Spokane is home to many urban wilds. No matter where in Spokane you live, chances are there is a wild-ish natural area near you to explore. Combining urban neighborhoods with these special, scenic places makes for one of the most unique and satisfying hiking experiences imaginable.

And with the right guide to point out everything from native plants and geographical features to historic sites and buildings, it can be even better. This was the idea behind the urban walking tours and my business, Wander Spokane, as well as my desire to become a tour guide. These local tours can’t be repeated anywhere else because they are tied to this unique place.

This summer, get out there to explore on your own or with a Wander Spokane guided tour and see some of Spokane’s lesser-known urban wilds.

Coeur d’Alene Park & Browne’s Addition Neighborhood History

A great starting point is on the corner of Second Avenue and Hemlock at Spokane’s oldest park, Coeur d’Alene Park. The beautiful gazebo in the center of the park was built in 1896 and has been a gathering place for Spokanites for over 120 years. The land for the park was donated after the great fire of 1889 by J.J. Browne and A.M. Cannon as a way of promoting building in the area.

Most homes in this neighborhood reflect the era in which they were built. This was an enclave for the elite who made most of their money in the railway and mining industries.

Overlook Park & Latah Valley Views

Walking west down Second Avenue toward Overlook Park you will pass many homes ranging from the Patsy Clark Mansion (1897) to the Gibbs-Murphy house, the oldest in the neighborhood (1883). Taking in the view of the Hangman Creek valley, directly below you is High Bridge Park located along the banks of the creek.

Take time to read the few signs at the top of the hill that tell some tales of the past. To the south you’ll notice some beautiful bridges, including the Sunset Highway bridge. Downstream you’ll see remnants of old trusses both in the water and on land.

High Bridge Park Walk along the Creek

Starting down the trail to Latah Creek below are plenty of plants, many native to the area. My favorite time to view them is late spring/early summer. Probably the most well-known is the arrowleaf balsamroot that resembles a wild sunflower. Ponderosa pines line the trail and the creek, as well as yarrow, ocean spray, and Douglas fir, all with edible and medicinal uses.

At the bottom of the trail you reach the creek, known by one of two names—Hangman Creek or Latah Creek, depending on who you ask. (In 1858 Col. George Wright had several Native Americans hanged in this valley, hence the name discrepancy).

At this point the pulse of the city is out of sight, and the sound of the water and birds take over.

People’s Park & the Confluence

Follow the creek north to the Spokane River and the confluence with Latah Creek, a special place to members of the Spokane Tribe and other Native Americans. The river and creek provided Native American inhabitants with salmon and other fish for thousands of years before dams downstream cut off their migration from the Pacific Ocean.

More recently, the natural area surrounding the confluence of the Spokane River and Latah Creek is known as People’s Park. This area has several trails an array of beautiful plants and a “colorful” story.

During Spokane’s Expo ’74, this area was set up for free camping and soon became its own little community. After the fair ended, it became a place for peace, love, and nude beaches.

Peaceful Valley

Turning back east along the south bank of the Spokane River, walk along the newly paved path toward the Peaceful Valley neighborhood, following the river where you can still hear the raging waters below during spring runoff. Follow the path to Main Street and you will find yourself in my favorite neighborhoods.

Peaceful Valley went by many names in its lifetime: Poverty Flats and Spring Flats to name a few. There are many interesting and historical homes in this neighborhood, including the Pietsch House, Groshoff Apartments, and the Cowley School.

An unusual feature found in this neighborhood is a series of row cabins. Our hike ends at Redband Park, formerly known as Glover Field. The park was renamed after the redband trout, a native fish to the Spokane River that, along with the salmon, was crucial to the Indigenous inhabitants of the area.

The views from Redband Park are amazing, especially from the field looking toward downtown with the power of the river meeting the gorgeous architecture and cityscape.

For more information about urban tours of Spokane and Wander Spokane, visit Wanderspokane.com.

Find more urban recreation and adventure ideas in the Urban Outdoors column archives.

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The search for this staircase is part of Wander Spokane’s week-long scavenger hunt that took my son and adventure buddy, Gavin, and me all over the city to visit parks, historic buildings, works of art both old and new, and unique vistas that are all but unknown to many Spokane residents. When we finally saw the steel steps rising from the dense foliage, I started my timer to see how long it took us to make it up the hillside. 2:12. Not bad for short legs. 

