River Run: Whitewater In The Heart Of Spokane?

Paul Delaney, River City River Runners
Mindy Boes of EPIC Adventures from Eastern Washington Univerisity guides a paddle raft through the Devils Toe Nail Epic on the Lower Spokane River Sunday, July 13, 2008. The float was part of a 7-leg trip organized by the Spokane River Forum.

This part of the river, with its regal basalt cliffs, was new to me. Nearly a century earlier, the Olmsted Brothers – who designed Spokane’s city parks – envisioned a “Great Gorge” greenbelt stretching from downtown to Fort George Wright, with connecting parks. In 1997, the nonprofit Friends of the Falls formed to revive that vision. “This gorge area is right in the heart of downtown,” said Steve Faust, Friends of the Falls’ executive director. “But it doesn’t feel like you’re in the middle of a city. … You’re in a canyon and you have this sense of being isolated.” A master plan calls for trails, viewing platforms and other recreational opportunities in the gorge/ Becky Kramer , Spokesman-Review. More here .

Question: How important do you consider the Spokane River to your quality of life in the Inland Northwest?