Each May, more than 50,000 runners take to Spokane’s streets for the 12-kilometer Bloomsday Run. The fun-filled race dashes toward a giant finish-line party at Riverfront Park, where competitors recharge beneath graceful oaks or glide aloft on the SkyRide aerial tram over one of the largest urban waterfalls in the United States. But it’s not just runners who flock to town. Spokane’s got plenty of game for just about every athlete, amateur or pro.
- Hoop Dreams Some 27,000 basketballers shoot it out at HoopFest, a two-day smorgasbord of blacktop action held each June. Concerts, food vendors, and interactive entertainment make it a slam dunk for fun.
- Great Skate Budding figure skaters come to polish their axels in an open-air setting at Riverfront Park Ice Palace or on the championship-level rinks found at Eagles Ice Arena.
- Wheel Fun Cyclists can ply the 37-mile Centennial Trail, which lassos the Spokane River’s curvy terrain and the heartpumping hills of Riverside State Park on the northwest edge of town.
- Tee Time The Spokane area boasts eight 18-hole courses, including four run by the City of Spokane. The city’s Creek at Qualchan is especially scenic, with five ponds among woods, hills, and a nature sanctuary.
—Lora Shinn
