Biking Along the Centennial Trail

 One of the greatest parts of living in Spokane, WA is the accessibility to nature. A five minute drive from just about any part of town will bring you to mother nature - and it isn't as if you have to look very hard.  Of course if you do know where to look or what to look for, you can discover hidden treasures within the city. But even if you're not an experienced explorer, there are places like the Centennial Trail, with a paved road to walk alongside the Spokane River.  The trail is accessible from a multitude of places in the city starting from Nine Mile falls all the way to Coeur d'Alene, ID.


There was a while when I was living right by Corbin Park (one of the historic districts in central Spokane for those who aren't familiar,) and I could ride my bike to the Centennial Trail. It was maybe three miles away and I had a tendency to ride the same few miles, making a seven to ten mile round trip depending on what I felt like for the day.  I've explored much more of the Centennial Trail since then but I will save those adventures for a different post. For a while there I thought about making an entire blog dedicated to exploring the Centennial Trail by bike - however the universe had other plans for me. Still, I thought I would honor the idea by at least making a post.  At one point I was taking pictures while biking, which made for some blurry shots and wobbly rides.  (I was using one hand for the camera instead of using a handy helmet cam.)

The very first day I decided to bike the Centennial, I made the entry through Gonzaga University, aka GU.  Riding south on N. Standard would drop me off at the top of the university and I was to discover how large the campus actually was.  It was something right out of a Hollywood movie and I admired the architecture for a bit before riding on. I followed one walk way which led to a dead end over-looking a field where there was a fellow bike rider who had stopped to take pictures.  By dead end, I mean that I couldn't go straight any longer.  I decided to go left, toward Hamilton, continuing past another field filled with soccer players. Once I turned south on Cincinnati and went through the lower parking lot I finally discovered the Centennial trail.  (This picture was taken from the gonzaga.edu website; and although I'm using it as a visual aid it doesn't belong to me and sole credit remains with the Foley Center Library and Gonzaga University).


Riding down the trail on the North side of the river, I discovered a little pond between the trail and GU.  It had a private property notice to stay out - for some reason I applied this meaning to the area around the lake as well and decided not to investigate the pond further.  Instead, I went to the side of the trail which over looked the river instead. This particular day was bright and sunny, the blue sky reflected off the water like a mirror. Continuing west on the trail led me toward the Red Lion hotel with a sign stating that anyone was welcome to use the path during daylight or business hours.


The part of the path between the hotel and the river appeared to be a popular route. Students, hotel stayers, downtown business folk, joggers, and other bikers consumed most of the trail.  Aside from the location it became apparent why this part of the path was so popular. Along the river edge is a bench overlooking a cliff to enjoy the view and maybe get a glimpse of the local wildlife. A few ground hogs appeared to have set up shop and there was a marmot to call this area home.  There was some chatter amongst the ground hogs, especially from the look out and every so often there was a loud chirp from the marmot.


The path took me under the Division street bridge and continued along the river with some shady scenery. This trail exits out into the business district of the hotel with corporation offices and ball rooms, I continued west.  Then, just past the dam there is a bridge which leads to Riverfront park (the more popular way to get to the Centennial Trail). I did not take the bridge and continued past the hotel pool.  It was a warm day, around 90 something degrees and the closed off pools looked might inviting. There was a pool with a water slide and instantly I wanted to recommend this place to visitors. I had the idea that maybe this was where my parents could stay their next visit and I could swim in the pool with them.


It's right around the restaurant section when the pavement turns into a boardwalk. There were some stairs which appeared to go up to a parking lot (I didn't stop to confirm this), I continued down along the path made of wood which was lined with berry bushes. The boardwalk ends underneath the Washington street bridge and turns into cemented sidewalk again. The trail continues uphill again and I find myself on the northern side of Riverfront park, exiting right near the Flower Mill on North Howard street.  That is where the path splits.  When the Northwest side of Riverfront park was under construction in 2012, part of the path was closed off. The options may have changed by now as it appeared they were building more pathway under the Monroe street bridge. At the time I went, there was the choice to go through Riverfront park toward downtown or continue along the northern side of the river along the streets and crossing the traffic over the Monroe street bridge. By this time I was tired and left the path altogether, heading north up Howard back toward home. (This picture was found on Google maps and the red marker indicates where the Red Lion Inn is located).


Looking back over my journal entries it would seem I have only written about the first two days of my biking adventures along the Centennial trail. This only covered a tiny portion of the trail.  Along some sections of the trail there are two sides to walk along and so you can imagine how much there is to explore.  Here are a few things I learned about riding.

1. Bring water.
2. Don't forget sunscreen.
3. Make sure you are heading back to your home or car BEFORE you get tired. Biking until you get tired and then heading back can be dangerous. I made this mistake on one biking trip and was out of water, heat exhausted and had a migraine by the time I made it home.
4. Bring a little snack, just in case! Because of the above scenario I started bringing a power bar with me and a bigger water.
5. Bring a cell phone (but don't use it while riding).  The cell phone is so you can call someone in case you get exhausted half-way through your trip. You can also take pictures if you have a smart phone. But don't use it while riding, it can be just as dangerous as driving while using a cell phone. Maybe more-so since bike riding is so dependent on hand usage. Evasive maneuvering is difficult with one hand.  Talking is distracting and can cause you to miss seeing a car pull out in front of you.
6. Be aware of your surroundings. Bikers have to watch out everywhere! Being careful not to hit pedestrians. Being careful to not be hit by cars. Avoiding pit holes, curbs, bushes, even flying into the river at some points.
7. Wear a helmet. Yeah sometimes they look lame but they provide shade and safety. Think about how lame you would look if you had to wear a helmet all the time for months after an accident to protect your head.

Until the next adventure, have fun, be safe and enjoy!

These are some of the pictures I took along the ride.
The two maps presented on this page do not belong to me and I do not take credit for them. I only used them as a visual aid, the sole rights still belong to the original owner and can be found on the gonzaga.edu website - http://www.gonzaga.edu/academics/libraries/foley-library/Departments/Special-Collections/VisitUs/default.asp
and the second map I found was on the travelpod.com website.
http://www.travelpod.com/hotel/Red-Lion-River-Inn-Spokane.html