Best Running Routes in Spokane: 5 Loops
Flat and easy, bridge-heavy, Bloomsday hilly, or out in the Palouse. Five Spokane running routes with real distances, elevation gain and what each one is good for.
Ask ten Spokane runners where to run and you'll get ten answers and at least one argument about Doomsday Hill. These are the five routes we keep sending people to, with the numbers so you can pick the one that fits your legs today.
Every route has a map and a Strava link on its page. The full list is on our routes page.
Easy and flat: Spokane Riverfront 5K
Three miles, about 100 feet of climbing, along the Centennial Trail by the river. This is the route for a first run in town, a warm-up, a shakeout the day before a race, or the day you only have thirty minutes and still want to feel like a person.
It's flat enough to talk the whole way. If you're new to running, start here and don't apologize for it.
- Spokane Riverfront 5K route and map
- The trail itself is looked after by Friends of the Centennial Trail, who have trail news and maps
- Road shoes are all you need: road running shoes
The long easy one: Spokane Riverfront 7
Seven miles with about 290 feet of gain. It strings together Kendall Yards, the Centennial Trail and five of the bridges that give this city its look. The terrain rolls a little but nothing bites.
It's a good Sunday long run if you're building toward a half marathon. Bring a bottle if it's warm. You pass through enough of downtown that coffee afterward is a real option, and we won't talk you out of it.
See the Spokane Riverfront 7 route.
For marathon and half marathon training: Spokane Bridges
Twelve and a half miles through the University District, about 250 feet of gain. It rolls but doesn't climb hard, which suits the long runs in a training block when you need the miles more than you need a fight.
It's a loop through neighborhoods, so you can cut it short if the day isn't happening. That's a feature.
- Spokane Bridges route and map
- Training for a fall race? Check the race calendar first and work backward from the date
The one everybody has an opinion about: Lilac Bloomsday 12K
7.6 miles and about 360 feet of climbing on the road. Spokane's big race happens on the first Sunday in May, and plenty of people run the course all year just to say they did.
If you're signing up, run it at least once before race day. Knowing where the climbing is makes it feel smaller on the day. We wrote a step-by-step guide to your first Bloomsday, and the race's own site has the official course information.
See the Lilac Bloomsday 12K route
The hard one: Palouse 13ish
12.3 miles with about 1,300 feet of climbing, the toughest route on the list. Step off the South Hill and the city grid turns into quiet country roads and open farmland, the northern edge of the Palouse. It feels like a different place, a short distance from downtown.
It's a road route that works like a hill workout, so save it for a day you're feeling good. Wind out there is real, so look at the forecast before you go. Our guide to what to wear in Spokane weather covers the layers.
How to pick your route
- Decide how much time you have. Thirty minutes is the Riverfront 5K. An hour is the Riverfront 7. Two hours or more is Bridges or the Palouse.
- Check what you're training for. Bloomsday in May means the Bloomsday route a few times. A fall half marathon means Bridges for the long runs.
- Look at the weather. A windy day is a good day for the river and a bad day for the Palouse. Cold mornings call for cold-weather apparel.
- Start slower than you think you need to. The first mile is the warm-up, not the workout.
- Open the route page, check the map, and go.
Want today's Spokane conditions before you head out? The home page shows the day's forecast and what we'd wear for it.