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 H ...

for alternate transportation and recreational use. It is managed by Washington State Parks as the Centennial Trail State Park. The trail extends from Sontag Park in Nine Mile Falls, Washington to the

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

border. It passes through the cities of

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

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

, 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. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 171,362, making it the third-most populous county in Idaho and the largest in Idaho Panhandle, North Idaho, the cou ...

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 (state), Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Washington, Spokane Vall ...

, 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 Northwestern United States, northwest United States. It was the ...

, 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 The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

References

External links

Spokane River Centennial Trail State Park
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)