Fish Lake Trail - Current Update by Dan Schaffer

One of the hidden gems of the Spokane area is an old abandoned Burlington Northern railway line that runs from the corner of Sunset Highway and Government way, parallels State Highway 195 and then the Cheney Spokane Road and ends up at Fish Lake near Cheney. Most people are now familiar with the paved section that starts at Fish Lake and runs about three miles to Cheney then continues as a gravel road and is named the Columbia Plateau trail. See Map or take the Virtual Trail.

A growing number of local residents are now dedicated to seeing that the Spokane section of this trail, known locally as the Fish Lake Trail, also gets paved and eventually connected to the Centennial Trail via the Sandifur Bridge. Currently, the trail is hikable, and ridable with fat tires on your bike, but you will have to start on the south side of Interstate 90 where Government Way becomes Lindeke Street. The bridge over the Interstate is OK but the one over the connector to 195 should be avoided at this time.

Some of the navigation problems you will encounter on your bike will be sections of loose ballast (large gravel), a bog area south of Thorpe Road and a place where the trail seems to come to an end as it crosses Marshall Road. Actually, it starts again on the other side of Marshall Road, and the surface improves the further you ride, except for another short wet area. When you can see the Spokane Memorial Gardens cemetery across the Spokane Cheney Road you will come upon a surprise. The next three miles are paved! This pavement continues until the trail crosses Scribner Road just past the town of Marshall. You will be back on compacted gravel for another two miles, and have to cross two active railway lines to get to the trailhead at Fish Lake.

The trail section just described is owned by the city of Spokane and is under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department. The city is committed to improving and paving this trail section, and connecting it at either end. Once this is completed, it will most likely be included in the Columbia Plateau Trail State Park. Engineering studies have already been done for most of this work, and the only thing left is to raise the money to continue the renovation process. The total estimated cost, including the construction of two bridges over the railway lines, is $6 million.

This year, the city will receive $1 million out of a $2 million request from the state budget. The second million may come next year from grant requests. The city has submitted a proposal for $2 million in matching federal funds, and the third installment will need to come from local sources.

Completion of the Fish Lake Trail is a primary goal of the Inland Northwest Trails Coalition (INTC), which is currently applying for 501c3 status. Once this is accomplished, an affiliated assembly of dedicated local citizens operating as the Fish Lake Trail Action Group will begin to solicit local sponsors for specific projects, such as restoring current bridges, creating trailheads and repairing the discontinuity at Marshall Road.

One of the great benefactors of this trail renovation so far has been REI, which has adopted the trail as its Eastern Washington public service project. Last year in May, it organized a cleanup of trash and brush along the trail, created a Trailhead and painted over graffiti.This year the clean-up will be on Saturday, May 17, 2008 9am.
Contact Joshua Hess at REI 509-328-9900 or jhess@rei.com You may also register online at http://www.gonzaga.edu/fishlaketrail.

Another organization that deserves thanks is the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, which, through Louise McGrody, has supplied public relations materials and financial support, and which organized a day of lobbying the state legislators, thereby helping to acquire the $1 million in state money. Louise serves as co-chair of the Fish lake Trail Action group.

The advantage of a non motorized transportation corridor between Spokane and Cheney will only become more important as the two cities continue to grow toward each other. The trail will also become a vital link in a future cross-state system that will include the Centennial Trail, The Columbia Plateau Trail and the Iron Horse/John Wayne Trail. Additional proposed connections between the Columbia Plateau trail and the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes will make the Spokane area a bicycle rider’s paradise. Join us in making this dream come true.

Daniel J. Schaffer, M.D. Co-chair Fish Lake Trail Action group.