Five things
#1. Oh, Spokane, you are so lucky. This jewel of a park runs right through your city, accessible at many points, offering a wide variety of recreational experiences. The runners, walkers, hikers, equestrians, road bikers, mountain bikers, and anglers we saw must appreciate what a treasure they have. Riverside is an everything park, with hiking trails, equestrian areas, a long chunk of the Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail, even a 600-acre ORV park. The park encompasses the Nine Mile Recreation Area, Little Spokane Natural Area, and part of Lake Spokane, too. The park is so large that it all fits comfortably inside. At the height of summer, it doesn’t feel crowded.
#2. The Civilian Conservation Corps-built campground at Bowl and Pitcher, an area named for the water-carved rock formations of the Spokane River that runs next to it, is a beautiful spot for an overnight stay. Sure, it’s inside the city limits, so some road and city noise is to be expected. A few years ago, State Parks replaced the dramatic suspension bridge constructed by the CCC boys. It’s a popular spot for wedding and prom photos as well as more typical outdoor pursuits.
#3. The Deep Creek Canyon hike is a surreal path through lava beds to the Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail and views of the river. Piles of basalt made it feel like hiking in Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, but nope, it’s a state park. Wildflowers pushed up between chunks of cooled lava.
#4. Head north to Spokane House Interpretive Center, on the site of an early fur trade post. The North West Company’s David Thompson explored the area around 1807, and his colleague, Jaco Finlay, helped build Spokane House in 1810 at the confluence of the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers. It was the first permanent white settlement in what’s now Washington state. The North West Company monopolized the fur trade for two years, until John Astor’s Pacific Fur Company arrived and built Fort Spokane nearby. The Pacific Fur Company couldn’t get financial support from the East because of the War of 1812, so Astor sold Fort Spokane to the North West Company, which promptly moved into the bigger, better facility. In 1821 the North West Company merged with the Hudson’s Bay Company, which three years later decided to shut down Fort Spokane and move operations to Fort Colvile near Kettle Falls. An archaeological dig in the 1950s found Fort Spokane—outlined just outside the interpretive center with colored beams and posts. Finlay lived in the area for the rest of his life, and his grave is at one corner. (Note: the interpretive center will be closed for most of summer 2024.)
#5. The park feels different up here, wilder and more remote. It’s at a higher elevation, with “Watch for Ice” signs along the road and a noticeably denser forest. The river was high here, too, and the trail eventually petered out into water. The site was a traditional meeting ground for area tribes, with flat benches above the river and lush vegetation on the low ground. We were hoping for moose (I’m always hoping for moose), and the volunteer in the interpretive center said there’d been a juvenile hanging around the day before. Yeah, sure. We walked the riverside trail out toward the confluence, enjoying drifts of wildflowers along the way. The setting, with hills rising steeply on one side and the Spokane River coming in from the other, is gorgeous.
Fast Facts about Riverside State Park
- 11,000-acre camping park, open year-round
- miles of freshwater shoreline along the Spokane River, Little Spokane River, and Lake Spokane
- camping at Bowl and Pitcher, Lake Spokane, and equestrian area with a mix of standard sites, partial utility sites, full hookup sites, cabins, and group camps
- restrooms, showers
- picnic tables, grills, kitchen shelters (several reservable), picnic shelters, horseshoe pits, amphitheater, sports fields,
- 80 miles of trails, hiking, mountain biking, road biking, birding, wildlife viewing, rock climbing, horseback riding, metal detecting, ORV driving, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing
- fishing, swimming, boating, paddle boarding
- boat launches, dock
- 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
- park map
Land Acknowledgment
Riverside State Park occupies the traditional and unceded lands of the Spokane Indian Tribe, the Ktunaxa Nation, Kalispel Tribe, and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who have lived and travelled here since time immemorial.