Spokane, Washington has a rich sporting culture and the area residents are active in many spectator and participant sports. Although Spokane lacks any major, nationally recognized professional sports team, Spokane has a sports friendly atmosphere, and was recognized and rated #99 in the ''Sporting News'' 2006 "99 Best Sporting Cities" list. In 2009, Sports Business Journal rated Spokane as the fifth best minor league sports market in America out of 239 markets. Spectators may attend sporting events around the Spokane area, including professional and collegiate sporting events. Participants enjoy activities from running the annual

Lilac Bloomsday Run The Lilac Bloomsday Run, also known as Bloomsday, is an annual timed road race in the northwest United States, held on the first Sunday of May since 1977 in The course length is 12 km (7.456 mi). The run has had over 38,000 participants every ...

and playing in the annual Hoopfest. Spokane is associated as being home to some sports teams that have gained recognition in their respective arenas. Spokane's notable sports teams include the Spokane Chiefs (

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

), the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Color ...

(

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...

) who play their home games in nearby

Spokane Valley The Spokane Valley is a valley of the Spokane River through the southern Selkirk Mountains in the U.S. state of Washington. The valley is home to the cities of Spokane and its suburbs Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, and Millwood. The valley i ...

, and the

Spokane Shadow Spokane Shadow is an American soccer team, founded in 1996. The team competes in the National Premier Soccer League as well as the Evergreen Premier League, one of United States Adult Soccer Association's elite amateur leagues. From 1996 to 2005, ...

(

Evergreen Premier League The Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA) is an amateur men's soccer league in the U.S. state of Washington affiliated with the United States Adult Soccer Association. The league was established in 2013 and is contested by ten teams— eight from We ...

Current professional or semi-professional teams

The Spokane Chiefs are a junior ice hockey team that play in the Canadian Hockey League's

. They play their home games in the Spokane Arena and have a regional rivalry with the

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City Americans' flagship radio ...

. They have won the CHL's top prize, the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

, two times in club history, first in 1991 and again in 2008. Spokane's involvement in minor league baseball dates back to 1892 when it fielded a team in the Pacific Northwest League, the Spokane Bunchgrassers, and the Indians nickname dates to 1903. The Spokane Indians have their home ground in the suburb of

, and are a High Single-A baseball team in the

(NWL) and have been a

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

of the Colorado Rockies since 2021. The Indians play their home games at the 6,803-seat

Avista Stadium Avista Stadium is a baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Spokane Valley, Washington. It is the home ballpark of the Spokane Indians, a minor league baseball team in the High-A Northwest League.

and have won seven NWL titles since their Short-Season-A debut in 1982. Prior to 1982, the Indians played at the Triple-A level. The team achieved considerable success in the early 1970s, winning the Pacific Coast League championship in 1970, and having a 94–52 record. In the 1920s and 1930s the Spokane City League, a semiprofessional baseball league of teams of the Inland Empire, reached its peak.

Defunct teams

* Spokane Bunchgrassers (1890-1892), a minor league baseball team in the Pacific Northwest League which won the first Pacific Northwest League Championship. * Spokane Canaries (1916), a major league professional hockey team officially called the ''Spokane Hockey Club'', and formerly the

Victoria Aristocrats The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...

, was a relocated team from

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

that competed in the

Pacific Coast Hockey Association The Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was a professional ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). The PCHA was cons ...

for only the 1916–17 season. They were nicknamed the "Canaries" by a local boy after seeing their yellow and purple uniforms. The team was Spokane's first and only major league professional sports franchise and it was folded after only one season due to poor game attendance. The team was reactivated as the Aristocrats in Victoria two years later. * Spokane Flyers (senior) (1948-1980), a senior amateur ice hockey team in the

Western International Hockey League The Western International Hockey League (WIHL) was a senior level ice hockey league that featured teams from the Western United States and Western Canada. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88. It grew out of the West Kootenay League, whic ...

who were the 1949-50 National Senior Champions. *

Spokane Flyers (junior) The Spokane Flyers were a junior ice hockey team that played one and a half seasons in the Western Hockey League from 1980–1982. They played in Spokane, Washington, United States. History This team is not to be confused with the Spokane Flyer ...

