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.
|
