Alto Ghost Town

Columbia County, Washington46.3864, -118.1117

Can you visit?

Likely private land

Private or unlisted land · Ask the owner first

Nearest town
8 miDayton, WA
Mild months
Apr–Oct7 of 12
Elevation
1,920 ft585 m
Illustration of a forest landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Alto. No free-licensed photo yet.

Alto is a ghost town in Columbia County, Washington. It lies at about 1,920 feet above sea level.

On the map

20 mi40 miWalla WallaCollege PlaceMilton-FreewaterConnellBurbankDaytonAlto
  • State
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Alto. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Dayton, WA, about 8 miles southeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Pasco, WA, 49 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Delaney11 mi northeast
  2. Grange City12 mi north
  3. Pleasant View13 mi northwest
  4. Riparia13 mi north
  5. Canyon17 mi north
  6. McAdam26 mi northwest
  7. Ankeny32 mi north
  8. Drumheller33 mi west

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

Private or unlisted land

The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°4226Jan4628Feb5433Mar6138Apr7044May7750Jun8855Jul8754Aug7747Sep6338Oct4931Nov4126DecJan: 2.1 inFeb: 1.7 inMar: 2.2 inApr: 1.9 inMay: 1.8 inJun: 1.2 inJul: 0.4 inAug: 0.5 inSep: 0.7 inOct: 1.5 inNov: 2.4 inDec: 2.3 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run April to October, judging by NOAA normals from Dayton 1 Wsw. July to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up; snow is normal from November to March.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Dayton 1 Wsw station (USC00452030), 7.2 miles away. About 18.7 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationColumbia County, Washington
Coordinates46.38639, -118.11167
Elevation1,920 ft (585 m)
SourcesWikidata Q27995358

Questions

Where is Alto ghost town?

In Columbia County, Washington, at 46.3864, -118.1117. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Dayton, WA, about 8 miles southeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Pasco, WA, 49 miles away.

Can you visit Alto?

Likely private land. The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

When is the best time to visit Alto?

Mild months here run April to October, judging by NOAA normals from Dayton 1 Wsw. July to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up; snow is normal from November to March.

Are there other ghost towns near Alto?

Yes. Delaney (11 mi), Grange City (12 mi), Pleasant View (13 mi), Riparia (13 mi).

More ghost towns in Washington

All 126 ghost towns in Washington · Ghost towns near Spokane