(1980-1982), a junior ice hockey team that competed for one and a half seasons in the

. * Spokane Comets (1958-1963), were a minor league

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team in the

. *

Spokane Jets The Spokane Jets were a senior men's ice hockey team that played out of Spokane, Washington. They played in the Western International Hockey League (WIHL) from 1963-64 through 1973-74. Prior to 1963 the Spokane Flyers were the city's entry in the ...

(1963-1974), was a minor league hockey team that was created to compete in the Western International Hockey League after the purchase and relocation of the Spokane Flyers in 1963; they would be renamed the Flyers in 1974 and were the first

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

-based team to win the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are the ...

. *

Spokane Spiders Spokane Spiders were an American soccer team based in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northwest Division of ...

(2006-2010), was a soccer team that played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. * Spokane Black Widows (2010) was a soccer team that played in the

Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). ...

for one season. * Spokane Shine (2010-?), was a soccer team that played in the Women's Premier Soccer League; they won the 2012 Northwest Division regular-season title. *

Spokane Shock The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won divisio ...

(2006-2017, 2020-2021), an indoor football team that competed first in the

AF2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football ru ...

and

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

and then the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

. The Shock were AFL champions in their inaugural season, winning in ArenaBowl XXIII.

College sports

Collegiate sports in the area focus on the Gonzaga Bulldogs who compete in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

's Division I West Coast Conference and Eastern Washington Eagles who play in the

Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the eig ...

and the

Whitworth Pirates Whitworth University is a private, Christian university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Spokane, Washington. Founded in 1890, Whitworth enrolls nearly 3,000 students and offers more than 100 graduate and undergraduate ...

who play in the

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

Northwest Conference The Northwest Conference (NWC) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington. It was known as the Pacific Northwest Conference from 1926 to 1984. History ...

Gonzaga Basketball

In sports media, Spokane is arguably most notable for being the home of the Gonzaga

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.West Coast Conference (WCC). Although the WCC is often considered a "mid-major" conference, the Gonzaga basketball program is often considered a major program. Gonzaga regularly makes it to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament which includes an appearance and runner-up finish in the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

and

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

championship games. They have made it to the tournament every time since Gonzaga's rise to national prominence in their Cinderella run to the Elite 8 in the 1999 tournament. Gonzaga has produced many NBA players, including

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, a ...

Frank Burgess Franklin D. Burgess (March 9, 1935 – March 26, 2010) was an American professional basketball player and United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Early life Burgess was born in Eu ...

, Dan Dickau, Richie Frahm,

Ronny Turiaf Ronny Turiaf ( , ; born 13 January 1983) is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the U ...

, Austin Daye,

Jeremy Pargo Jeremy Raymon Pargo (born March 17, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Real Betis of the Liga ACB. Standing at , he plays at the point guard position. In 2011 he reached the EuroLeague Final with Maccabi Tel Aviv, earning an ...

, and

Adam Morrison Adam John Morrison (born July 19, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Morrison played for three years at Gonzaga University and was considered to be one of the top college basketball players in 2005–06. He was a finalist ...

. When the college basketball season begins, the Bulldogs regularly sell out their home games in the McCarthey Athletic Center on the Gonzaga University campus, just north of downtown.

High school and youth sports

High school sports in Spokane focus on the Greater Spokane League (GSL) in District 8 of the

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) is the governing body of athletics and activities for secondary education schools in the state of Washington. As of February 2011, the private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization consists ...

