Track the Centennial Trail 3 miles to the west and you'll end up here in 10,000 acres of protected forest and trails where you can run, walk or cycle to your heart's content. Among the park's natural highlights is the Bowl & Pitcher , a deep gorge with huge boulders at a bend in the river 2 miles north of the southern entrance. A swinging suspension bridge, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, crosses the river here.
History also has its place in the park. Fur trader David Thompson of the North West Company built a trading post in 1810 just north of Nine Mile Falls, beyond the Centennial Trail's northern endpoint. The site is commemorated by the Spokane House Interpretive Center , where several modest exhibits tell the story with photos and dioramas.
Nearby, you can explore one of Thompson's trapping routes, looking much as it may have looked in his time, at the Little Spokane River Natural Area . A 3.6-mile hiking and cross-country skiing trail through the protected wetland begins about half a mile beyond Spokane House along Hwy 291. Great blue herons nest in the cottonwoods and Native American pictographs can be found at Indian Painted Rocks. The area is perhaps best appreciated in a kayak.
