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SUMMER PLUS is a supplement to The Spokesman-Review • Wednesday, May 24, 2023
THREE-HOUR TOURS
Plenty of road trip opportunities in every direction By Kate A. Miner Marketing Correspondent Sometimes you only have a weekend, maybe even one day, and you want a quick travel adventure with plenty of time to get home before dark. Or maybe long drives are just not your thing. Either way, we’ve put together a list of great destinations you can get to in three hours or less from the Spokane area. One Hour or Less Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Known for water sports and lakeside events, this little town is a delightful escape. Lake tours are less than two hours, and Tubbs Hill overseeing the lake is perfect for a quick hike. There are plenty of shops, galleries, and restaurants. If you’re staying the night, you’ll find the Coeur d’ Alene Resort right on the lake, but if you’re looking for something quieter, I recommend One Lakeside, a block from the resort —all the amenities without the crowds. Another gem, just outside downtown, is the Wolf Lodge Inn restaurant — historical and authentic, with great Western décor, plus fantastic grilled steaks and seafood. Liberty Lake Regional Park/Liberty Lake Loop Trail
This 8-mile trail takes visitors along Split Creek, through a cedar grove, past Liberty Falls and an old cabin, and offers amazing views. Riverside State Park This Spokane favorite provides recreational opportunities for all visitors. There are 55 miles of trails, including the 40-mile, mixed-use Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail, which extends from the Idaho border to the Nine Mile Recreation Area. Spirit Lake, Idaho This tiny town in the upper panhandle of Idaho has less than 2,000 people, but the area around Spirit Lake has a new trail system worth discovering. It’s also home to the historic White Horse Saloon, truly authentic, with original wood floors covered in peanut shells. One to Two Hours Hawk Creek Falls State Park and Fort Spokane The area where the Spokane River meets the Columbia River offers plenty of great camping and outdoor activities. Other nearby attractions include the Lake Roosevelt Reservoir, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, the Colville Indian Reservation, the Grand Coulee Dam, Steamboat Rock, and Northrup
Canyon. For thousands of years, the area was a gathering place for tribes fishing the rapids of the Spokane River. In 1880, the U.S. Army established a fort above the confluence of the Spokane and Columbia Rivers, Fort Spokane. The National Park Service operates Fort Spokane as a visitor center, with a museum and walking trails. Kettle Falls Further north you’ll move into the land of mountains carved from prehistoric glaciers. This small town is named for the falls that plummet nearly 50 feet, carving “kettles” in the quartzite rock. Also, not far south, is the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area along the upper Columbia River and cradled in walls of stone carved by massive ice age floods. Once home to American Indians, traders, and trappers, you’ll find great swimming, boating, hiking, and fishing. Wallace, Idaho This town has been the world’s largest silver producer for over 100 years, making it the richest mining town still in existence, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With more than 1,000 miles of mining, logging, and Forest Service roads, it also has the world’s largest mountain bike, ATV,
Libby Kamrowski for Visit Spokane Driving south from Spokane into the Palouse provides easy access to beautiful scenery.
and snowmobile trail system plus an underground mine tour, classic silver, and unique antique shops. Nearby is the Burke Ghost Town, an abandoned mining town built in a canyon so narrow that the railroad ran right through the hotel lobby. The Gorge The Gorge’s formation began 40 to 60 million years ago when molten lava pressure pushed up granite to frame the Columbia Basin. Between 6 to 17 million years ago, ancient volcanoes erupted, streaming more than 20 massive basalt flows into the area that’s now the Gorge. This area is home to the Gorge Amphitheatre, phenomenal hiking trails into the Gorge and along the Columbia River, as well as some great wineries, such as Cave B Estate Winery near the Sagecliffe Resort & Spa (known for “oasis glamping”) and Beaumont Cellars, offering paired wines with meals prepared by local chefs. Gingko Petrified Forest This park covers an area of 7,470 acres and is home to one of the largest and most diverse collections of petrified wood in the world. There are three different parts, the Wanapum Recreation Area, Gingko Petrified Forest Interpretive Center, and The Trailside Museum and