, where schools in the state compete in a variety of sports across the 4A, 3A, and 2A divisions. The Greater Spokane League was formed in 1925 as the Spokane City League and became the GSL in 1976. All of the Spokane area public schools in the Spokane Public Schools District, Mead School District, and the Spokane Valley school districts as well as

Gonzaga Preparatory School Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington, is a private, Catholic high school in the Inland Northwest. As a Jesuit institution, "G-Prep" has been recognized for its college preparation education and community service. History Gonzaga Hi ...

and Cheney High School,

Pullman High School Pullman High School is a public secondary school in the city of Pullman, Washington, the home of Washington State University. It is the only traditional public high school in the city and in the Pullman School District (#267). A four-year high ...

, and Clarkston High School compete in the GSL in a variety of sports.

Venues

Most of Spokane's sports facilities are located on the north bank of the Spokane River. In 1995, the

Spokane Public Facilities District The Spokane Public Facilities District (SPFD) is the government body in Spokane, Washington that manages the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane Convention Center and the First Interstate Center for the Arts. It was created in 1989 by the Wash ...

opened Spokane's premier sports venue, the

Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the northwestern United States, located in Spokane, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is home to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. Facility Construction Wi ...

, which has a maximum

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 12,638 and is the home venue for the Spokane Chiefs and the Spokane Shock. Constructed in 2021,

The Podium The Podium is a mixed-use development located along ADB Avenue in the Ortigas Center, a major business and commercial district in Mandaluyong, Philippines. It was developed in December 2001 and officially opened in August 2002 as a joint project ...

, is a multi-use sportsplex with a seating capacity of 3,000. A new 5,000-seat stadium for Spokane Public Schools athletics is planned for a lot next to The Podium, and is expected to also be the home ground of a

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

soccer team. The Spokane Indians home venue,

, is just outside city limits and has a seating capacity of 6,803.

Former facilities

Playfair Race Course Playfair Race Course (known as the Spokane Interstate Fair from 1901–1935) was the home of horse racing in Spokane, Washington, from 1901 The track started out as a four- furlong (half-mile) flat oval, and expanded to five furlongs () in 1946 ...

(1901-2001), was a horse racing venue that hosted events such as the Playfair Mile, Spokane Derby, and the two-mile (3.2 km) Inland Empire Marathon *

Spokane Coliseum Spokane Coliseum (nicknamed The Boone Street Barn) was an indoor arena in the northwestern United States, located in Spokane, Washington. Opened in late 1954, it had a seating capacity of 5,400. After more than a year of construction, the arena w ...

(1954-1995), nicknamed "The Boone Street Barn", was an indoor arena with seating capacity of 5,400. *

Joe Albi Stadium Joe Albi Stadium is a former outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, located in Spokane, Washington. In the northwest part of the city, just east of the Spokane River, it was primarily used for high school football, and as a secon ...

(1950-2021), a 28,646-seat stadium in northwest Spokane.

Hosting major events

In 1995, the

opened Spokane's premier sports venue, the

to replace the aging

. In the years since the

Spokane Arena Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the northwestern United States, located in Spokane, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is home to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. Facility Construction W ...

opened, it along with the city of Spokane have played host to several major sporting events. The first major event the 1998

, the championship game of the Canadian Hockey League. Four years later in 2002, Spokane hosted the 2002 Skate America figure skating competition, as well as the first two rounds of

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

Women's Basketball Tournament. In 2003 and 2007 the NCAA returned to Spokane with the Division I Men's Tournament, and again in 2008 with the Women's tournament. The Spokane Arena is the perennial host to the State 'B' Basketball Tournament, which brings athletes and fans from across Washington to Spokane. With the split of the 'B' classification in 2006, beginning in 2007 the city was host to the State 2B (the state's second smallest class) Basketball Championships. With the addition of The Podium, the city hopes to attract bigger sporting events; the venue has already booked the 2022 National Track Championships.

