toolbear

SPOKANE - Fish Lake Trail - how goes the new trailhead?

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Been a few weeks since we had news and pictures of the start of construction of a new trail head at the north end of the Fish Lake Trail by I-90.

Any Spokane-area riders want to update us on their progress? When can we park up there and pedal south - and how far south will we get?

Understand that just below Marshall you have to exit the trail and take to the road for the last few miles into Fish Lake Trail Head, but not clear if there is a trail head between Marshall and Fish Lake.

dminor 

I haven't been keeping up with the latest Fish Lake developments (I get it second-hand through FTTRC e-mailings) but here is where all things FLT reside. Hope this link helps some:

https://www.inlandnorthwesttrails.org...lake_trail.asp

stevemtbr

If I get a chance next week i'll ride out and get an update. I do now that in November they shut the asphalt palnts down for the winter. Check the other threads on the trail below, it has the most up to date info.

Mtn Mike

The Spokane trail head is nice. Yesterday I started at the trail head and rode on the FL trail for about 2 miles before turning off. Two other riders told me that the trail goes for several miles and then the pavement stops near the town of Marshall. From Marshall you can jump on Cheney-Spokane Road and ride a few miles to the where the trail picks up again at Fish Lake, of all places, and proceeds to Cheney-Spangle Road. Cheney Spokane Road has a great shoulder from Marshall to Cheney, so it's not a bad connecting route to the two branches of the trail.

I'm not sure what the plans are to connect the two branches of the Fish Lake trail.

toolbear

@@@ It does have a nice, wide shoulder. I think that the portion from Marshall to Fish Lake is going to be Phase III. One would expect a ped/bike overpass over the active rail line at Fish Lake. Think $$$. Been riding one down here in Irvine, CA that crosses over the San Diego Freeway. In fact, they have two. The other one is on the calendar for this Saturday.

toolbear

@@@ They don't lay asphalt in winter? I suppose, given that it has to be XXX dgs when laid. In SoCal they do it year round. Going to beat the snow? See that the Cascade resorts are having early ski openings.

Take some more pix, pls. The last set were quite informative. Did they hook up the blacktop down the trail with the new trail head?

stevemtbr

Trail head, bridge work and paving is done. New bathrooms are in but not running yet.

Parking area



Bridges going over the highway, they did a nice job them.



From the bridge looking back down to the parking area.

toolbear

Thanks for the update. We have a new trailhead for the Fish Lake. I will send the pix to Tim the GIS Guy at RTC and see about updating the map.

Is that bike bridge the one shown on Google E crossing the I 90?

Looks cold there.

Mtn Mike

The bridge is not new, it's part of the old RR line. So yes, it would be on GE, and you've probably driven under it 1000 times if you're from Spokane.

toolbear

The bridge is not new, it's part of the old RR line. So yes, it would be on GE, and you've probably driven under it 1000 times if you're from Spokane.

@@@

I think I see it as that dark bridge that seems to be in alignment with the FL trail.

I make it out to be GE: 47.646398° -117.451742°

I suspect the next project will be getting the trail into Fish Lake, across that active right of way.

@@@

I live over in the NorthWet side - in summer. Have done it year around for years. But there is no sense being greedy. Now I leave my share of the NorthWet Winter for others to share and head to So Cal, where I can wear shorts and t shirt to work.

pat5319

Get this! the "fish lake" trial uses 2 different rail lines- Union Pacific from Spokane to Marshall and Spokane Portland and Seattle (now Burlington Santa-Fe) from Fish Lake westward. It switches lines somewhere between Marshall and Fish Lake. I lived near Fish Lake when I was little, and have lived near those pictures above over 50 years between the 2 RRs where they where less than 2 blocks apart

toolbear

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So which line does the state use in the Columbia Plateau Trail from Cheney down to the Snake?

Could they jump tracks in Marshall. It seems to be a choke point for rails in that valley?

pat5319

As far as I know it from Cheney to the Snake it's the S P+S, but since some of the RRs went out of business and the tracks were merged for those still in business it's hard to tell, even if you "look it up", as "official" records are often wrong as the trail from Fish Lake to Cheney is listed officially as being Union Pacific. I saw lots of SP+S but NEVER any UP on the track at Fish Lake, but the trail by my house is on U.P. The Lines "switch" somewhere between Marshall and Fish Lake, probably very near Fish Lake as the lines are MUCH closer there.

toolbear

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I hope to get back on that trail come summer when we come for for the Trail of the CdAs and explore the new paving and see where things go in Marshall. There doesn't appear to be many places to stop and look there, so I may work back from Fish Lake.

Going to have to try out the new trail head in Spokane and start riding south. As the line is up above the valley there, it looked like a neat ride. Bet it makes a nice ski tour route.

Inspired by last summer when I was trudging and trudging down the new blacktop, trying to see where it went, I have a new Zootr for those times when I don't want to rig the bike - about 15 minutes of this and that.

I just Zoot off with the Dear Wife's wording ringing in my ears: " You'll look just like a circus bear on that thing!" Sure enough.

Mtn Mike

Just finished a ride on the Fish Lake trail today. It's a great new route to Cheney! We went out the Fish Lake and came back on Andrus, Spotted, Assembly et al for a nice 40 ish mile loop.

toolbear

@@@ If you please, a few questions ...

Take a lot of pix for posting?

If you start out at the new trail head by the 90 in Spokane and head toward Fish Lake ...

How far does the blacktop extend?
What happens in Marshall?
Where is the trail closed down there and where does the detour onto the road start to reach Fish Lake?

Mtn Mike

The blacktop ends just past Marhall after it goes under the bridge for Cheney-Spokane Road. The path ends in a gravel parking lot, at which point we rode up the short gravel access road to Cheney Spokane Road. We took Cheney-Spokane Road west for 3-5 miles to the "old" Fish Lake parking lot and jumped back on the trail. At that point the road has a really wide shoulder which is very nice to ride on. Sorry no pics this time.

toolbear

That sounds like a nice ride. Know the bridge. There appear to be right of way issues further on - like crossing an active RR line to reach the station. Some day the Fish Lake will enter Fish Lake Station. Meanwhile, the ride S. from there to Cheney is nice. Like those springs in the cut.

That was federal stimulus money putting down the blacktop last summer. Now they need to find a bit more for an overpass at Fish Lake. Read something about Phase III. Amazing what you can find on line these days.

slotibartfast

That looks like a great ride. I have GOT to find a way to move back to Spokane.

toolbear

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You could visit. That's what I do.
However, the Spokane/CdA area has many miles of good trails. Let's see -

Spokane River Centennial Tr. 39m
Fish Lake 10
Columbia Plateau - N, 26
N Idaho Centennial 24m

and, of course, the TCdA and Rt of the Hiawatha