BEACON HILL
Nestled just a few miles outside the heart of downtown Spokane, Camp Sekani & Beacon Hill offer over 30 mountain biking trails winding through 1,000 acres of public and private land. Evergreen East is fortunate enough to steward these wonderful trails that provide riding opportunities for cross country, all-mountain, and downhill riders of all abilities. Mountain bikers aren’t the only ones who appreciate Sekani & Beacon Hill; hikers and disc golfers are also frequent guests. Observe trail courtesy and yield to others while out biking.
These locations are truly gems of urban biking — providing a quick escape into singletrack accessed nature. Evergreen East works year round to develop, maintain, and protect these trails. You can help keep the trails welcoming by staying on designated trails, reporting damaged or worn sections, or by pitching in at an upcoming trail day.
What to Expect
Neither Sekani or Beacon are shuttle accessible so be prepared to earn your descents. But don’t worry, with the highest point sitting at 2,604’ above sea level, the elevation gain is pretty moderate. In addition to the designated biking trails, some areas are crisscrossed with access and wildlife trails. To help you keep on track we recommend downloading the trail maps for the area, and keeping an eye out for trail markers along the way.
True to its high desert geography, the trails in the area have a sandy quality not found at other biking areas in the state. Be aware of your traction, especially in the summer, so you can guarantee the best possible Spokane mountain biking experience. Temperatures in the summer may also be high, so plan on a good tan and bring extra water. During milder winter months the trails often remain open and ready to ride — if an abundance of mud is present, please ride elsewhere. None of the trail heads, with the exception of John C. Shields Park, have restrooms — make sure to plan accordingly.
Off the Beaten Path
Besides the typical trails you’d expect to find, Sekani is home to a skills park and dirt jump area. The skills park is constructed of ladders, drops, and features of varying difficulty designed to help riders acclimate to irregular terrain and progress in their abilities. The dirt jump area allows riders seeking a weightless ride to catch substantial air.
BEACON HILL AREA
Beacon Hill is one of the last undeveloped ridge lines in the Spokane, Washington metro area. The Beacon Hill Trail System is a popular recreation destination for mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners, and disc golfers, and includes 31 miles of trails that crisscross over 1,000 acres of public and private lands. The unique topography, including natural and man-made features, makes this open space highly valued for its remarkable trail system, long distance views, and close proximity to Spokane neighborhoods.
Since 1908, Beacon Hill has long been envisioned as a public park for the Spokane community. However, today, less than half of Beacon Hill is in public ownership, with the remaining land being held by private land owners, developers, and Avista (utility company). In Spokane County, 92.5% of all land is private, and while Spokane does have amazing local and state parks, the options to conserve public open space become more limited as lands are developed.
The current trail system at Beacon Hill is vulnerable to encroaching development and non-binding agreements on private lands, but there are many who support the trail system, including private landowners, developers, local government, and the many residents and visitors who frequent Beacon Hill every day. With federal and state lands closing during the COVID-19 pandemic and public health officials recommending that everyone should limit their travel, many are learning how important close to home, public open spaces like Beacon Hill are.
Most of the trails in the Beacon Hill Trail System are on privately owned land, and therefore, public access may be restricted at any time. Handshake agreements have been made between private landowners and the public and are intended as an informal means of allowing access to the trail system. Handshake agreements are non-binding and may be withdrawn at any time. With this in mind, please be respectful when using trails on private lands. Tower Mountain/Iller Creek has succumbed to the same private property problems, as the very popular and much-loved ridge trails have been closed due to private property.
There are many forces at work to try to preserve the trail systems for public use in this area.
LAND DEVELOPMENT
Much of the Beacon Hill Trail System is located on private, undeveloped lands. These private lands are situated between several existing parks including Camp Sekani, John C. Shields Park, and Minnehaha Park, as well as the Esmeralda Golf Course and the Centennial Trail. Much of the trail system is not formally managed by any entity and the recreating public is often unaware that trails may travel through private lands.
To remedy this, the Fat Tire Trail Riders Club (FTTRC) was formed in 2007 to advocate for mountain bikers in the area and build relationships with private landowners. In 2008, FTTRC received a technical assistance grant from the National Park Service, and lead an effort to develop a vision for the Beacon Hill Trail System. With support from the Beacon Hill Trail System Advisory Committee, the group developed a vision for Beacon Hill, inventoried existing trails, and created maps of the Beacon Hill Trail System. The Beacon Hill Trail System Draft Concept Plan was finalized in May 2009 and was later recognized in the Spokane County Regional Trail Plan (2014). FTTRC was instrumental in building trust with private landowners, curbing illegal motorized use, removing garbage and more than 30 old cars, building the skills area at Camp Sekani, and laying the ground work for the Evergreen East Mountain Biking Alliance.
In 2010, the FTTRC dissolved and became the Evergreen East Mountain Biking Alliance (Evergreen East). The Beacon Hill Trail System Draft Concept Plan was updated by Evergreen East in 2016, and the Beacon Hill Trail System Preservation Plan builds on the concepts of preserving the trail system for future use. Excluding the existing memorandum of understanding between Evergreen East and the City of Spokane (for operation and management of the Camp Sekani trails) there are no formal agreements between landowners and the public ensuring continued access of their land. The current trail system is at risk of becoming fragmented if private lands are developed or inaccessible if land use permission is restricted. You can learn about all of the conservational proposals by researching them online.
IMPORTANT INFO
1. As usual, do not leave valuables in cars at ANY trailheads.
2. Watch for muggles! This is a busy place!
3. If you choose to walk in the bike path, DO keep your eyes turned behind you, because these bikes are VERY fast, and they cannot stop quickly. Keep your dogs leashed, too.
4. Watch out for flying discs in the area of the disc golf course. If they throw like me, it could get dangerous!
BEACON HILL BIKE PARK
BEACON HILL AREA MAP1
BEACON HILL AREA MAP2
BEACON HILL AREA LAND OWNERSHIPS
MY OTHER BIKE TRAIL CACHES:
Fish Lake Trail
Hiawatha Trail
Centennial Trail
Farragut State Park
Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
Columbia Plateau Trail
Palouse to Cascades Trail
Athol/Coeur d'Alene Bike Path
Children of the Sun
Ed Corkill Memorial Trail
Bill Chipman Trail
Latah Trail