Good News for Hikers Near Spokane

As the second-largest city in Washington, Spokane is facing many of the same challenges as other cities all across the state. More people are seeking a way to enjoy the benefits of hiking and nature, creating a growing need for trail work.

Spokane-area WTA volunteers from Ecova and the wider community wrap up a day of work on trails at Iller Creek Conservation Area. Photo by Holley Weiler.

Thanks to funding from REI, WTA tackled more Spokane-area trails in 2017. Working closely with Spokane County Parks, Washington State Parks and the Bureau of Land Management, WTA identified several Spokane-area trails for high-priority trail work this year. Trails we tackled with support from REI included Liberty Lake, Iller Creek, Antoine Peak, Riverside State Park, Fishtrap Lake and a new project on property managed by the Kalispel Tribe.

Under the leadership of crew leaders Jane Baker, Randy Greyerbiehl, Todd Dunfield and Holly Weiler, volunteers worked hard all year to make trails more accessible to hikers and other nonmotorized users. For example, at Mount Spokane State Park, volunteers tackled brushing and worked to re-establish trail tread near Day Mountain and Mount Kit Carson on trails 130 and 160.

Iller Creekis one of the several high-priority trails WTA focused efforts on this year. Photo by Eastside Anne.

In addition to building great trails, Spokane-area projects are building a community of dedicated volunteers who are giving back to public lands. Volunteer Agnes Reizik, who recently earned her vest for completing 25 work parties, is part of this growing community. “I really enjoy the challenge of trying new things,” Agnes said. “I love the people and seeing the growth.”

Thank you, Agnes! And many thanks to all of our volunteers and to REI for helping make this work possible!