During this, my second Wander Spokane scavenger hunt, I checked a few things off my bucket list—most notably a visit to Spokane’s very own Hobbit House and the home where the 1993 movie “Benny and Joon” was filmed. Alana Livingston, founder and owner of Wander Spokane, is a master of local lore and creates a colorful and fascinating journey through Spokane’s history and geography for scavenger hunt participants.  

Wander Spokane is a small business designed to help people experience the essence of this community on foot through wine, beer, and food tours, as well as urban wilderness tours. More information is available on their web site at wanderspokane.com. This particular adventure was self-guided due to the state’s phased reopening, and dozens of other teams signed up to compete for points and explore the city over the course of a week in June. 

Wander Spokane partners with restaurants, breweries, wineries, and other businesses to help residents, guests, and transplants experience the best that Spokane has to offer. And they don’t disappoint! Food from Three Ninjas kept us on our feet long enough to peruse Coeur d’Alene Park (oldest park in Spokane), find the labyrinth in Polly Judd Park, and search (unsuccessfully) for the abandoned wagon on the old Haynes Estate. We kept our clothes on in People’s Park (historically a nudist park), took selfies with the namesake for Iron Goat Brewing, made fish faces with the Redband trout statue, and found evidence of the zoo that once existed in Manito. We even learned how to read a sundial. 

As I traipsed through downtown with Gavin, who was just in this for ice cream at Sweet Peaks Ice Cream—another Wander Spokane partner—I was crushed to realize they were closed for the night. I also saw things that reminded me of last year’s hunt. I winked at O’Doherty’s where I stood on the bar and sang, “You Are My Sunshine.” I nodded to the Cochinito pig, the musical instruments bench outside the Bing, and the rotary fountain in Riverfront Park, designed by local artist Harold Balazs.  

This year, it’s been tough not to feel “stuck.” Stuck at home, stuck inside, stuck with immediate family. But thanks to organizations like Wander Spokane, my son and I have challenged ourselves to find the hidden gems that are right around the next curve of the street, hiding behind that clump of bushes.  

Check the fall calendar of events and tours at wanderspokane.com for future scavenger hunts and other opportunities for exploring Spokane at its finest!

Spokane is a perfect fit for Carol and her son who, together, love to hike, run, bike, build trails, kayak, climb, camp, snowshoe, and snowboard.  

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Here’s a cool Spokesman Voices story on Spokane’s newly-formed bicycle polo club. You can find out more on the Spokane Bicycle Polo Club blog.

The post Bicycle Polo Finds its Way to Spokane appeared first on Out There Venture.

Cedar St. Stairs October 2008. // Photo Jon Snyder

Did you know the City of Spokane is looking at selling the Cedar St. Stairs? How can we properly ensure the right-of-way, in perpetuity, to protect this vital piece of pedestrian infrastructure?

We’re helping a spearhead a “Save the Stairs” campaign. There will be a meeting regarding the stairs with Councilmen Richard Rush and Michael Allen at the Peaceful Valley Community Center tonight, November 13 at 7PM. (214 N. Cedar St.).

Do you use the stairs for transportation or recreational stair climbing? If so we would like to hear from you. Contact me at jon (at) outtheremonthly.ziplinestaging.com for more information. Here are some pics of the stairs.

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A week ago today, an 18-year-old man, who according to police had been drinking, fell 100 feet to his death after slipping while trying climb the steel undercarriage of the Maple St. Bridge above Peaceful Valley. It would be easy to lecture about how senseless this tragedy is but the first thing it makes me think of is stuff I did that was almost stupid at age 18–when death is still an abstract concept to most people.

The other thing I wonder is: what kind of urban climbing is okay? I participated recently in the Peaceful Valley Parks Charrette and one thing that was suggested was to put climbing holds on some of the Maple St. Bridge supports so that people could climb them. This has already been done on the sly in High Bridge Park.

Would adding climbing holds to the bridge be an innovative outdoor recreation idea or would it encourage more dangerous behavior like last week’s bridge climbing fatality?

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