Overview
Ellensburg is a city of 21,000 people (2019) in the North Central Cascades of Washington State. It is home to Central Washington University, and also to the Ellensburg Rodeo.
6 sights · 4 things to do · 6 places to eat · 9 bars & cafés · 11 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Ellensburg
Central Washington University
The ten thousand undergraduates of CWU very nearly outnumber all the other residents of Ellensburg.
Olmstead Place State Park
This 217 acre state park has farm houses, barns and other outbuildings functioning as a museum of sorts depicting pioneer farm life in the 19th century.
Gallery One Visual Arts Center
Gallery One Visual Arts Center is dedicated to the creation, exhibition and appreciation of visual arts in Central Washington.
Ellensburg Rodeo
The Ellensburg Rodeo has been called one of America’s top 25 rodeos. Within the Northwest, it is second in size only to the Calgary Stampede. Established in 1923, it regularly attracts more than 600 contestants
Kittitas County Historical Museum
Located in the historic Cadwell Building in beautiful downtown Ellensburg and consisting of over 9,000 square feet of display space, the Kittitas County Historical Museum seek to collect and preserve the history and heri…
Clymer Museum & Gallery
Ellensburg's art museum.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 87°F; winter lows dip to about 19°F. Cold months (Jan, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Dec and Jan. (climate data from nearby Leavenworth)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- YKM Yakima Air Terminal McAllister Field, Yakima — 30 mi away. Directions
- EAT Pangborn Memorial Airport, Wenatchee — 32 mi away. Directions
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle — 88 mi away (major hub). Directions
Ellensburg is at the junction of Interstates 90 and 82. Road is the only practical way in, there is no air or rail service.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 2-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Central Washington University, Clymer Museum & Gallery, Gallery One Visual Arts Center
- Lunch The Tav
- Afternoon Kittitas County Historical Museum, Dick and Jane's Spot
- Dinner The Palace Cafe
- Evening D&M Coffee Downtown
Day 2
- Morning Olmstead Place State Park
- Lunch Campus U-Tote-Em
- Afternoon Paul Rogers Wildlife Park
- Dinner Wing Central
- Evening D&M Coffee Canyon
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Visitor information
Get in
Ellensburg is at the junction of Interstates 90 and 82. Road is the only practical way in, there is no air or rail service.
- Interstate 90 (I-90) is along the southwest edge of town. It is 110 mi (1 hr 38 min) east of Seattle and 170 mi (2 hr 44 min) west of Spokane.
- Exit #106 W. University Way & Thorp Hwy. US-97 northbound is the first left (north) from the east side of the freeway.
- Exit #109 S Canyon Rd.
- Interstate 82 (I-82) begins southeast of Ellensburg at Exit 110 from I-90. I-82 goes southeast through Yakima 36 mi, Toppenish, Sunnyside, Tri-Cities 113 mi and down into Hermiston, Oregon 142 mi to Interstate 84.
- US 97 goes north across Blewett Pass to Wenatchee, Omak 160 mi (3 hr) and another 48 mi (45 min) to Osoyoos, BC at the Canadian border. Going southbound, US-97 follows I-82 to Union Gap just south of Yakima.
By bus
The Love's Travel Stop on 1512 Hwy 97, on US Hwy 97 & University Rd (Exit #106 of I-90) in the outskirts of town serves as a de facto bus station for:
Go Greyhound & Flixbus (Flixbus operated by MTR Western and Greyhound)
Travels primarily on Interstate 90 (Seattle,Ellensburg, Moses Lake and Spokane) and another branch continues east on Interstate 82 (Ellensburg, Yakima, Sunnyside, Pasco (in Tri-Cities) and Spokane. Additional local stop at 900 E 10th, next to Starbucks near CWU parking lot. Four departures daily to Seattle. Click here for Flixbus site.
Central Transit Rt #15 (to 4th & Ruby in downtown) and 16 (to Central Washington University) pick up at the Greyhound stop for the ride into town.
