The Spokane River Centennial Trail is a paved trail in

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanf ...

for alternate transportation and recreational use. It is managed by

Washington State Parks The Washington State Park System is a set of State park, state parks owned by the state government of Washington (state), Washington, United States, USA. They are managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. There are over 140 ...

as the Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail. The trail extends from Sontag Park in

Nine Mile Falls, Washington Nine Mile Falls is an unincorporated community in Spokane County, Washington and Stevens County, Washington, United States. The community straddles the Spokane River away from downtown Spokane, at the location of a former falls that has been th ...

to the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

border. It passes through the cities of

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

Spokane Valley, Washington Spokane Valley is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States, and the largest suburb of Spokane. It is located east of Spokane, west of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and surrounds the city of Millwood on three sides. The city incorporated as ...

, Liberty Lake, Washington and the unincorporated community of Spokane Bridge, before crossing under the Interstate 90 Spokane River Bridge—traveling through

Kootenai County Kootenai County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 2020, the United States Census Bureau estimated the county's population at 171,362, making it the third-most populous county in Idaho and by far the largest in North Idaho, the coun ...

for approximately —and then continuing through Washington for about , before meeting with the North Idaho Centennial Trail at the Washington–Idaho border. The trail is divided into three sections: ''Riverside'' refers to the section of the trail within Riverside State Park, ''Urban'' refers to the section within the city of Spokane, and ''Valley'' refers the section east of Spokane (almost all of which lies in the

Spokane Valley The Spokane Valley is a valley of the Spokane River through the southern Selkirk Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and Millwood. The valley i ...

, hence the name). After the border into Idaho, the trail continues as the North Idaho Centennial Trail.

History

Following the

Expo '74 Expo '74, officially known as the International Exposition on the Environment, Spokane 1974, was a world's fair held May 4, 1974, to November 3, 1974 in Spokane, Washington in the northwest United States. It was the first environmentally themed ...

, advocates proposed a mixed use pathway along the river. Citizens in Washington and Idaho expanded the idea by 1986 by joining forces and suggesting a much longer trail that could be completed in time to celebrate the respective state centennials of

(1989) and

(1990). In 2010, it was designated a National Recreation Trail.

References

External links

Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail Brochure
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Friends of the Centennial Trail
{{authority control State parks of Washington (state) Parks in Spokane County, Washington Transportation in Washington (state) Hiking trails in Washington (state) Transportation in Spokane County, Washington Tourist attractions in Spokane County, Washington National Recreation Trails in Washington (state)