2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championship

The biggest sports event hosted in Spokane history was the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The event set an attendance record, selling nearly 155,000 tickets and passing the previous mark of 125,000 set by the

2002 United States Figure Skating Championships The 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place between January 6 and 13, 2002 in Los Angeles, California. Medals were awarded in four colors: gold (first), silver (second), bronze (third), and pewter (fourth) in four disciplines – single ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and was later named the ''Sports Event of the Year'' by Sports Travel Magazine, beating out notable events, including Super Bowl XLI, among others. Fans, analysts and athletes, including Ice Dancing champion

Tanith Belbin Tanith Jessica Louise Belbin (born July 11, 1984) is a Canadian-American ice dancer and Olympic program host for NBC Sports. Though born in Canada, she holds dual citizenship and has competed for the United States since she began skating with Be ...

, spoke highly of the city's performance as host, which included large, supportive crowds. Spokane was also a candidate city for the 2009

World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. ...

, losing its bid to Los Angeles. On May 5, 2008, it was announced that Spokane would once again host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 2010—ending eighteen days before the start of the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gret ...

games in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

Summer sports

Basketball

Hoopfest

Every June the city hosts Spokane Hoopfest, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, among the largest of its kind in the world. In 2010, there were 428 courts spread throughout the downtown Spokane streets, resulting in over 40 city blocks being inaccessible to vehicles. A very wide range of players are allowed to play from amateurs to elite athletes, as the only requirement is that players must be entering at least the third grade in the fall following Hoopfest. Many teams highlight their individuality and sense of humor in the selection of their team name and team attire. The event however is not just a basketball event, as there is often live music being played in Riverfront Park, along with merchandisers and various food tents. In 2019, during the Hoopfest organization's 30th anniversary, they launched a community brand, nicknaming Spokane "Hooptown USA". The campaign is supposed to impart the rich basketball culture the community has and their passion for the sport that transcends the game.

Running

Spokane has a vibrant running culture. The city's location, abundance of parks and trails, close-knit community, high school sport competitiveness, and running tradition and culture make it one of the United States' top exporters of runners. Bloomsday is the most well attended running event in the area; there is also the Coeur d'Alene marathon which is held annually at the end of May on the North Idaho Centennial Trail.

Bloomsday

The

, held in the spring on the first Sunday of May, is a race for competitive runners as well as walkers that attracts international competition. The first Bloomsday was organized by Don Kardong in 1977 and drew a crowd of 1,200 people. A Junior Bloomsday course of is held at the Interstate Fairgrounds. The number of finishers in 2015 was 43,206. Every finisher of the race receives a Bloomsday T-shirt.

Cycling

There are a variety of trails that are available for cycling in the Spokane area. The area has 14 trails that cover 4,259 miles. Among the most popular of these trails are the Spokane River Centennial Trail/

North Idaho Centennial Trail The North Idaho Centennial Trail is a paved trail in Idaho used for transportation and recreational activities. Extending from Higgens Point on the northeast side of Lake Coeur d'Alene, a popular place for bald eagle watchers in early winter, the ...

and the

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is a rail trail in the northwest United States, in northern Idaho. It follows the former Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way from Mullan, a mountain mining town near the Montana border, westward to Plummer, a to ...

. Another rail trail in the region near the terminus of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is the Route of the Hiawatha, which is a trail that runs through railroad trestles and tunnels between Idaho and Montana.

SpokeFest

The city has an annual cycling event called SpokeFest. Riders of varying degrees of experience start in the Kendall Yards neighborhood and can choose to do a 9-mile, 21-mile or 50-mile "half century" route; The 21-mile route takes cyclists south across the Monroe Street Bridge then west through Browns Addition and north on Government Way and onto the Centennial Trail before reaching Riverside State Park and crossing the 7 Mile Bridge to go back south on Aubrey and L. White Parkway and Pettit Drive to finish at the top of the Spokane Falls whereas the 9-mile route takes a shortcut over the Downriver Bridge before going south and the half century route adds an additional 29-mile loop that travels through Riverside State Park before crossing the 7 Mile Bridge to travel southward back to the start.

