5 votes

Indian Canyon Park

S Indian Canyon Drive, Spokane, Washington 99224 USA

Independent

“once home to several native americans”

This hidden and beautiful park sits just off Riverside Drive under the shadow of a railroad trestle. This park was once home to several Native Americans including Chief Spokan Garry. Native Americans lived in this park off and on well into the twentieth century. People who wanted to catch a glimpse of Native American life would go to the Indian Canyon area to see the teepees and camps west of the city. Local teacher E. T. Becher of Rogers High School brought his students to the park in the late 1950s to show them the sign posted where Chief Spokane Garry was said to have lived. The sign was riddled with bullet holes. The students were horrified and asked if they could get a proper monument placed that told the story of Chief Spokane Garry. Today, there is a sign in the park that tells of the Chief and his ties to the area. Part of Indian Canyon Park became a golf course in 1913; the course was designed in 1930 and opened in 1935. The golf course has incredible views of the city and Mount Spokane. The Indian Canyon Park is one park in the Palisades Park area with 155.70 acres with a waterfall, vegetation, basalt rock outcrops and trails for both hikers and horses.

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Reviewed by
Jake

Road Warrior
13 Reviews
31 Helpful

January 29, 2015

Rated 4.0

Something I wasn't expecting to find around Spokane, not to bash the area; but this place is a hidden-gem.

Indian Canyon Park is a very short drive from Spokane, the auto-directions attached with the RoadTrippers app will take you to the right spot as of this review.

Overall the hike is incredibly easy, you can hike all around this park without any major hiking equipment being necessary. However if you're looking to head straight to the Waterfall you'll want to follow the wide trail and find the first trail you can that dips down to the right and into the ravine.

Follow that upstream and you'll find the waterfall, it opens up into a really wonderful horseshoe ravine that has the waterfall sitting in the center. The oasis you'll enter depending on the time of the season will be filled with colors of green and brown with moss and ice patches dangling and flowing along the canyon floor, it's a photographers dream as the hues will all accentuate a mystical feeling to the area.

On a side note, a lot of the canyon wall in and around the waterfall is jagged and filled with many nice handles that would make for great bouldering and rock climbing, I'm not sure if it's allowed, but in the summer this would be an amazing place to make a day of rock climbing as right in the ravine is a nice wooden bench that some people made out of a log.

Happy Hiking Roadtrippers!

Overall Hike time to waterfall - 10mins
Hike Difficulty - Beginner
Of interest to
Photographers, Leisure hikers, Rock Climbers

4 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
rancidlust

2 Reviews
1 Helpful

July 30, 2014

This is a hidden gem in Spokane. Only 5 minutes from the city and you come to see a beautiful waterfall. A short walk down the trail brings you to the banks of the Spokane River. Private and secluded, it's a perfect spot for a picnic, walk, or mediation area.

1 person found this review helpful

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