This week we planned on doing a hike near Spokane, WA since we had to go up there for some shopping anyways. We chose to hike in the Bowl and Pitcher area of Riverside State Park. The road is fully paved, but directions are going to differ depending on where at in Spokane you are setting out from. The biggest goal is to find A.L. White Pkwy, as the main campgrounds and the rock formations in the river are just off this road. I think Google maps will be your best friend when you set forth to find this trail.

One of the neatest features of the Bowl and Pitcher hike is the swinging bridge over the Spokane River. It is a fairly stable structure and swings much less than other bridges I have walked across. Standing on the bridge offers a pretty decent views of the rapids both upstream and down, but there are better places to view the Bowl and Pitcher rock formations. To the north of the bridge is an overlook that gives a pretty good view of the rocks. The geology of the area is quite similar to most of eastern Washington; lava flows and sedimentary formations, that have been wearing away for thousands of years. The National Park Services offers a pretty good explanation of the features here: https://www.nps.gov/places/bowl-and-pitcher-riverside-state-park.htm

There are a lot of things to do in Riverside State Park. There are boat launches for Lake Spokane, day use areas, camping, a 19th century fur trade post that you can visit and learn some local history, the Centennial Trail, and numerous other trails that you can spend the day exploring. A Discover Pass is required inside the park and there are additional charges for camping, ranging from $12 to $50 depending on the season and type of campsite. There are also a few group camping areas that can accommodate up to 60 people, so if you have a lot of friends, you can reserve a place for you all to stay the night.
We chose to stick to the main trails for the most part. We did break off the main trail at one point to climb up a hillside. Eventually we came across the Centennial Trail and were able to get back to the main trail from there. If you stick to the main trails, there will be a vault toilet at the junction of trail 211 and the Centennial trail.
It seems that if you go right after crossing the bridge, you will be on trail 25. The next large trail that goes to the right also appears to be trail 25, and this creates a loop that brings you close to the water and provides some good views of the bridge from downstream, as well as some access to the rock features. Going forward puts you on trail 211. We spent two hours exploring roughly 3 miles of trail in the area.

Overall, we had a great time exploring the area west of the Spokane River. The trails were in good shape and the wildflowers were just starting to bloom. There were a lot of people tho, which would probably be the norm when weather is as nice as it was this weekend. We saw deer, marmots, and geese, so we did get to satisfy our wildlife fix. The hiking is fairly flat and manageable, so the trail might be good for children and older adults. I do not think that it is very handicap accessible, except for perhaps from the Centennial Trail side of the park. If you are in the area for a day and need somewhere to hike, you could definitely have a good time here.

For official state website: https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/riverside-state-park

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