BMX

The Dwight Merkel Sports Complex BMX track was built in 2007 as part of a $43 million park bond and is considered one of the best tracks in the country and hosted the 2017 and 2020 USA BMX Lumberjack Nationals.

Triathlon

Ironman Coeur d'Alene is an Ironman Triathlon hosted in Coeur d'Alene which alternates between full- and half-distance Ironman events on a rotating basis from year to year. The course takes athletes takes athletes through a double-loop swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene before transitioning to a double-loop bike course that is routed along the lake and then through the countryside, ending in a multiple-loop run through McEuen Park to a finish in downtown on Sherman Ave.

Roller sports

Roller Derby

roller sports Roller sports are sports that use human powered vehicles which use rolling either by gravity or various pushing techniques. Typically ball bearings and polyurethane wheels are used for momentum and traction respectively, and attached to devices or ...

, there is the amateur Lilac City Roller Derby, a flat track roller derby league that features a women's team, an affiliated men's team, and a supported

junior roller derby Junior roller derby is the sport of roller derby, modified for children and adolescents up to 18 years of age. The sport is played in both modified-contact, known as "positional blocking," and full-contact approaches, to facilitate safety across ...

team. The Lilac City Roller Derby is a member of the

Women's Flat Track Derby Association The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body for the sport of women's flat track roller derby, and association of leagues around the world. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Co ...

(WFTDA). Pattison's North is one of the most popular

roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located ...

s in the area.

Skateboarding

For skateboarding, the City of Spokane Department of Parks and Recreation operates three

skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairse ...

s, the Hillyard Skateboard Park, the Dwight Merkel Skatepark, and a third in Riverfront Parks North Bank playground.

Golf

Spokane has 13 golf courses in and around the city. The city has an avid golf community and has a remarkable municipal golf course collection, seven in total, that can offer excellent quality golfing for an affordable price. Four of the municipal courses are city run (The Creek at Qualchan, Esmeralda Golf Course, and Downriver Golf Course) and three are run by the county (Liberty Lake Golf Course, MeadowWood Golf Course, and Hangman Valley Golf Course). Other municipal or public 18-hole golf courses include the Wandermere Golf Course and Deer Park Golf Course in north Spokane County and the Fairways Golf Course in Cheney. The most noteworthy of the system is the Indian Canyon Golf Course which was designed by

Chandler Egan Henry Chandler Egan (August 21, 1884 – April 5, 1936) was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect of the early 20th century. Early life and college Egan was born in Chicago, Illinois, which at the end of the 19th century was th ...

(who had a part in designing

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

) and opened in 1935. The course formerly hosted the

Esmeralda Open The Esmeralda Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played in 1945 and 1947 in Spokane, Washington. It was held at Indian Canyon Golf Course, a municipal facility designed in 1930 by Chandler Egan on the west end of the city, and open ...

on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

, and hosted three U.S. amateur golfing championships in 1941, 1984, and 1989 and currently hosts the Rosauers Open Invitational, an annual Pacific Northwest PGA event. It also hosted the Spokane Women's Open on the

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...

from 1959 to 1963.

Manito Golf and Country Club Manito Golf and Country Club is a country club in the northwest United States, located in Spokane, Washington. The club was founded in 1917 at Hart Field by a small group of dedicated golf enthusiasts and moved to its current location in the Comst ...

, a private golf club on the South Hill, hosted the 1944 PGA Championship and the Spokane Country Club (now the Kalispel Golf and Country Club) in north Spokane hosted the first championship of the U.S. Women's Open in 1946. The Athletic Round Table headed by Joe Albi organized the tournament events held in the city in the 1940s. Across the border in Idaho, Coeur d'Alene has become a destination for golf enthusiasts. The city is home to five golf courses and there are another eight more within . The most notable courses include the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course with its unique 14th hole floating green, Circling Raven Golf Club at the Coeur d'Alene Casino resort in Worley, and the private

Tom Fazio Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

-designed Gozzer Ranch near Eddyville, Idaho.

