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The 100-acre Riverfront Park in Spokane, designed for the Expo ’74 world’s fair, is the trail’s midpoint centerpiece. The unique amusement park’s century-old, hand-painted carousel blends with the urban area’s natural beauty and history—reflected in bridges, dams, turn-of-the-19th-century buildings, and the old rail depot clock tower of 1902.

The city of Spokane sits along this trail and is a great place to eat, shop, or wander.

The downtown park is a great point to launch explorations to the east and west. The western section is more wild and rugged as it passes through Riverside State Park to the trail’s end at Sontag Community Park at Nine Mile Falls. The eastern segment passes Gonzaga University and continues through a more populated region on much easier terrain. It ends at the Idaho border, where it meets the 24-mile North Idaho Centennial Trail. Drinking water, supplies, and services are limited throughout. Though the climate is hot and dry in the summer, snow and freezing temperatures are common in the wintertime.