Spokane River Centennial Trail

In preparation for the upcoming Spokefest ride, I decided to check out part of the route, which follows the northwestern section of Washington's Centennial Trail.

Although portions of the trail (east of Spokane) follow abandoned sections of the Spokane & Inland Empire Railroad and Great Northern Railway, the western section does not.  To the west, it connects with Aubrey L. White Parkway, following the Spokane River through Riverside State Park. 

Having previously ridden the trail east of Spokane, I can say that this is certainly the more scenic ride, with very little traffic and beautiful views.  [Fair warning: not being a rail trial, this section is rather hilly].  You can check out some of my pictures below.

Overview

• Length: The full trail is about 37.5 miles between 9 Mile Falls out to the Idaho border.  There are mile markers along the trail, with 0 (zero) being at the Idaho border.
• You can find a full description on the TrailLink web site.
• GPS of today's ride south from Sontag Park in 9 Mile Falls, and then back north again (just over 8 miles out and 8 miles back).

 Photos

The dam at 9 Mile Falls.

The river, south of the dam.

Bridge over Deep Creek (which flows into the Spokane River).

View from the bridge.  Ok, the creek doesn't look that deep here, but you can hike upstream, and make your way through Deep Creek Canyon.

For a time, the trail rises above the river for spectacular views.

Through this section, you can still see the remains of Firestorm 1991, which cleared a lot of this area.

If you look closely (behind the trees in the lower center of the picture), you can see the suspension bridge crossing the river near the Bowl and Pitcher campground; and downtown Spokane in the distance.

Further south, and looking north, you can see the Bowl and Pitcher in the river (upper left).  And again, I managed to hide the suspension bridge behind the trees in the center of the picture.

Columbia Plateau Trail

History

Originally commissioned by James J. Hill (of Spokane-Hillyard fame) in 1905, the Spokane, Portland, & Seattle Railway provided a direct route from Spokane to Portland; passing down through the Tri-Cities, then along the north bank of the Columbia River Gorge.  Part of the goal was to compete for lumber traffic with the already established Union Pacific Railroad, which traveled the south bank of the gorge.

Commentary

The Cheney Trail head is at the junction of the Fish Lake Trail (to the north) and the Columbia Plateau Trail (to the south).  The Fish Lake Trail is paved, while this one is not.  The trail is said to be  'developed' between Cheney and the Martin Road trail head (near Sprague, WA) - but even so, it was pretty rough going.  It started off with small gravel, but turned rocky, and included short sections of the bigger ballast rock.  The arms can only take so much shaking before you start to go crazy.

The terrain is admittedly more typical of the Eastern Washington scablands. And as wearying as it was, the marshlands and lakes along the way made the route a little more tolerable.  It's a beautiful ride, as you can see in the pictures below - it was just a little much for this old body.  Back to the pavement.

Overview

• Length: The full trail is about 130 miles, between Cheney and Pasco, WA; today's ride consisted of just 12 not-so-pleasant miles (out, then I had to come back)
• Elevation change: Gradual downhill heading southwest.
• Full description on the TrailLink web site.
• GPS of today's ride between Cheney and Amber Lake, WA.
• Trivia: Although part of its name, Seattle was never serviced by this railway.

Photos

A Discovery Pass is required for access.  Otherwise it's $10 for the day.

Discovery dollars at work - the facilities were clean and well-stocked.

Here's the contrast.  The Fish Lake Trail heading north - nicely paved.

...and the Columbia Plateau Trail heading south - not paved.

Entering the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge.

There was a fair amount of water and marshland in Turnbull, but at least on this day, there was not a lot of wildlife.

As it was, I probably saw more wildlife outside of the refuge than in.

Portions of the path are carved into the Basalt outcroppings, typical of the Inland Northwest.

The final bend approaching Amber Lake.

The reward for 12 miles of arm-shaking misery.

Arriving at Amber Lake.

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes

Overview

• Length: 72 miles, although this ride was just over 36 miles (round trip)
• Elevation change: Negligible.
• Full description on the TrailLink web site.
• GPS of today's ride between Rose Lake and Harrison, ID.
• Trivia: The trail pavement serves to contain mining contaminants remaining from the original railbed (see History below).

History

The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes was created as part of an environmental clean up by the Union Pacific Railroad in partnership with the Coeur d'Alene tribe, and state and federal agencies.  It follows a 72 mile Union Pacific right-of-way between Plummer and Mullan, ID, in the Idaho Panhandle.

Silver was discovered in this valley around 1884, and the railroad was built around 1888 to support the mining and timber industries.  The original railbed was made of waste rock and tailings from the mines(1).  Nowadays, there would be quite an uproar to think of a railway built on such a foundation, and even more so, along such a pristine river valley.

But we can be thankful now that it has been cleaned up and given back to the public.  What's more, this particular stretch has become a wildlife refuge.  Additional information can be found at the Idaho Parks & Recreation web site.

Commentary

I rode a section of the trail that spans the Coeur d'Alene River Wildlife Management Area between Rose Lake and Harrison, ID.  I started at the Rose Lake trail head, which is just south of Interstate 90 (just west of Cataldo, ID).

It was a beautiful day for a ride - around 70° - and indeed, there was a lot of wildlife (I saw ducks, pelicans, great blue heron, and even a couple moose).  I've attached some photos below.  I had some videos as well; of a moose swimming across the river, and a heron taking to flight; but unfortunately, they did not turn out very well; I'm looking at other options on the helmet camera.

(1) Idaho Parks and Recreation | History, http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/trail-coeur-d-alenes

Rose Lake Trail head.

Heading out from Rose Lake, one of a few long straight-a-ways through marsh land.

