My last ride on the eastern most fourteen miles of the Spokane River Centennial Trail, at least for a while.
The Centennial Trail in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area is actually two separate trails that join together at the Idaho and Washington state-line. The trail in Washington is officially known as the Spokane River Centennial Trail and travels west from the state-line forty miles to and through Riverside State Park. The first fourteen miles of the trail is essentially a parkway along the trails namesake river and has no road crossings at grade making for a safe and enjoyable ride.
I recently found out that this fourteen mile stretch of trail will be closed to the public from April 15th (tomorrow) until sometime in mid or late summer for a much needed overhaul and rebuilding. The trail was originally built in the early 1990’s and since then the surface, despite regular maintenance has deteriorated. A multi agency project funded by the State of Washington, other stake holders and grant money will repair damaged sections of the trail as well as providing a fresh layer of asphalt over the entire length of the fourteen miles.
The sign at the Harvard Road trailhead gives a completion date of early June, however someone in the know told me it may be closed until mid July and another source said they hope to have all the work completed by Labor Day. Either way, I won’t be riding this trail in the near future again, so I made it a point to make this the first ride of the season and I couldn’t have picked a better day, mid seventies and clear skies.
This part of bike trail has been my go to for exercise and relaxation for seventeen years. All three of my addresses since moving to Idaho were less than a mile from the trail and I probably have ridden this section close to a hundred times. I was looking forward to riding it daily after my impending retirement, but will find other bike trips to burn the calories. I can’t wait to see the finished product. Smooth pavement will be nice.
Heading west, I soon came to the Barker Road bridge and trailhead. Here you will find one of the only steep grades on the trail. As I said, there are no at grade road crossings. The trail passes under the bridge.
The trail is always next to the river and most of it goes through a nice mixture of ponderosa pine forest and more open habitat types.
Parts of the river have pretty decent rapids and in high water kayaks are often seen practicing around the rocks. Later in the season, this section of the river is popular with tubers relaxing while floating down stream.
Occasionally Mother Nature throws us a curve ball, but the folks who maintain the trail are on top of it.
After passing by the Spokane Valley Mall the rider passes under the first of two railroad bridges. Spokane is a major rail hub. This is the Union Pacific line, the less busy main line in the region.
Approaching Mirabeau Point Park, the trail enters a particularly scenic area. This beautiful park is owned and maintained by the City of Spokane Valley.
There are restrooms, picnic areas , parking and even a very pretty fake waterfall in this park.
After Mirabeau Park is the second rail bridge, this time the BNSF main line. They were in the middle of adding a second bridge to double track this busy section when work suddenly stopped. A little birdie told me that they needed the money for the CEO’s bonus. Building Back Better, I guess.
Next you come to the biggest hill on the trail and amazing views of the cliffs across the river at Arbor Crest, an event venue that has great views of the valley, trail and the river.
At the bottom of the hill you will find a very scenic stretch of river with basalt rocks. The locals sometimes refer to this area as the Little Bowl and Pitcher and it is very popular for sunbathing and swimming during the summer months.
From the bike/pedestrian bridge over the Spokane River you will enjoy the view of Antoine Peak. This is another Spokane County conservation area with miles of trails and outstanding views.
Just under fourteen miles in, the separated bicycle and pedestrian trail ends at the Donkey Island Trailhead. The trail continues for a few miles on local road shoulders before again becoming a parkway though downtown Spokane, but that’s a post for another day. The best thing about getting to the end of the trail is that you have to turn around and enjoy the view again.
That’s Arbor Crest on the bluff.
A very pretty stretch between mile markers nine and eight.
A half mile spur takes you to Orchard Park, owned and maintained by the City of Liberty Lake. In summer they have a nice splash pad along with a really cool playground for the kiddos.
Returning to the Harvard Road Trailhead you are treated to this view of Shasta Butte and Mica Peak, AKA Big Rock and Signal Point.
Overall this trail is an amazing resource and easily accessible to not only me, but to all the residents of the metro area. In an earlier post I stated that the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s was a factor in my decision to move to the Inland Northwest, well the truth be told, easy access to the Centennial Trail was a major factor in choosing the three places I have resided in Post Falls.