Hiking

Many of the area parks have maintained trails. Some of the most popular are not far from the city such as the Bowl and Pitcher in

Riverside State Park Riverside State Park is a Washington state park located northwest of Spokane in the community of Nine Mile Falls. The park protects of Okanagan dry forest along the Spokane and Little Spokane rivers. It is the second largest state park in Wa ...

, the Rocks of Sharon in the Iller Creek Conservation Area, Kit Carson Trail in

Mount Spokane State Park Mount Spokane State Park is a public recreation area in the northwest United States,located in the Selkirk Mountains, northeast of the city of Spokane, Washington. The state park surrounds Mount Spokane and other peaks including Mount Kit C ...

, and the Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail east of Coeur d'Alene. The Bowl and Pitcher trail features the views of the Spokane River and the trails namesake rock formation and a suspension bridge built by the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

. The Rocks of Sharon is located south of the Dishman Hills Conservation Area and features a 5-mile trail that loops around the conservation area with scenic views of the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, prima ...

to the south and has a 250-foot rockface that is popular among climbing community. The Mineral Ridge National Scenic Trail east of Lake Coeur d'Alene is a Bureau of Land Management maintained 3.3-mile interpretive trail that showcases Lake vistas of Beauty Bay and Wolf Lodge Bay, it is popular among bird watchers during the winter who wish to see bald eagles.

Rock climbing

For rock climbing, the Spokane area has a variety of climbing areas of varying difficulty not far from the city as well as some climbing gyms that feature

climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used i ...

s for

bouldering Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help se ...

. There are nine climbing areas within a half an hour drive from Spokane. Among the most popular of these locations are the Minnehaha Rocks, the Rocks of Sharon, Q'emiln Park, the McLellan Rocks, and Mirabeau Point Park. The oldest, most developed, and popular area is Minnehaha, which features over 70 climbing routes and over 100 bouldering routes. Although the Spokane area lacks major peaks, the city is centrally located to destination locales such as those in the Cascade Range, the Canadian Rockies, and the

Bitterroot Range The Bitterroot Range is a mountain range and a subrange of the Rocky Mountains that runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of and is named after the bitterroot (''Lewisia rediviva' ...

in western Montana. Spokane has two

climbing gym A climbing gym is a gym dedicated to indoor climbing. Climbing gyms have climbing walls that can be used for leading, top roping, and bouldering. They sometimes offer training equipment to improve technique, strength, and endurance. Contents of ...

s within city limits, the oldest and most established being Wild Walls inside the cavernous Old State Armory Building in downtown Spokane and nearby Eastern Washington University in Cheney also has a climbing wall.

Spelunking

For caving or

spelunking Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

, Gardner Cave near Metaline in Pend Orielle County, the longest

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cave in the state with a length of 1,055-feet, within Crawford State Park is likely the most popular option. Only the first 494 feet are open to public access.

Water sports

Spokane has 76 lakes for outdoor sports and recreation such as wake boarding,

paddleboarding Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. This article refers to traditional prone or kneeli ...

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

, parasailing,

jet ski Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki, a Japanese company. The term is often used generically to refer to any type of personal watercraft used mainly for recreation, and it is also used as a verb to ...

ing, kayaking, and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. The

Spokane River The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the Spokane Valley and the city of ...

has stretches of its waters suitable for

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

, the most difficult rapids being class III and IV. For a variety of lake recreation activities,

Lake Coeur d'Alene Lake Coeur d'Alene, officially Coeur d'Alene Lake ( ), is a natural dam-controlled lake in North Idaho, located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. At its northern end is the city of Coeur d'Alene. It spans in length and rang ...

is among the most popular destinations for area residents. The City of Spokane maintains six outdoor aquatic centers and

splash pad A splash pad or spray pool is a recreation area, often in a public park, for water play that has little or no standing water. This is said to eliminate the need for lifeguards or other supervision, as there is little risk of drowning. Typical ...

s and Spokane County maintains two.

