Public Access & Recreation
Since its formation, Friends of the Bluff has worked tirelessly to expand public access and improve the bluff's trail network. In 2022, we gave a presentation to Parks Department officials that highlighted the current opportunities and threats. Since then, we've been working hard to move the following projects forward.
Just south of the Rocket Market (near 43rd St and Hatch Rd) there is a 30-foot public right-of-way. This access point is easy to miss, but the trail itself quickly connects you to all of the Bluff's main trails and is the closest public access to Hangman Creek and the southern portion of the trail network. The current trail is steep and dangerous, so Friends of the Bluff has been trying to improve it since 2017.
A set of steps is needed on the steepest section of the embankment, so we are working closely with the Spokane Parks Department, AHBL (a landscape architecture firm), and WTA (Washington Trails Association) for an outcome that will provide safe trail access, erosion control, and minimal impact to the neighbors.
Now that we have a Spokane Parks-approved design and authorization to conduct project-specific fundraising, we are in the critical stage of finding financial support for the project. We are actively exploring funding strategies including private donations and public funding.
Many details are still being finalized, but a preliminary estimate for this project as currently designed is close to $100,000 for materials and professional installation. We are evaluating options for reducing costs, and Friends of the Bluff will spend the money raised on a safe, Spokane Parks-approved plan given the available financial resources we are able to secure. With the community's support, we are aiming to start construction as soon as the snow thaws in 2025.
Rocket Gulch Access
Trails & Signage
There are over 20 miles of trails on the bluff. The steep topography, coupled with the fragile, sandy soil deposited on the hillside by ice-age floods, make building and maintaining sustainable trails especially challenging.
Trail users are encouraged to contact us when they come across trails in need of repair or volunteer at one of our trail maintenance events. You can learn more about sustainable trails here.
Prior to 2020, the bluff didn't have an official trail map or signs. Friends of the Bluff's efforts to map the trails, get trail names approved by the city, and manufacture trail maps all led to the map and signage that we're familiar with today. You can learn more about the interpretive signs that line the bluff here.
Golf Course Access
In August 2022, Parks Dept officials met with the Qualchan Golf Course staff to make plans for expanded public access through the Meadowlane Rd Bridge at the base of the bluff.
In 2023, Friends of the Bluff and Washington Trails Association organized a work party to widen the Creekside Loop trail that begins on the golf course side of the bridge. Friends of the Bluff has plans to install a trail map in this location by the end of 2024.
If you visit this trailhead, please park along Meadowlane Rd and be careful not to block anyone's driveway. Make sure you are aware of the golf course's hours of operation so you don't get locked in when they close the gate.
Trailhead at the end of Meadowlane Rd