Rail-Trail
State: WA Length: 1.10 miles Surface: Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
Spokane's Benn Burr Trail runs for just a short distance through the southeast part of the city. On one end you have Liberty Park, on the other, Underhill Park. In between are old neighborhoods on tree-lined streets. Equally tree-line is the trail corridor, making for a pleasant stroll.
State: WA Length: 130 miles Surface: Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel
As of late 2011 the Columbia Plateau Trail State Park has developed 38 miles in two segments between Fish Lake near Cheney and Martin Road near Sprague, and between Ice Harbor Dam near the Tri-Cities and Snake River Junction. It passes through the scenic uplands of eastern Washington and along the Snake River. The middle 92 miles are undeveloped and difficult going. The trail follows part of the former right-of-way of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railroad, and you'll see mile markers with numbers referencing the distance from Portland, Oregon. The 23-mile northern segment (Fish Lake to Martin Road) is paved for the first 3.75 miles, from Fish Lake to Cheney, with parking and bathrooms at both locations. The trail then turns to gravel and passes through Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge on its way to the Amber Lake and Martin Road trailheads. The 15-mile southern segment runs between Ice Harbor Dam and Snake River Junction. You'll likely see much wildlife among the scenic landscape, and interpretive signs tell about key features along the trail. The trail connects to the unpaved Fish Lake Trail on the north, which will eventually reach Spokane. For more information, call Columbia Plateau Trail State Park at 509-646-9218. An access fee is required.
State: WA Length: 10 miles Surface: Asphalt, Gravel
This scenic trail passes through open forest and uplands and is uphill from Spokane to Fish Lake. The trail is now paved for more than 7 miles from the trailhead south Govenment Way in Spokane to the vicinity of Marshall. The City of Spokane owns the corridor and is working to complete the trail which needs to cross active rail lines near Marshall. Trail users can access the trail at the trailhead one block south of the intersection of Government and Sunset, where a new 23 spot parking lot and restrooms are available. Continuing southeast beyond the pavement, the route is rough again and a short stretch is essentially closed until safety and ownership issues can be resolved where the trail twice crosses live rail lines. At the south end the trail connects to the Columbia Plateau trail and is paved for an additional 3.75 miles on its way into Turnbill National Wildlife Refuge and on to the Snake River.
State: WA Length: 145 miles Surface: Ballast, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Gravel
The John Wayne Pioneer Trail follows the former roadbed of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul-Pacific Railroad two-thirds of the way across Washington, from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the border with Idaho. The 100-mile portion from Cedar Falls (near North Bend) to the Columbia River near Vantage is managed as Iron Horse State Park. It is open to hikers, bikers, equestrians and horse-drawn wagons in summer, and to snowmobiles, dog sleds and cross-country skiers in winter. Trail users report the surface is ballast and gravel, which can be challenging for bicycles.
State: WA Length: 1.80 miles Surface: Asphalt
The 1.8 mile Liberty Lake Stateline Trail is situated between Interstate 90 and Appleway Road at Liberty Lake. A moderately flat 10-foot wide paved surface makes walking or riding easy. The 1.6 mile section adjacent to I-90 rests on the former Spokane and Inland Empire rail bed. The railroad, an electric interurban, built this section of line in the early 1900's to link the towns of Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The line was abandoned in the 1970's and the rail was removed during the 1980's and 1990's. The eastern trailhead of the Liberty Lake Stateline Trail connects with the Spokane River Centennial Trail at Spokane Bridge Road. The west trailhead is at Appleway and Simpson Road. The trail was constructed in the summer of 2002. Trees were added along the trail by Spokane County the following year and the Liberty Lake Transportation Benefit District plans to add a kiosk at the eastern trailhead.
State: ID Length: 24 miles Surface: Asphalt
The North Idaho Centennial Trail is a non-motorized, multi-use trail that meanders 24 miles between scenic Higgens Point State Park on Lake Coeur d'Alene (6 miles east of the city) and the Idaho–Washington border, where it joins the Liberty Lake Stateline Trail. The North Idaho Centennial Trail hugs the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene and parts of the Spokane River, offering spectacular scenery along the way. The trail passes through the Lewis & Clark College and North Idaho College campuses and follows well-marked back streets in Coeur d'Alene. You'll find plenty of rest areas, scenic views and interpretative signs along the way. In 1999 Hillary Clinton designated the trail a Millennium Trail. At Riverstone you can pick up the Prairie Trail.
