15 Best Sights in Spokane and Eastern Washington, Washington

This trail—which starts near Nine Mile Falls, northwest of Spokane, then runs through downtown, along Riverfront Park, and then stretches east to the Idaho border—is perfect for a hike, bike, or run. Roughly 40 miles long, the path follows the Spokane River.

A pleasant place to stroll in summer, this 90-acre park has a formal Renaissance-style garden, Japanese garden, duck pond, rose and perennial gardens, and a conservatory. In December the park hosts a festive and free holiday lights event over 10 nights, with a drive-thru option the first four nights. The half-mile trail is lit up with more than five million lights in animated and whimsical displays. The park's café is open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Snowy winters find the park's hills full of sledders and its frozen pond packed with skaters.

This architectural masterpiece, considered one of America's most important and beautiful Gothic cathedrals, was constructed in the 1920s with sandstone from Tacoma and Boise and limestone from Indiana. The cathedral's renowned 49-bell carillon has attracted international guest musicians.

On the campus of Washington State University, this museum has the finest collection of stuffed birds and mammals and preserved invertebrates in the Pacific Northwest; more than 700 are on display and the entire collection of specimens numbers over 60,000.

Adjacent to the Columbia River, this is one of Washington's great parks. Its 4½-mile-long riverfront has boat ramps, a golf course, picnic areas, playgrounds (including an aquatic one), train ride, skate park, and family fishing pond. In summer, hydroplane races are held here.

This vast region encompasses mountains, forests, and meadows in the state's northeast corner. Here the desert area ends, and three mountain ranges (Selkirks, Kettle River, and Okanogan)—considered foothills of the Rocky Mountains—traverse the region from north to south. It's a beautiful, wild area, where only the river bottoms are dotted with widely spaced settlements and where the mountains (with an average height of about 4,500 feet) are largely pristine. The streams abound with trout, and the forests with deer and black bears. This is perfect backpacking country, with many trails to remote mountain lakes.

At Washington's oldest standing depot, the museum houses exhibits illustrating the history of Dayton and surrounding communities. Outside there's a caboose in the adjacent city park. The gift shop is worth a stop to pick up souvenirs to remember your visit to this quaint little town.

This mile-long green patch along Garden Springs Creek has an extensive botanical garden with more than 2,000 labeled trees, shrubs, and flowers. Follow the walking tour on well-manicured paths along the creek, or follow your whim—depending on the season—through flowering rhododendrons, hibiscus, magnolias, dogwoods, hydrangeas, and more.

Colorful displays about the dam, a 13-minute film on the site's geology and the dam's construction, and information about the 30-minute laser-light show (held nightly from Memorial Day weekend through September) are here. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees operation and maintenance of the dam, conducts tours daily from late May through early September, weather and maintenance schedules permitting. You can also pick up a self-guided historical walking tour that will take you from the visitor center through the old part of town, across the bridge, and into the old engineers' town. Geocachers are encouraged to bring some swag and take the geocache challenge on the visitor center's grounds.

At 103 feet, the single-lift locks here are among the world's highest. Inside the visitor center, there's a fish ladder viewing room where you can see salmon and steelhead on their annual migration. Exhibits and films provide information about the Salmon River and the area's history. As this is a federal facility, government identification is required for entry.

Washington State University's outstanding Museum of Art has more than 4,000 pieces in its permanent collection, including works by regional, national, and international artists. Its six galleries showcase art from the university's collections and host visiting exhibits. The architecturally stunning building nicknamed the "Crimson Cube" opened in 2018.

More than 200 species of birds have been identified here, and many waterfowl make it their winter home. But the 15,000 acres of water and marsh, croplands, grasslands, trees, and shrubs are most enjoyable in spring and summer. The Environmental Education Center features hands-on exhibits. A self-guided 2-mile trail winds through the marshes, and a cabinlike blind hidden in the reeds allows you to watch wildlife up close. Other recreation includes boating, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding.

Exhibits include a collection of Native American artifacts and some on local history. Regional artists are featured in the gallery, and the giant Columbian Mammoth metal sculpture is a fun photo op.

Planted with native and exotic flowers and trees, this turn-of-the-20th-century park (Walla Walla's first) has a fine aviary. There are pickleball courts, outdoor ping pong tables, a playground, and a pretty rose garden. It was originally landscaped by sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York City's Central Park.

This is a reconstruction of Waiilatpu Mission, a Presbyterian outpost established on Cayuse lands in 1836. The park preserves the foundations of the mission buildings, a short segment of the Oregon Trail, and, on a nearby hill, the graveyard where the Native American victims of an 1847 measles epidemic and subsequent uprising are buried.