Audio Guide

Looking for things to do in Ellensburg? This city in Washington combines Western heritage, public art, university life, open farmland, and a relaxed small-town atmosphere. The city’s landmarks range from a former railway station and a historic rodeo ground to unusual outdoor art and parks where the wider Kittitas County landscape comes into view. Neywo also offers a free audio guide for Ellensburg with 15 narrated places.

What to See in Ellensburg

Dick and Jane’s Spot

Dick and Jane’s Spot is one of Ellensburg’s most distinctive sights. Created by artists Jane Orleman and Richard C. Elliott, the project began at their longtime residence and developed into a colorful outsider-art installation.

The exterior includes work by the two artists and contributions from more than 40 other artists from the Pacific Northwest. The residence is private, so the interior is not open to visitors. The installation is experienced from outside, where found materials, reflective surfaces, and varied artworks transform the home into a collaborative display.

Craigs Hill

Craigs Hill is a local high point near Ellensburg, rising to 507 meters above sea level. It provides an opportunity to take in the open landscape of Kittitas County.

The land to the northeast is mostly flat, while the terrain to the southwest becomes hillier. Farmland covers much of the surrounding area, with valleys and channels adding shape to the landscape.

Central Washington University

Central Washington University, commonly known as CWU, has been part of Ellensburg since the late nineteenth century. The public university began in 1891 as the Washington State Normal School, with an early focus on teacher education.

It later developed into a comprehensive public university. Its academic and student life division includes the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Business, the College of Education and Professional Studies, and the College of the Sciences. The campus adds an important educational and cultural dimension to the city.

Ellensburg Rodeo Grounds

The Ellensburg Rodeo Grounds are associated with one of the Pacific Northwest’s best-known rodeos. The event takes place every Labor Day weekend alongside the Kittitas County Fair.

The Ellensburg Rodeo began in 1923 as a local competition among ranch hands. It has since grown into a professional event attracting more than 600 contestants, with more than 700,000 dollars in prize money. The rodeo paused from 1942 through 1944 during World War Two and again in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ellensburg Rodeo

The Ellensburg Rodeo has become one of the Pacific Northwest’s major professional rodeos and is considered one of America’s top 25 rodeos. In 2020, it was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

Its annual Labor Day weekend program takes place alongside the Kittitas County Fair. The event’s history reaches back to 1923, when local ranch hands competed against one another. Today, the rodeo attracts more than 600 contestants and offers prize money exceeding 700,000 dollars.

Ellensburg’s Former Train Station

Ellensburg’s former train station recalls the city’s connection with the railway. Transcontinental trains of the Northern Pacific Railway reached Ellensburg in 1886.

The station building standing today was constructed in 1910. It was the second depot built to a standard design first adopted with the North Yakima station. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1991. Passenger service continued until October 25 of that year, when Amtrak’s Empire Builder began serving Portland, Oregon, by a new route and stopped calling at Ellensburg.

Memorial Park

Memorial Park is a public park in Kittitas County near Ellensburg. The larger town lies just under a kilometer to the west, making the park part of the city’s surrounding landscape.

Kiwanis Park

Kiwanis Park is located a short distance from Ellensburg in Kittitas County. At an elevation of 483 meters, it offers another place to notice the broad, open setting around the city.

Mountain View Park

Mountain View Park is a green space near Ellensburg. Its surroundings reflect the region’s characteristic landscape of open farmland, broad valleys, and occasional channels.

Reed Park

Reed Park is a quiet green space near Ellensburg. Open farmland and broad valleys shape the landscape around it, offering a simple way to experience the area beyond the city center.

West Side Park

West Side Park lies near Ellensburg at about 461 meters above sea level. The land nearby is mostly flat toward the northeast, while hills rise to the southwest.

The highest nearby point reaches 1,087 meters and lies about 9.7 kilometers from the park. This contrast between flatter farmland and rising hills is characteristic of the wider Kittitas County setting.

Whitney Park

Whitney Park is a quiet green space about 1.6 kilometers east of Ellensburg. It sits in a sparsely populated area surrounded largely by farmland.

More Ellensburg Stories to Discover

Ellensburg’s history also includes the Great Ellensburg Fire, known as the Independence Day Fire. In 1889, it destroyed homes and the city’s business district. The fire occurred during the same summer that major fires damaged Spokane, Vancouver, and Seattle, affecting several major cities in Washington Territory.

The city’s radio landscape includes KXLE, a local station whose studios and offices are at 1311 Vantage Highway, where its AM transmitter tower also stands. Central Washington University’s college radio station, KCWU—also known as 88.1 The ‘Burg—broadcasts music, talk, and specialty programming. Its history began in 1958, when a small broadcast facility called KCAT started transmitting on 880 AM. Today, KCWU broadcasts at 88.1 megahertz with 430 watts of effective radiated power.

Ellensburg is part of Washington, in the United States. For another Washington destination, compare it with nearby Cle Elum, or continue exploring cities such as Spokane.

Explore Ellensburg with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide for Ellensburg includes 15 narrated places. There are no scheduled tours to join: the app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Download Neywo before exploring Ellensburg and turn a self-guided walk through the city and its surroundings into a richer discovery of its art, university, parks, railway history, rodeo heritage, and open Central Washington landscape.