Spokane River Loop, Riverside State Park, Spokane, WA
I was supposed to be backpacking for two days on Mount Hood. It sure seems like many of my sentences begin with “I was supposed to.” Sigh. I was especially excited about this trip. This trip was to a place I have never been, with people I have never met. And I had nothing to do with the planning – I only had to show up. But wildfires also showed up. So, the trip was canceled.
The original plan was for Barbarian Scientist and I to do the road trip together to my planned trailhead. I would meet the rest of the backpackers, take off with them, and then he would have a solo camping and trail running weekend near Cascade Locks. With the wildfires forcing my backpack trip to be canceled, he also scrapped his planned adventure, making it so we had an unexpected weekend together at home with no responsibilities. Of course, I thought we would use the time to get several of my hikes done from 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest. But it was 100 degrees outside in the Inland Northwest, and Barbarian Scientist ranks climbing mountains as maybe…the 100th thing he would prefer to do in such heat.
So, we compromised, stayed close to home, and completed the Spokane River Loop. It is hike 16 in the book and is described as follows: People of all ages, sometimes even during the winter, come to enjoy this hike along the Spokane River, beginning near the basalt formations known as the Bowl and Pitcher just northwest of Spokane. The trail leads away from the noise of the campground and picnic area, over a bridge above the rushing white water, to quiet retreats in Riverside State Park, which was established in 1933. Buttercups, grass widows, and balsamroot are among the many plants hikers enjoy during the spring. Be extremely careful around the Bowl and Pitcher and Devil’s Toenail Rapids, where the water is particularly swift and dangerous.
I tend to only like hiking close to home when it is winter and access to more rugged, exciting trails is inaccessible. I am at Riverside State Park each year near 9/11 for March for the Fallen, but otherwise, the last time we were there was when I had completed the Centennial Trail Thru-Hike I had planned and hosted. And before that, it was when we were looking for our favorite backup for our original idea of getting married in Sedona before Covid-19 wrecked our plans.
We packed Sam Dog and what we thought was a lot of water (no amount would have been enough) and parked at Bowl and Pitcher. Bowl and Pitcher is probably the most photographed place at Riverside due to the beautiful bridge and the huge basalt rocks along the river. It is very close to the parking area and campground. There are picnic pavilions and benches nearby, as well as easy access to the river.
We walked portions of many trails to make what the book calls Spokane River Loop, including the Bowl and Pitcher Loop and the Centennial Trail. It was very beautiful, of course. Some parts were dirt paths through lush trees along the river; others were along exposed portions of the paved Centennial Trail.
The photo above is my favorite place along the trail. It looks over the river and the bridge (bottom right of the photo) and shows the incredible size of the basalt rock formations, with views of mountains on the horizon.
We completed 5.5 miles on trail with slightly over 500′ elevation gain. I thought it was a beautiful way to spend a couple of hours. Barbarian Scientist thought it was an unnecessary way to spend time in excessive heat. He determined he was accurate when I observed that there were no other people after you were away from the bridge and the river. I think we can both be right.
I regret using this time here instead of chasing a bigger adventure on this day. I have not hiked nearly as much as I wanted this summer because my Jeep is a giant asshole. It is pretty. And it hates me. One of the worst things about being sick has been how often I have to choose between paying a medical bill or paying for something else. So, my Jeep sits and waits for the day it gets chosen over medical bills. So, I sit and wait.