Rimrock Drive Trail

Rimrock Drive Trail is an easily accessible and unchallenging trail in Palisades Park just 4 miles from downtown Spokane. Rimrock Drive is wide and smooth enough for the whole family with relatively low elevation gain. The trail was previously vehicle accessible before being closed off for hiking and recreation purposes. The east side of the trail is outlined by huge cliffs of pillow basalt and provides unmatched panoramic views over downtown Spokane, Mica Peak, and Mount Spokane. The west side of the trail is lightly forested with sprawling meadows, which are abundant with wildflowers in the late spring and early summer. This park is substantially more forested than many other natural areas around Spokane, with not only the quintessential ponderosa pine, but also interior Douglas fir. To reach the trailhead from Spokane, take West Riverside Avenue for 1.8 miles until you reach Government Way. Turn right onto Government Way and continue for 0.2 mile until you reach West Greenwood Road. Make a left onto West Greenwood and continue for 1.1 miles. On the right, you'll see the wooden Palisades Park sign marking the entrance to the parking area for the trailhead. The trail begins directly northwest of the parking area. Initially, the forested area on the east side of the trail has remnants of forest fire damage, but as you continue down the trail, the vegetation becomes thicker, and there's little indication of the fire. The trail makes little change in elevation as it follows the cliff, and there are a number of singletrack trails that branch off from Rimrock Drive to provide endless opportunities for exploration. Around a mile into the hike, the view over downtown becomes more obscured by trees, while the view of the north Spokane and Mount Spokane opens up. Along the second mile of the trail, there are features remaining from when the trail was a road. The turnaround point is around 2 miles in; it is marked by a large green gate in a small dirt lot, which allows hikers to start from either side of the trail. Rimrock Drive offers a number of activities for its users from running, hiking, or biking in the spring, summer, and fall to cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the winter. In addition, the huge cliffs here also have numerous opportunities for the development of rock climbing and bouldering.