10 Awesome Things to do Outdoors in Spokane, WA

Are you wondering what there is to do outdoors here in Spokane, Washington? Today we're talking about ten awesome things that you can do outside to explore.

The Bluff

So the first thing that I would recommend is checking out "The Bluff." Now The Bluff is off of the South Hill, so you're going to work your way up to the South Hill all the way to the far side near 42nd. And basically, if you've heard of High Drive, High Drive starts downtown and works your way up to the backside of the South Hill as well. But that's a drop-off of the South Hill going to the west and there's a ton of hiking trails. Beautiful forest area down there. I now run into some moose and deer and all sorts of other wildlife that come up from the Latah Valley. And yeah, so there's a whole hiking trail system in that area. You can work your way all the way down to Latah Creek, but you can basically walk from Polly Judd Park, which is on 14th in High Drive 14th in Cedar, I think is what it actually is. You can work your way all the way to Hatch Road, the other side, basically the other side of the South Hill. So there's a lot of hiking to do. It's very beautiful. Different levels of trails. Some are harder than others. Some have been washed out, all sorts of things, but good for hiking, just walking the dog. People will do mountain biking in the area as well. So I would check that one out if you're just looking to get out and have some nature. 

Indian Canyon

The second one if you're looking for something similar to do is actually Indian Canyon. And the big thing that's really fun about this one is what we call Mystic Falls. Indian Canyon, right off of Indian Canyon golf course is just you pull off on the side of the road and then there's a trail that wraps around Indian Canyon and you can walk through a little bit more of a marshland forest-type thing. There's tons of little streams running through the area. And when you work your way all the way down, you'll get to the bottom of Mystic Falls, which is just like a year-round waterfall in these big cave walls. And it's really cool to hike down there in the winter because then the water falls off frozen and it's kind of like a little ice cave of sorts. So that's a cool one for summer if you want to be there when the water is running. But winter is actually really cool to go just like snow hike down there and get to see the ice canyon. It's pretty cool. So when you're walking around Indian Canyon, you can actually make your way all the way over to Palisades Park by working your way through that Indian Canyon natural area basically. So lots to explore in that area off of Government Way on the northwest side of town, just on the edge of Riverside State Park.

Public Golf Courses

The next thing to do is specific for a type of person but is to check out Spokane's public golf courses. Spokane has four public golf courses, which I think is very cool. They are more affordable than the private ones, not by a ton, but by a little bit. And they're spread out all throughout the town. There's basically one on every corner of Spokane and they're great golf courses. They're open the entire golfing season. Really challenging and in great settings around Spokane. And so if you haven't checked out one of the four public golf courses, if you are a golfer, then I would definitely go do that. I would say downriver is probably my favorite question is a little bit fancier. Indian Canyon is challenging for sure. It's definitely very challenging. There's some steep holes on that one and Esmeralda is the easiest one. It's very flat and definitely the one that's a little shorter as well.

Mt Spokane (Summer and Winter)

Fourth on the list is to head up to Mt. Spokane. Mt. Spokane is great for in the summer, for hiking, exploring the backwoods, mountain biking even. But you can just take your car, drive your car all the way up to the top and just see incredible views. You can see over into Idaho. I think you can see something like seven lakes surrounding Mount Spokane. Like you can see all the way up into North Idaho and looking at like Lake Pondere, I believe. And so it's just really incredible to be up there and see that far and see that wide, especially on a clear blue summer-spring day. But then if you're a skier, obviously the Mt. Spokane Ski Resort is open in the winters and it's just the closest ski resort to Spokane. So if you're not looking to make a huge drive, then that's definitely the spot to check out.

Gren Bluff (Becks Harvest House)

Number five is just at the base of Mount Spokane is in Green Bluff. So you can go check out anything in Green Bluff. But there's a few farms in specific, the most popular being Beck's Harvest House. And in the summer you can go pick fresh peaches. You can just walk down to their farm stand and they have vegetables, fruits of all sorts, usually a band playing and so there's all sorts of activities to do, but the most fun is to actually go pick your own peaches out of their orchard so that's a really good time. And then they also open into the fall with a corn maze. They do like a Halloween thing as well. Pumpkin donuts are amazing there, so if you're looking for something in the summer or fall, go to Beck's Harvest House, and then down the road there's some more that one's like the family-friendly one. There's some more adult farms as well. There's Wildland co-op. They make their own beer and wine and have their own farm of growing fruits and vegetables as well. So definitely go support them. They are up and coming, they're a newer one and they would love your support. It's very cute and they have amazing products as well.

