When planning a trip to Nine Mile Falls, cultural history, landscapes, and recreational trails offer different ways to shape your visit. First consider what you would like to focus on: learning about the culture of the local Indigenous people, geological features, a longer trail, or time by the water. The named places differ not only in their themes but also in how they are used and the rules that apply at each one.

Cultural history and geological traces

The Spokane House Interpretive Center in Nine Mile Falls offers insights into the culture of the local Indigenous people. From 1810 to 1826, Spokane House was the site of a North West Company fur-trading post. This brings two distinct historical perspectives together: the culture of the local Indigenous people and a clearly defined period in the fur trade. If you are interested in the area's history, you can consider these topics separately rather than combining them into a single narrative.

At Bowl and Pitcher, the cliffs reveal rounded pillow lava surrounded by palagonite, or altered volcanic glass. Ice Age floods eroded the rocks in the Bowl and Pitcher area. The rock formations, surrounding material, and erosion are distinct aspects of the landscape. Visitors interested in geology will find specific features to focus on: the shape of the pillow lava, its palagonite surroundings, and the effects of the floods on the rocks.

Trails and water activities

The Spokane River Centennial Trail is designated a National Recreation Trail. It is just under 40 miles long, paved, and intended for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles. It runs from Sontag Park in Nine Mile Falls to the Washington–Idaho state line. Its length and two endpoints make the scale of the route clear: it is better thought of as a longer trail than a short loop. The paved surface and designated user groups are also useful details for planning. You can compare the route, surface, and intended use with the activities you have in mind.

Nine Mile Recreation Area is a day-use area at the eastern end of Lake Spokane. It has a boat launch for motorized and non-motorized watercraft, as well as a designated swimming area. These facilities are intended for different uses: the launch is for watercraft, while the designated area is for swimming. If water activities are a priority for your visit, you can consider which of these options matters most to you.

Distinguishing rules and landscapes

In Little Spokane River Natural Area, motorboats, bicycles, horseback riding, pets, swimming, and flotation devices such as inner tubes are prohibited. Hikers must stay on designated trails. These rules directly affect your choice of activities: if you are bringing a pet or bicycle, or planning to swim, you should take the prohibitions into account; hiking is restricted to designated trails. There is also a clear difference when comparing it with Nine Mile Recreation Area: a swimming area is designated there, while swimming is prohibited in Little Spokane River Natural Area.

McLellan Conservation Area is a 410-acre property with a ponderosa pine forest that extends into Long Lake. Here, the forest and its relationship to the lake shape the landscape; at Bowl and Pitcher, the focus is on the cliffs, pillow lava, and palagonite. This comparison can help you distinguish between different natural features without reducing them to the same type of landscape.

Discover more destinations: Spokane Valley, Mica, Cheney, Mead, Spokane, Airway Heights, Liberty Lake

Go to the main travel overview: Spokane.