In city after city in the American West, people are finding responsible ways to enjoy their waterways; it’s time for Spokane to make its river more accessible

If you have ever walked on the Centennial Trail near Gonzaga on a summer evening and watched the light move across the upper Spokane River, you already know. What flows through the heart of this city is the single most extraordinary natural asset of any inland city in the Pacific Northwest.

During the warm summer months, the upper reach of the river — from the Upriver Dam area through the Gonzaga campus to the Division Street Bridge — is remarkably calm, almost lake-like. The Centennial Trail runs along both banks, forming a grand loop through Riverfront Park and beyond. Families walk beside it. Visitors marvel and photograph it.

But almost nobody is on it — and that presents us all with wonderful opportunity…

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