Little Spokane River

Number six on this list is the Little Spokane River. I love this one because it's great for kayakers or Inner Tubers because they offer a shuttle service where you can park your car up in the parking lot. Work your way down the river and then they will actually pick you up with your gear and drive you back to your car instead of needing two cars. One at the start and one at the end and trying to navigate all that confusion and it's just annoying. So I think this is an awesome one for kayakers or anybody that just wants to get out on the water from spring through fall. And they offer that awesome service so that you don't have to bring two cars and coordinate between a bunch of people. You can be a solo kayaker and do it and that's just a rare situation to be able to go on a river and not have to pick up and drop off and all that kind of stuff.

Rocks of Sharon

Number seven on this list is a hard hike, but a really rewarding one as well. It's Rocks of Sharon. Rocks of Sharon is down in the palace's right on the south side of the Dishman Hills area, in between the far end of the south hill and the far end of the South Valley. This is basically a very vertical hike for a lot of it, but when you work your way all the way up to the huge rocks there, that's kind of a big thing. There's these massive boulders at the top of the hills and then you can see just for miles along the palaces to the south of Spokane. So I would say most people can do this hike, but it definitely takes a little bit of extra energy. It can be pretty exhausting working your way up there and then you just have to have some strong knees to work your way back down because it is definitely pretty steep. But like I said, views are amazing. And you're looking over one of the flattest parts of Spokane County so you can see very far once you're up there. 

Manito Park

Number eight on the list for you flower lovers, maybe people that have kiddos or you just want a nice little afternoon walk or something. I always recommend going to Manito Park on the South Hill. It's about 100 Acre Park in the middle of the South Hill that features multiple different gardens from the Japanese Gardens to the Duncan Gardens, which is a perennial garden. There's a rose garden, so lots to do, multiple playgrounds for the kids, lots of hills. So in the wintertime there's some major sledding hills to go check out there as well. But there's also a pond and everything. So great for running, jogging, running through. Lots of bikers make their way through there as they're doing their loops, but great for kids as well. So if you're looking for much more simple, just kind of straightforward, but a beautiful park, definitely check out Manito.

Centennial Trail

Number nine on this list, I recommend it all the time is the Centennial Trail is a 40 miles long trail from Nine Mile Falls all the way to the Idaho border. And it does continue into Idaho border into Idaho. We just don't count that part, but basically just a paved path for most of it that works its way through downtown Spokane, all the way along the Spokane River until it changes state lines. So this one is amazing for bikers runners, but even just a nice walk, depending on where you are in town, you can be in Kendall Yards and then walk around along the Spokane River and make your way to the Gonzaga campus. So there's a little, there's good little pockets depending on the neighborhood that you're in that it runs its way through. I know from my house I'm close to downtown and I can make my way downtown via bike in like five to seven minutes using the Centennial Trail. So it's very convenient. And the path itself is actually pretty nice, especially along Spokane River. It's just a nice way to get around downtown Spokane. 

Bowl and Pitcher

And number ten on this list that I would recommend checking out is Bowl and Pitcher. Bowen Pitcher is just a destination within Riverside State Park, which is our one major state park here in Spokane. But it's very cool because you show up and there's a campground there, very nice campground. It's great for if you live in Spokane, you want to go camping, but you want to make it just a one night, something. Just get out of the house and have some fun. Go stay there. I don't feel like enough people do that. So just go to Riverside State Park, camp for the night, and then you're only like, probably less than a ten-minute to fifteen-minute drive home. It's really nice if you forget to bring something, but Bowl and Pitcher is basically just the shape of some giant rocks there that at the destination. There's a great swinging bridge that trails everything that you can go hiking in the area. Be right along another section of the Spokane River. It's just a great place to be outdoors.