Hi, I'm Eric.

I’m an avid world traveler, photographer, software developer, and digital storyteller.

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129
Riverside State Park
129

Riverside State Park

west of Spokane, Washington
visited 5 May 2024
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Riverside is really many parks rolled together under one name. I had a few hours in one afternoon to explore it, which was not nearly enough, but what I saw I truly enjoyed.

Trail 220

The first part of my visit to Riverside happened completely by accident. I was driving to a trailhead near the Nine Mile Dam area (see a bit later in this post) when I saw some signs that I thought looked a lot like State Parks signage.

I circled back and went for a walk. The trail was enigmatically named “Trail 220” but was well worth my time. Here are a few views from along the way:

A winding dirt trail curves through an open ponderosa pine forest, bordered by clusters of bright yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers and green spring grass under an overcast sky.
Tall ponderosa pine trees stand in a grassy meadow scattered with bright yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers and pine cones, under an overcast gray sky. Open fields and a low forested ridge fade into the misty distance.
A narrow dirt trail winds through an open ponderosa pine forest, bordered by green grass and clusters of bright yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers under an overcast sky.
A reddish dirt path winds through an open ponderosa pine forest, flanked by fields of bright yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers under an overcast, hazy sky.
A narrow reddish-brown dirt trail winds through an open ponderosa pine forest carpeted with green grass and clusters of yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers, under an overcast pale sky.

Nine Mile Falls Area

A major part of this park is in the Spokane River Valley, so I spent some time along the river especially near Nine Mile Falls.

A grassy hillside dotted with pine trees slopes down toward a calm river under a heavy overcast sky, with forested green banks and distant tree-covered hills fading into misty gray on the horizon.
A calm stretch of the Spokane River seen through tall ponderosa pines from a forested hillside, with yellow arrowleaf balsamroot wildflowers blooming among green leaves in the foreground under an overcast gray sky.

I captured a similar view during a winter visit to the area a couple years ago:

January 2022

Nine Mile Falls was converted into a hydroelectric station in the early 1900s. The dam continues to power some parts of the city and surrounding area today.

Nine Mile Dam, Spokane River

Spring snowmelt and this day’s rains meant that there was lots of water flow to capture. It made an impressive sound as I stood on the bridge near the dam.

Nine Mile Dam, Spokane River

Deep Creek Trail

I asked a fellow hiker earlier in the day to name some of the highlights of the park. He said if nothing else, I should definitely visit the Deep Creek Trail and find the overlook there.

Oh how right he was!

The trail starts off modestly enough along a forest service road …

A wet dirt road runs straight through a forest of tall pine trees under a heavy, overcast gray sky. Grass and pine-needle-covered ground line both sides of the road, with a fallen log on the right.

… but very quickly gets into deep scenery. I started down the trail into Deep Creek. They weren’t kidding about the name! From what I can tell, the creekbed is something like 120ft / 35m below the surrounding landscape.

A narrow dirt hiking trail winding through a misty evergreen forest, flanked by lush green undergrowth, ferns, and tall pine trees, with a small cluster of yellow flowers growing beside the path.
Starting down the canyon into Deep Creek.

I went back up to the edge of the creek and continued toward the overlook. It was foggy/misty afternoon and I was rewarded with moody rockscapes on the opposite bank, such as this one:

A misty, fog-shrouded forested hillside of evergreen pines and firs, with a prominent rocky crag jutting up from the trees in the center and tall pines silhouetted in the foreground against a pale gray sky.

I found the overlook itself and it offered more moody landscapes:

A gravel trail winds toward a low stone retaining wall at an overlook on a misty, overcast day, flanked by tall pine and fir trees and a leafy spring shrub. Fog hangs over the forested hills and rocky slopes in the background.
Deep Creek Trail Overlook
A misty forested hillside of pine and evergreen trees rising above rugged basalt cliffs, with low fog softening the ridge and pale gray sky beyond.
Looking across Deep Creek from the overlook.

There’s a lot more to this park and I look forward to exploring more on future visits to eastern Washington.

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