Five things
#1. A highlight of Spokane’s excellent recreational infrastructure, Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail links Spokane to Idaho along a 40-mile-long, mostly paved trail that follows the Spokane River. From its start at Nine Mile Recreation Area, east through downtown Spokane, and across Spokane Valley to the Idaho line, I saw people biking, walking, pushing strollers, running, and rollerblading. The first 13 miles from Nine Mile to Riverside State Park are the most hilly and challenging, passing through pine forests, Deep Creek Canyon’s 11,000-year-old fossil beds, a kiosk celebrating the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps at Seven Mile, and Riverside’s Bowl and Pitcher Campground across the river.
#2. The next 14 miles are urban, traversing neighborhoods and downtown Spokane, the site of the Expo ’74 World’s Fair that revitalized the river in the heart of the city. There are a number of paved trails that intersect here, under the 1902 Great Northern Railway clock tower, but good signage makes it easy to navigate. On a sunny summer day, a half-dozen food trucks had lines in front of them. Families and couples and office workers picnicked next to the river, while bikers and joggers wove and dodged through. It’s pretty perfect.
#3. The last 13 or so miles go through the Spokane Valley to the Idaho state line, where the trail connects to the 24-mile North Idaho Centennial Trail extending to Coeur d’Alene. All along the way are interpretive signs and historical markers. There are kayak launches and boat ramps, sculpted metal railings, restrooms, and directional maps.
#4. A few miles from the border, a carved stone pillar marks the site of Horse Slaughter Camp, where in September 1858 troops under the command of Col. George Wright killed about 800 horses belonging to resident Native peoples, a war tactic designed to ensure they would not be able to hunt, travel, or gather food as they usually did. The slaughter was revenge for Col. Edward Steptoe’s ignominious defeat in May 1858 at what’s now Steptoe Battlefield State Park Heritage Site, 20 miles south-southwest (read more here and here), revenge taken against the tribes who were simply defending land they had been promised in treaties. The butchery made a horrifying impression on those who saw it, and bones of horses killed there were still visible a half-century later. The horse slaughter effectively ended the treaty wars in Washington Territory; the Palouse, Coeur d’Alene, and Spokan peoples suffered mightily that winter. The marker is accessible by bike or on foot. Google Maps told me I could get close by car, but the exit off I-90 led to a State Patrol garage and offices, and when I walked around to see if there was a footpath (there isn’t), an officer came out to see what I was doing. He confirmed that the only way to reach the marker is from the trail, which means accessing at a public trailhead. The nearest one is at Scraps Dog Park, where you can park and head west for about 1.25 miles. The marker stands just north of the trail.
#5. It’s always fun to walk across a state line, and a river to boot, and both are easy to do on the Centennial Trail. Get off the freeway at the first exit in Washington for Gateway Regional Park. There’s a generous parking area and it’s about a mile walk to go under I-90 and around to the bridge where the trail crosses the Spokane River. Renowned landscape architects the Olmsted Bros., asked in the early 1900s to help Spokane plan its parks, advised the city to always focus on the river. The Centennial Trail is not from their era—it was constructed from 1989-1991, part of the statehood centennial celebration that gave the trail its name—but Riverside State Park and other city parks are. Today, 2.5 million users enjoy the trail each year. Nice work, Spokane.
Fast Facts about Spokane River Centennial Trail State Park
- 526-acre state park trail, open year-round
- restrooms available at some trailheads and sites along the trail
- walking, biking, birding, wildlife viewing, fishing
- Discover Pass required, $10 daily or, for a very reasonable $30, purchase an annual pass
- campsites, cabins, yurts, group camps, vacation houses, kitchen and picnic shelters, marina spots, and retreat centers vary by park and are reservable online
- park brochure
Land Acknowledgment
Riverside State Park occupies the traditional and unceded lands of the Spokane Indian Tribe, who have lived and travelled here since time immemorial.