My husband and I have made a pact to go to all of these outdoor spots right in our own city. The…read moreareas around Spokane, are really lush and beautiful and a great place to take it all in. The river has so many spots and this was just one of them that we had found. Wide open spaces, creekside stream sounds, children laughing, wine coolers in tumblers...all of the above. We had a great time and it was calm and warm for it still being May. Great walking and hiking spaces too.

Classic hiking trail on Spokane's north side. From the Indian Painted Rocks trailhead, you can go…read moreeast, west, or north, thought the traditional route is to the west. This trail runs past ancient Native American pictographs before taking a lazy stroll amidst the singing birds of the Little Spokane River. At the west end of the path, you can turn north and explore the Knothead Valley trail which winds up through ponderosa pines and gives stunning views of the Spokane River below. The 6.5 mile loop drops back across the valley before turning south and ending back at the Painted Rocks trailhead for a solid outing. If you are looking for a longer excursion or just want more time along the river, the easterly trail (across the street and south across the bridge) adds another couple of miles of waterfront scenery.

It's ok. Not a destination trip by any means, but if you live in and around Spokane it can be a…read moreconvenient and reliable pop-off for hiking or skiing I've heard the skiing is not as great as the nearby competing mountains, and I believe that to be true from my few cross-country experiences this past winter. Winter access means buying a special "Snow Pass" which is something like $80. If you thought your Annual Discover pass would cover you, you're SOL. For someone looking for unfettered access year-round, that's about $115.

Mount Spokane State Park is a 12,000 acre state park with over 100 miles of trails. It takes about…read more45 minutes to get to the trails from downtown Spokane, but it's a picturesque drive that takes you through farms, before transitioning to farm with forest then ending with thick forest. The trees grow denser the farther up the mountain you go. The climate on Mount Spokane is very humid and is cooler that downtown Spokane. The maintains the green vegetation and provides a more comfortable hiking environment when the rest of Spokane is in the high 80s and 90s. Based on our afternoon at Mount Spokane, I could see how the cool, wet climate would make for a great cross country skiing venue. We only hiked on about 4% of the trails but they were very well maintained and had maps at multiple intersections to assist hikers. The maps took a few minutes to decipher but at least they were there. I've been on many hiking and biking trails where you are forced to use instinct and hope that you did some rudimentary maps research before the hike. One side effect of the dense forest is that there are not many vistas available to hikers because you have to look through the dense pine. I suppose this is a drawback to hiking in wet environments rather than in the desert. On the plus side, the dense pine trees mean that there is always enough shade. My wife showed appreciation for this fact. Many runners passed us on the trail. At first I thought it was a trail running club. It was not until the 4th or 5th hiker until we noticed their bibs. I asked one of the next runners about their race and he said that they were running a 50k. That would be an extraordinary distance to run on such a hilly trail. Maybe one day I can reach that distance but I'm still trying to progress beyond my 5k trail runs.

My family highly enjoys this park. It has a basketball court, splash pad, big kid playground,…read moretoddler playground, swings, plenty of grassy area for just hanging out, and some really cool outdoor fireplaces. There is a cute coffee shop across the street. And in the summer they have concerts at the park!

One of our favorite parks in Spokane. It's the perfect place for a play date and in the summer…read moremonths it boasts a great splash pad. Picnic tables, shade from the enormous pines, two playgrounds, basketball, and the aforementioned splash pad make it a great place to spend the afternoon.

Great place to enjoy some beautiful trees and a cliff-peak view. The "castle" is especially scenic…read moreand the kids love running around and imagining the walls are still full-size. Great spot for a picnic and in a lovely part of town surrounded by quaint, turn-of-the-century houses. Quiet and great for kids who love sticks and exploring.

Best place in the city to be alone and stare at the sky. This little park is just a few blocks from…read morewhere I grew up, so my family often took walks here after dinner. We would climb up the steps of of the big basalt rock to the open grassy area at the top. From up there, the sky seems huge and the sunsets are beautiful. It is so peaceful. I just read that is is built around old volcanic island. I don't really know what that means because I doubt there was any water at the base of it because it is right on the edge of the South Hill near cliff drive, but it really does feel like an island up there.

Not a destination park but if you're in the area you can hardly go wrong. Tons of open space…read more Port-a-potty for your peeing convenience. Many fine examples of our native conifer to feast your lusty nature-loving eyes upon. Overall a solid park but not one of the best in Spokane.

I really like Comstock Park. My main gripe is that the sidewalk doesnt go all the way around. It…read morewould be more ADA friendly with better paths. There should also be some attention paid to sprinkler placement as some of the sprinklers on the east side of the park spray into the street. Lets not wash our tax dollar aquifer water down the drain! Now to the amazingness that is Comstock! Great batch of tennis courts. Multiple swing sets. Very fun play set with climbing holds for kids. Pool with tall water slide and diving board. Gorgeous big green spaces, picnic tables galore, easy parking, quiet and uncrowded. Meet me there for a picnic!

A nice little get away within the city to explore nature…read more I stopped here for a little walk after having breakfast nearby. There are trails that are marked and a sign at the beginning pointing out the routes you can take. I only explored for a mile or so, but it was a perfect little get away. I came across many families that were coming to a small playground area for their toddlers or families that were hiking the overall easy pathways with their children. A pretty, perfect little escape for a quick, overall easy hike. I'd recommend!

We live near Dishman Hills. Took my kids there often and they loved it. Our grandkids also enjoyed…read moreclimbing rocks and looking at plants just like their aunt and uncle did. It was a great help on those really restless days. It's an incredibly beautiful place with many great views and lots of options.

Note: My review is for the Lake Spokane campground and boat launch area, just East of the Long…read moreLake Dam. There are four distinct areas of Riverside SP. To see the actual location, refer to Google Maps. A lot to like here, and it's all dry camping. But if you are used to metro area conveniences, be ready to drive 20+ mins, with Suncrest being the better option, vice Reardan or Wellpinit. It's a pretty drive, wherever you decide to go. Sites here are spaced nicely for semi-privacy; meaning, it's nice to have a quiet space, but it's also nice to see neighbors 30 yards away. A full camp is a safe camp this far out. If you have a travel trailer, don't get Site 4. It's set up is 'against the grain' for the 1-way road, and the only reason we made it in was because of our smaller RV. Big rigs? No way. They have these--I guess--decorative rocks to define each camp site. They're in the way, mostly. Otherwise, if you have booked online, it's plug and play. We got to our site; name on the reserved placard; and let the relaxation begin. Easy...

Riverside State Park is an amazing place to visit in Eastern Washington (near Spokane). The park…read morehas a great trail for walking, running, mountain biking or horseback riding. There is a very nice suspension bridge along the trail, and the trail is near a very scenic river. I highly recommend visiting this park.

Fish Lake is a warm water lake on the southwest side of Spokane. It's in an area with few other…read morelakes so a weekend visit in the summer is not advised unless you like crowds. The best way to explore the lake is on watercraft, canoe, kayak, or paddleboard, to escape the crowds and appreciate the natural weed growth with pine tree backdrop. I quickly fished the boat launch once, catching a fish about the size of my fishing lure, and was about to fish one of their docks when I noticed that a group of teenagers had decided to use the dock as a diving platform to practice cannonballs. Fishing Fish Lake should probably be restricted to early morning hours, before the local teenagers are up.

Wonderful paved road. Hiking, biking or walking. Need discovery pass ( 10 dollars /a day or 30/ a…read moreyear). Small Parking lot off the Cheney spokane road. Beautiful lake and grounds!