The Starbucks near CWU on E 10th & E University Ave (908 E 10th) serves as the other de-facto stop for Flixbus and BellAir Airporter (stop here by appointment only). In additional they may also have stops in other parts of town too. See the below links:
Go Wheatland Express
Regularly scheduled shuttle between Moscow, Pullman, Ellensburg, Bellevue and Tukwila (in the Seattle area). Every Friday, their Weekend Express takes you from Pullman and Moscow to Seattle and return on Sundays. A special service is also deployed during the holiday season and university breaks. Journeys take 2 hours to Seattle from Ellensburg and 3 hours to Pullman.
The public regional shuttle service makes a few stops near downtown.
Get around
The city is small enough to walk on foot in less than an hour.
By bus
Place Ellensburg Central Transit
Central Transit operates local buses in/around Ellensburg and the Central Washington University campus (Rt #12, 13, 14, 15 & 16). The main transfer points for all bus lines are at the southwest corner of the Safeway parking lot on E 4th Ave & N Ruby, at opposite sides of the street (N Ruby) from each other.
See
Do
Events
Buy
Shop Safeway
Eat
Eat Campus U-Tote-Em
No-frills, old-school nook with counter service for signature burgers, sandwiches, fries & shakes.
Eat El Caporal II
Laid-back Mexican outfit featuring margaritas and classic eats such as tacos and enchiladas.
Eat Ellensburg Pasta Company (EPC)
Family-friendly Italian cafe with local beer & wines, plus gluten-free options, in comfy digs.
Eat The Tav
Down-home watering hole offering American pub grub, tap brews, simple cocktails, pool & pinball.
Eat Wing Central
Lively hangout for sports on flat-screen TVs, plus chicken wings, burgers & over 100 beer choices.
Eat The Palace Cafe (The Palace)
Storied cafe serving American eats amid tin ceilings & wainscoting in a 1908 brick storefront.
Drink
Drink D&M Coffee
Locally roasted coffee with five locations.
*
Drink D&M Coffee Downtown
Popular hangout in the middle of downtown.
*
Drink D&M Coffee Pie Hole
Popular hangout for uptown.
*
Drink D&M Coffee Drive-Thru
A small hangout in the SW edge of town.
*
Drink D&M Coffee Canyon
A small drive-thru kiosk for drivers on their way into or out of town along I-90.
*
Drink Iron Horse Brewery
Small microbrewery and pub in downtown Ellensburg.
Drink The Tav
Down-home watering hole offering American pub grub, tap brews, simple cocktails, pool & pinball.
Drink Whipsaw Brewing
Whipsaw Brewing is one of the newer breweries in Ellensburg and has a great lineup of beers. There is indoor and outdoor seating with a few games about in the beer garden. A food truck is there pretty much every day. There are mostly common styles of beer brewed here, with maybe a dozen on tap. This is quite a local place, lots of friendly people that are happy to talk beer.
Sleep
Near downtown
Stay Rainbow Inn
Near I-90
The hotels below are either 2.5 mi NW of town at W University Way & I-90 (Exit #106) or 2 mi south of town at Canyon Rd & I-90 (Exit #109):
Go next
- Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park — 30 miles east on I-90, explore a fossilized forest
- Wanapum Recreation Area — 30 miles east on I-90, picnic or paddle along the Columbia River
- Liberty Recreation Site — 22 miles north on US-97, an old gold-mining site
- Frenchman Coulee — a gorge on the Columbia River popular for rock climbing
- Leavenworth — the "Bavarian" village nestled in the mountains
- Snoqualmie Pass — a major ski resort and base for outdoor recreation
- Wenatchee — bills itself as the "Apple Capital of the World"
Ellensburg is on the Mountains to Sound Greenway.
Nearby
Cle Elum
City / town · 15 listings · 25 mi away
Frenchman Coulee
Park · 3 listings · 27 mi away
Yakima
City / town · 51 listings · 27 mi away
Wenatchee
City / town · 27 listings · 31 mi away
East Wenatchee
City / town · 5 listings · 32 mi away
Cashmere
City / town · 4 listings · 36 mi away
Wapato
City / town · 1 listings · 39 mi away
Leavenworth
City / town · 66 listings · 42 mi away
My experience
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