State: ID Length: 2 miles Surface:
After over a year of organizing community meetings and developing a trail plan, the Pend d'Oreille Bay Trail has finally proposed its official design. At 2-miles in length, this trail will provide a safe means of travel for a growing community of non-motorized commuters and exercise enthusiasts. This rail-with-trail will serve the towns of Kootenai, Ponderay and Sandpoint via a waterfront Class I trail. The waterfront trail grants access to the Pend d'Oreille Bay, part of the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Site. Along the route, there are opportunities to educate the public about the history of this particular region. Two historic sites, the Humbird Mill site and the Panhandle Smelting and Refining Company site provide visitors with the opportunity to gain a glimpse of the life of mill workers during the early 1900s when Ponderay was considered a "Company Town." The trail also provides an excellent opportunity for visitors to learn about native plants and wildlife located in this unique landscape
State: ID Length: 4.20 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Prairie Trail is a spur off the popular North Idaho Centennial Trail, a 24-mile scenic pathway from Coeur d'Alene to the Idaho/Washington border. The paved spur travels northwest for 4 miles along the former Union Pacific Railroad, connecting parks, neighborhoods, schools and businesses. Riverstone Park at the southern end of the trail is a good place to begin your adventure; it offers picnic areas, restrooms and a beautiful lake with fountains. Several restaurants are also located nearby off Riverstone Drive. Further up the trail, you'll traverse the western border of Ramsey Park, where you can find athletic fields, playgrounds, shaded picnic areas and restrooms. The northern end of the trail opens up to offer views of rural landscapes. The trail ends at N. Huetter Road and future plans call for extending the trail another mile east from here to Meyer Road.
State: WA Length: 0.30 miles Surface:
On the eastern side of Spokane, a striking iron railroad bridge spans the Spokane River. Built in 1911 by the Oregon & Washington Railroad and Navigation Company, the bridge serviced mining areas in the Coeur d'Alene district of Idaho and the northern Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. The line closed in 1973 to make way for the 1974 Spokane World's Fair. After years of planning and debate, Spokane has found a feasible way to preserve a piece of local history, while growing their non-motorized transportation infrastructure. By redesigning the land around Spokane's iconic Iron Bridge, the city can create a pedestrian-only pathway across the Spokane River which will link the well-known Centennial Trail to the southern portion of the city. The project is currently underway with the aid of a $400,000 state recreation grant. Its completion date is undetermined, but expected in 2011. While renovating the bridge alone represents a unique opportunity to re-use and re-invent a piece of Spokane's past, the bridge would also link directly with the popular Spokane River Centennial Trail, a 37-mile rail-trail with more than 1.5 million users a year. Residents on both sides of the river would then have direct, non-motorized access to the Centennial Trail, whose eastern trailhead begins all the way at the Idaho border. The bridge would likewise be a key connector in Spokane's regional trails system, providing a link to the Ben Burr Rail-Trail and a number of other proposed pathways.
State: WA Length: 37 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Spokane River Centennial Trail runs along a paved path following mostly along the winding course of the Spokane River between the Washington–Idaho state line and Sontag Park in Nine Mile Falls, 37 miles west of Spokane. At its eastern border, you can link to the Liberty Lake State Line Trail or the North Idaho Centennial Trail, heading east across the river. The Spokane River Centennial Trail is not only multi-use, but it crosses a diverse terrain, from urban landscape to suburbs and neighborhood parks to more remote countryside. During spring some sections of the trail can flood. Visit Friends of the Centennial Trail for flood advisories as well as detailed maps, trail information and construction updates.
State: WA Length: 6.50 miles Surface:
The Spokane Valley-Millwood trail will connect on both ends to the Centennial Trail, providing a loop and access for residents of Spokane Valley to the non-motorized network of trails in Spokane. The trail will use the abandoned Great Northern Railway right-of-way that is now owned by Spokane County and run adjacent to active freight tracks. A great example of an urban pathway, the project will connect to schools, parks, business districts, transit facilities, neighborhoods, Spokane Community College, and a regional mall. Currently used by walkers, joggers, and mountain bikers, the project will provide a paved trail with adjacent soft surface area for walking and running. The City of Spokane Valley recently secured a grant to complete planning and initial design that should be complete in early 2014.
State: ID Length: 72 miles Surface: Asphalt
The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes traces a path through northeast Idaho's riches, from its mining history to its natural beauty to its roots as homeland of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. Don't miss this superb trail through Idaho's mountainous panhandle. But don't let mountains put you off. The trail is mostly flat; E-W is mostly downhill, while W-E is slightly uphill in places. The paved trail begins in Plummer, a few miles shy of the Washington border, and heads northeast along Coeur d'Alene Lake and the Coeur d'Alene River until Mullan, just west of the Montana state line. The first 15 miles are managed by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, the rest (57 miles or so) by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Several rest stops and towns along the way offer refreshment, lodging and entertainment, as well as other recreational opportunities. Mullan is the official end of the paved trail, but you can continue roughly another 11 miles to Lookout Pass on the Idaho–Montana border. This segment is part of the NorPac Trail and uses a Northern Pacific right-of-way that has become an open Forest Service road. It is marked and signed as a trail, with a packed-gravel surface. Yet people can still drive on it, often to access other nearby hiking trails in the Bitterroot Mountains, and you may encounter motor vehicles.