This area has both a secluded loop of singletrack (avoid when thawing or muddy) and a flat, open path with a great view of downtown and Mount Spokane. The wide gravel path, named Rimrock Drive (closed to motorized vehicles), runs along the edge of Palisades Park, about a mile out and back, and is ideal for hiking with a group or walking trail-sturdy strollers if it isn’t too snowy.

With rocky outcroppings that overlook the city, it’s a joy in winter to just take a few breaths and watch the steam rise up from the downtown buildings. Mount Spokane, visible toward the north end of this hike, often has a snowy cap this time of year that makes for a nice landmark view.

Explore the singletrack that loops at the center of this park through native brush, meadows, and pines, but bring navigation if snow or ice may obscure the trail.

Find more stories about hikes close to downtown Spokane and ways to explore Spokane’s urban outdoors in the OTO archives.

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Trail Improvements Underway

Trail projects continue into winter at several Spokane County Parks. The work may not be fully polished until next spring, but these in-progress trails may be at least partially ready for winter visitors.

New Trail at Mica Peak

Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance – Eastern Washington Chapter has been taking the lead on the new Green Diamond Trail as a lower-elevation loop route on Mica Peak.

Snowshoe Route Markers at Hauser Conservation Area

Washington Trails Association has been working on improvements to the Hauser Conservation Area trails and will be placing snowshoe route markers on several Conservation Area trails to help with navigation once the trails are snow-covered.

Some general trail maintenance will also be completed throughout the system over the winter months.

Volunteer

Be sure to check the Out There Stewardship and Trail Maintenance calendar to learn about upcoming project dates and get involved with volunteer opportunities: Outthereoutdoors.com/volunteer-scheduling.

Conservation Futures Acquisitions

Spokane County Parks’ 2021 Prioritized Conservation Futures Acquisition List has been unanimously approved by the County Commissioners. The nominated Trolley Trail is expected to be acquired via an administrative acquisition.

Other top-ranked Conservation Futures nominations include a 118-acre addition to Palisades Park, a 54-acre addition to Saltese Uplands, and a 188-acre addition to Antoine Peak.

It will take some time for these acquisitions to be finalized, but updates will be posted at Spokane County’s Conservation Futures website.

Self-Guided Eagle Tours & Count This Year

The Bureau of Land Management is unable to host eagle viewing hikes near Coeur d’Alene this winter season due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns.

Instead, BLM encourages the public to take self-guided hikes and participate in the annual eagle count via the free iNaturalist app under the North Idaho Eagle Watch 2021-2022 project (open through the end of January). Mineral Ridge is a popular trail to try for prime eagle viewing.

Regional Outdoor Events Return

Several events that were cancelled in 2021 are scheduled to return in 2022. Mark the calendar for these fun regional outdoor opportunities, although stay tuned for potential cancelations due to the Omicron variant.

January 2022

• Republic Winterfest (Jan. 15). Not your typical fun run: three-person teams participate in outhouse races down Main Street in this event.
• Winterfest at Mount Spokane (Jan. 16), hosted by Spokane Nordic Ski Association with ski events for both adults and kids.
• Ferry County Rail Trail Ski Day (Jan. 22), a community ski event as snow conditions allow.
• Schweitzer’s Winter Trails Day (January 29), trail fees waived for both Nordic skiing and snowshoeing on 32K of trails at Schweitzer in Sandpoint, Idaho.

February 2022

• Loup Loup Randonee Race (Feb. 5), part of the Snowgoat SkiMo series. The competitive event will have one and four hour divisions.
• Langlauf Nordic ski race at Mount Spokane State Park (February 6).
• Souper Bowl for Women (Feb. 13) at Mount Spokane State Park. A fundraiser for the Women’s and Children’s Free Kitchen with both ski and snowshoe events.
• Spokane Great Outdoors & Bike Expo (Feb. 19-20), including local bike and gear shops, travel destinations, and more at the Spokane Convention Center.

Free Park Days

Washington State Parks: Discover Pass fee-free days this winter are January 1 and January 17, and the more upcoming free days are in March. Note that Mount Spokane State Park is a SnoPark during the winter months, so fee-free days do not apply.

Idaho’s Park N’ Ski: January 8 free day–no parking permits required. Priest Lake Nordic Club will be sponsoring a free ski and snowshoe event at Priest Lake State Park that day.

Methow Valley’s Backyard Ski Day: On January 21, fees are waived for the entire Methow trail system, including Nordic ski trails, snowshoe trails, fat bike trails, and free dog passes for the dog-friendly trails. Some local business will have free ski and snowshoe rentals on a first-come, first-served basis (make reservations ahead of time).

Schweitzer’s Winter Trails Day: On January 29, trail fees waived for both Nordic skiing and snowshoeing on 32K of trails.

Published in the January-February 2022 print issue.

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First, it will connect two of the biggest public recreation land areas on the edge of downtown Spokane together for hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners, and equestrians.

Second, it will protect an 11-mile habitat corridor that connects downtown Spokane northward to Long Lake.

Best of all, this project is not just a whimsical dream; the groundwork has already been laid. Community agencies and government support is already in place, and the only remaining piece of the puzzle is rallying user support.

You can donate to the Rimrock to Riverside Project through the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy and learn more at Inlandnwland.org.

Find more stories about Inland Northwest Land Conservancy in the OTO archives.

The post Spokane Rimrock to Riverside Trail Project appeared first on Out There Venture.

FOREST HEALTH PILOT PROJECT BEGINS TOMORROW

Project Is Designed to Restore 13-Acres to pre-European Conditions at No Additional Cost to Spokane Taxpayers.

City of Spokane Urban Forestry in collaboration with the Palisades neighborhood, Spokane County Conservation District and Washington Department of Natural Resources will soon begin a Forest Health restoration pilot project on approximately 13 acres in Palisades Park.
 

Work begins November 30th and will continue for approximately two weeks.  The project is designed to restore this forested area to pre-European conditions. The forest health treatment plan focuses on the removal of overgrowth, retention of mature trees, and providing quality habitat.
 

The City of Spokane gratefully acknowledges full-funding support for this project from Washington Department of Natural Resources, technical support from Spokane County Conservation District, and the citizen stewardship of the Palisades neighborhood.
 

For more information please call 509.363.5495 or go to: spokaneurbanforestry.org 
 

About Urban Forestry
 

City of Spokane Urban Forestry staff manages 50,000 street trees and another 28,000 trees on developed park land within the City of Spokane.  City arborists help manage the urban forest by planting and maintaining trees throughout the City.  The thinning of trees in some areas is also done to improve the overall health of various stands of trees in the City’s park system.  Improving the City’s urban forest is an ongoing project that will take decades of work and careful management.  In 2010 Spokane received its seventh year in a row designation as a Tree City USA.  That program is sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

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