Spokane’s Centennial Trail designated National Recreation Trail

Spokane also has a Centennial Trail and it’s been designated a National Recreation Trail by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

The eastern Centennial Trail State Park is a 37-mile paved trail that runs from Nine Mile Falls near Spokane, to the Idaho border where it connects to the North Idaho Centennial Trail.

The trail follows the Spokane River through Riverside State Park, Spokane County, the city of Spokane Valley and the city of Spokane. The 12-foot-wide paved trail is popular for hiking, bicycling, inline skating and other footpowered recreation and takes travelers along beautiful scenery and sites of historic and archaeological interest.

Along with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Friends of the Centennial Trail, many agencies contribute their time and funds to maintain, enhance and work toward long-range development of the Centennial Trail system. The city of Spokane, Spokane County and the city of Spokane Valley are all park of a cooperative agreement that provides for the care, maintenance and development of the Spokane River Centennial Trail.

Access to the trail is available at 14 trailheads along the way.

For information about the eastern Centennial Trail and Riverside State Park see www.parks.wa.gov and www.spokanecentennialtrail. org.

Other long-distance trails

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has a role in managing several long-distance land and water trails across the state.

• Columbia Plateau Trail State Park, 130 miles from Pasco to Cheney, but only 23 miles are currently developed and open for public use.•

The Iron Horse State Park John Wayne Pioneer Trail is a 113-mile rail trail from North Bend to the Columbia River developed for use and awaiting tunnel repair. An additional 106 miles of trail from Lind to the Idaho border awaits development. On-trail primitive campsites are available between North Bend and Lake Easton State Park. Partnerships with two John Wayne Pioneer wagon and rider groups, as well as other partnerships, support this trail.

• Willapa Hills Trail reaches 56 miles from Chehalis to Raymond, most yet to be developed. Trailhead at Rainbow Falls State Park.

• Klickitat Trail, a 31- mile rail trail from Lyle to Warwick is managed in a a cooperating agreement with Friends of the Klickitat Trail, state parks and the U.S. Forest Service.

• Cascadia Marine Trail, a Puget Sound water trail that runs from Hope Island near Olympia all the way to Canada. The trail now offers more than 50 primitive campsites on islands and shorelines along the way, in a partnership between State Parks and the Washington Water Trails Association.

• Columbia River Trails, 513-mile regional water trail, with 474 water trail miles in Washington, with more than 30 other agencies and groups to link two river trails: the 367-mile Northwest Discovery Water Trail, which runs from the Clearwater River in Idaho, down the Snake River to the Columbia River and Bonneville Dam; and the 146-mile Lower Columbia River Water Trail, which runs from Bonneville to the mouth of the Columbia.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages a diverse system of more than 100 state parks and recreation programs, including long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation. The 97-year-old park system will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013.