Transactions with Affiliates - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($)			1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
		Nov. 01, 2012	May 31, 2008	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Note receivable - Anadarko				$ 260,000,000	$ 260,000,000
Above-market component of swap extensions with Anadarko	[1]			45,820,000	18,449,000
Contributions of equity-based compensation to WES by Anadarko				4,170,000	3,471,000	$ 3,041,000
General and Administrative Expense	[2]			$ 49,248,000	44,428,000	41,777,000
Western Gas Equity Partners Long Term Incentive Plan [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Units vesting period				3 years
Equity-based compensation expense				$ 200,000	200,000	200,000
Unvested equity-based compensation expense				$ 100,000
Weighted-average term of unvested awards				3 months
Omnibus Agreement [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
General and Administrative Expense				$ 250,000
Affiliates [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
General and Administrative Expense	[3]			$ 38,873,000	34,703,000	32,055,000
Affiliates [Member] | Working Capital Facility [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Facility, maximum borrowing capacity		$ 30,000,000
Facility, expiration date		Nov. 01, 2017
Affiliates [Member] | Working Capital Facility [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Interest rate percent above LIBOR		1.50%
Independent Director [Member] | Western Gas Equity Partners Long Term Incentive Plan [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Units vesting period				1 year
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Western Gas Equity Partners Long Term Incentive Plan [Member] | Anadarko Incentive Plans [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Equity-based compensation expense				$ 5,200,000	3,900,000	3,500,000
Unvested equity-based compensation expense				$ 10,800,000
Weighted-average term of unvested awards				2 years 3 months
Contributions of equity-based compensation to WES by Anadarko				$ 4,200,000	3,600,000	3,200,000
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Western Gas Partners Long Term Incentive Plan [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Units vesting period				3 years
Equity-based compensation expense				$ 400,000	$ 500,000	$ 600,000
Unvested equity-based compensation expense				$ 100,000
Weighted-average term of unvested awards				3 months
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Natural Gas [Member] | Gathering, Treating and Transportation [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Affiliate throughput percent				37.00%	53.00%	56.00%
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Natural Gas [Member] | Processing [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Affiliate throughput percent				54.00%	51.00%	57.00%
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Crude Oil and NGL [Member] | Gathering, Treating and Transportation [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Affiliate throughput percent				65.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Affiliates [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Note receivable - Anadarko			$ 260,000,000	$ 260,000,000
Note receivable, due date			May 14, 2038
Fixed annual rate for note receivable bearing interest			6.50%
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Affiliates [Member] | Level 2 Inputs [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Fair value of the note receivable				$ 313,300,000	$ 252,300,000
Western Gas Partners, LP [Member] | Independent Director [Member] | Western Gas Partners Long Term Incentive Plan [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Units vesting period				1 year

[1] See Note 5.

[2] Cost of product includes product purchases from Anadarko (as defined in Note 1) of $80.5 million, $167.4 million and $127.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Operation and maintenance includes charges from Anadarko of $72.3 million, $77.1 million and $71.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. General and administrative includes charges from Anadarko of $38.9 million, $34.7 million and $32.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. See Note 5.

[3] Represents general and administrative expense incurred on and subsequent to the date of WES’s acquisition of WES assets, as well as a management services fee for reimbursement of expenses incurred by Anadarko for periods prior to the acquisition of WES assets by WES. These amounts include equity-based compensation expense allocated to WES and WGP by Anadarko (see WES LTIP and WGP LTIP and Anadarko Incentive Plans within this Note 5) and amounts charged by Anadarko under the WGP and WES omnibus agreements.