If you look closely, there's a Heron!

and a Pelican!

You'll pass about 8 lakes along the way.

A cool old out-building near Medimont, ID.

Heading into a wooded area.

A moose eating the brush; I just couldn't get her to turn around.

Bridge at Anderson Lake Road

Heading west, you begin to see more of the rock formations typical of the Columbia River Basalt Group.

Arriving at the marina and campgrounds in Harrison, ID, on Lake Coeur d'Alene.  A nice stop for an Ice Cream Cone, or a Cold Beer.  As it was, I had an energy bar and a bottle of water.  :-/

For what it's worth, here is the video of the heron taking to flight.  It was wonderful from where I was standing, but the wide field-of-view makes it look quite far away.  And I wasn't paying enough attention to where I was aiming the helmet (notice the bobbing). The heron will be at the bottom of the screen, just right of center.  In the mean time, I've ordered a new camera that supports a narrower field-of-view.

Ben Burr Trail

Overview

• Length: One mile out and one mile back, consisting of gravel and dirt.
• Change in elevation: about 100 feet up as you head east from Liberty Park.
• Full description on TrailLink website.
• I didn't get a good GPS tracking, so here's a link to a similar output.

History

This is just a short section of what was once the expansive Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad, which was an electric interurban passenger line set up in 1904.  It joined various Spokane neighborhoods and reached as far as Coeur d'Alene and Pullman.  You can find a brief history here.

Commentary

Rich in history, this is a wonderful neighborhood trail.  Although for such a short ride, it's really best if you live nearby.  It currently consists of gravel and dirt.  For a number of years now, there has been an effort by the city to pave it and join it to the Spokane Centennial Trail, but this has not been a popular idea with the locals.

Access Points

• I do not recommend the west trail head, as shown on the TrailLink website.  This is due to the abundance of broken glass throughout the parking lot and trail entrance.  And it does not seem to be the official start of the trail - it's more like a trail leading to the trail.
• Instead, I suggest the trail entrance on the east side of Liberty Park, parking in the lot at Pittsburg and 5th, just north of the Aquatic Center.
• You can also enter the trail at the S 800 block of Altamont, heading up a ramp to the east.
• And if you're coming from the east, you can park at Underhill Park on south Fisk.  But you'll have to head up the hill to find the trail.

Photos

On Pittsburg, with the parking lot on the right, looking to the trail head to the South.

As you head up the hill, stay to the far left to enter the trail.

Rail corridor carved through the rock.

Looking north from a clearing in the trail.

The trestle across Altamont Street.

East of the trestle, there's a short stretch of dirt.

Although is it documented that the trail ends at Underhill park, it appears that the only access is to leave the trial and go down this hill to the park.

The mail trail ends at Hills Court, a street accessible from Thor on the east.

As you approach the Altamont trestle from the East, you have street access to Altamont straight ahead, and a stairway to 9th street to the left.

Children of the Sun [2]

Overview

• Length: Just under 10 miles, round trip.
• Elevation change: Although the overall change was only 218 feet, the cumulative total of ups and downs was around 812 feet; so it was a little hilly. 
• Here is the route trace.

History

Not much history here.  Opening in 2009, the route follows the relatively new North Spokane Corridor, the currently incomplete freeway that will eventually reach Interstate 90 that passes through downtown Spokane.  The plan is to continue to extend the trail as well, ultimately joining the Centennial Trail and the Ben Burr Trail.

Commentary

Well, on the spur of the moment, I decided to get out this afternoon to check out the next leg of the Children of the Sun Trail.  My first ride this season was a short east-west stretch of the upper trail.  So this time I parked at the lot on Farwell Road (see location link at the bottom of this posting) and headed south toward Hillyard.  It was a very pleasant ride.

Market Street access point, with a display of Basalt columns found in this area.

You can see where the freeway comes to an abrupt end.

Portions of the trail parallel the Burlington Northern railroad.

End of the road heading south, and the old Fenceman building in Hillyard.

On the way back north, crossing under the freeway at Fairview Road.  Watch for cars!

Arriving back at the truck.

Fish Lake Trail

Overview

• Length: 9 miles out and 9 miles back.  Of course, you can turn around any time you like.
• Change in Elevation: Outbound, it gradually rises around 263 feet over the 9 mile stretch.
• My Route Trace
• Full description on TrailLink website

History

Purchased by the City of Spokane from the Union Pacific Railroad, the Fish Lake Trail heads south out of West Spokane, through the Latah Valley.  It is a beautiful, fully paved path through wooded areas, paralleling and crossing live railways now operated by Burlington Northern.  It is in an area known as the Funnel, due to the amount of rail traffic that passes through.  It is a gradual uphill ride on the way out, only about 1/2 percent grade, but having the benefit of going down on the way back.

Commentary

Interestingly, it does not yet reach Fish Lake.  It currently stops about 1 1/2 miles shy, at Queen Lucas Lake.  Funds are being raised to complete the route, joining the Columbia Plateau Trail, extending to Cheney and beyond.

But what a joy.  This brought out some of what I had hoped to experience while rail trailing - riding through areas that would not otherwise be accessible - and having a few encounters with trains along the way.

View from the parking lot at the trail head, with bathrooms and a water fountain.  Unfortunately, the bathrooms were locked - but there was a porta-potty.  I'll try to find out the seasons and times of bathroom availability.

Paved all the way, and with mile markers.

Live rails to the left and to the right.

A cool looking old building.

The one-and-only tunnel - all of about 100 feet long - just before the Marshall (Scribner Road) trail head.

Arriving at Queen Lucas Lake.

Wait! There's a train.

End-of-the-line, for now.  Now to enjoy the downhill run back to the start.