Shooting sports

In the shooting sports, Spokane has two clubs that have facilities in the area, the Spokane Gun Club and the Spokane Rifle Club. The Spokane Rifle Club was founded in 1916 and is located within

and its range facilities include a clubhouse, an outdoor rifle range, indoor and outdoor pistol ranges, as well as trap and skeet ranges. The Spokane Gun Club was founded in 1892 and has acquired new property in the West Plains of Spokane in a move from its historic home in the Spokane Valley; it plans to construct a clubhouse and trap and skeet fields.

Adventure sports

The Mica Moon Zip Tour and Aerial Park adjacent to the Mica Peak Conservation Area near Liberty Lake is a destination for zip lining and aerial trekking. The park has eight zip lines, the longest being the 3,500 foot "Big Mama", which traverses a deep gorge and takes about a minute to ride. Timberline Adventures east of Coeur d'Alene has a 7-line zip course with three sky bridges over a dense coniferous forest that overlooks Lake Coeur d'Alene and Beauty Bay.

Winter sports

Skiing

For winter sport activities, there are two

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

s in northeastern Washington,

Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park is a ski resort in the western United States, located inside Mount Spokane State Park in Spokane County, Washington, about northeast of Spokane via State Route 206. The base elevation is at with the peak at ...

north of Spokane and 49 Degrees North Ski Area in Chewelah as well as three major ski resorts in north Idaho, Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg,

Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area is a ski area in the western United States. It is at Lookout Pass on Interstate 90, on the border of Idaho and Montana, east of Mullan, Idaho. It has a summit elevation of on Eagle Peak and on Runt Mountain ...

Lookout Pass Lookout Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States. In the Coeur d'Alene Mountains of the Bitterroot Range, the pass is on the border between Idaho and Montana, traversed by Interstate 90 (formerly U.S. Route ...

near Mullan, and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort in Sandpoint. According to each resorts own rating systems, Mount Spokane has 52 designated runs where 23% are classified as "easiest", 62% "more difficult", and 15% "most difficult", and 49 Degrees North has 82 runs, 30% rated "beginner", 40% "intermediate", 25% "advanced", and 5% "expert". For the ski resorts in North Idaho, Schweitzer Mountain has 92 runs with 10% "beginner", 40% "intermediate", 35% "advanced", and 15% "expert", Silver Mountain has 67 runs, 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 30% advanced, and 10% expert, and Lookout Pass has 38 runs where 20% are "easiest" 50% are "intermediate, 20% "advanced", and 10% "expert".

Ice hockey

The Eagles Ice Arena is the only

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

in the city proper (two others are in Cheney and Coeur d'Alene). The Eagles Ice Arena is where the Spokane Braves junior "B" hockey team of the

Kootenay International Junior Hockey League The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a Junior "B" Ice Hockey league in British Columbia, Canada sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hockey League ...

play their home games.

Curling

The Frontier Ice Arena just outside Coeur d'Alene is the main venue for

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area and is the home of the Inland Northwest Curling Club.

Motorsport

Motorsport activities and events such as stock car racing are hosted at the Spokane County Raceway which features an

oval track Oval track racing is a form of closed-circuit motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traff ...

road course Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

and a

dragstrip A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile (1320 feet, 402 m) is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile (201&n ...

; the facility is operated by Spokane County and is also used by local law enforcement for training purposes.

References

External links

City of Spokane Sports & Athletics

City of Spokane Parks & Recreation

City of Coeur d'Alene Parks and Recreation

* ttps://www.mountainproject.com/area/106460904/spokane-area/ Mountain Project: Spokane Area Climbing
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from ''The Spokesman-Review'' {{Spokane, Landmarks and culture=Spokane Valley Heritage Museum