There is no place quite like the Spokane Region to get down and dirty in the great outdoors. Spokane is the largest urban community near the International Selkirk Loop. No where else is Spokane’s “near nature, near perfect” mantra more apparent than when you are experiencing the amazing myriad of outdoor adventures available at Spokane’s back door.  The name Spokane comes from the Native American tribe that makes its home in the area and means “Children of the Sun”.

Host to the 1974 World’s Fair, today you can experience remnants of that world event by visiting River Park Square in the heart of downtown. Riverfront Park is home to an all-original hand-carved Loof Carousel.  This 1909 antique is comprised of 54-hand-carved horses.

Hop on your bike and follow the Spokane Centennial Trail, 67 miles of scenic paved cycling trail traveling east to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and connecting to the Idaho Centennial Trail.

Spokane is known for its lovely and numerous parks, especially Manito Park. With a formal rose garden with 1500 rose bushes of over 150 varieties, a Japanese Garden, the Gaiser Conservatory, a classical European Renaissance style garden, fountains and trails, it is a lovely place to visit.

For traveling to the region by air, the Spokane International Airport has car rentals available and is the closest location to fly to in proximity to the start of the Loop at Newport, WA or Sandpoint, ID.

For more information on the Spokane area contact the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Here are some fun facts about Spokane:

• The City of Spokane is home to some 201,000 residents; there are around 500,000 residents in the metropolitan area.
• Located in Eastern Washington, 18 miles from the Idaho border, 280 miles from Seattle and 110 miles from Canada, the Spokane region features the second largest population base in the state of Washington and is the largest city between Minneapolis and Seattle.
• The Spokane River runs through the downtown with spectacular falls on the western end of the city core.  Beautiful Riverfront Park also is in the heart of the city.
• The region enjoys four distinct seasons with 260 days of sunshine each year.
• The Spokane region is the gateway to the great outdoors.  There are 76 lakes, 33 golf courses, five major National Parks, the spectacular Columbia River Gorge, and Grand Coulee Dam all within an easy drive of the city.
• Spokane is home of Bloomsday, one of the largest timed foot races in the world with over 50,000 participants per year.
• Spokane is home of Hoopfest, the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world with 26,000 players from 42 states playing on 400 courts.
• Spokane is home to Bing Crosby, famous singer and actor.  Visit a museum in his honor at Gonzaga University, his alma mater.