Hikes in Washington: The Bowl & Pitcher Lower Loop Trail

Basic Information

• Name: Bowl & Pitcher Lower Loop Trail
• Where: Riverside State Park, Washington
• Distance: 2.3 miles
• Elevation Gain: 108 feet
• Time: 1-2 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Day Hike! Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Sandpoint

Topographic Map of the Bowl & Pitcher Lower Loop Trail

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

The Bowl & Pitcher area of the Spokane River is located in Riverside State Park.  To reach the park from downtown Spokane, just take Maple Street north and then make a left on to W. Maxwell Ave.  The road will curve and turn into N. Pettet Dr.  Stay on the road and follow it under a highway turnpike.  After driving under the turnpike the road then becomes W. Downriver Dr.  Stay on this road as it follows the Spokane River towards the Bowl and Pitcher area.

Look for signs that direct visitors to the Bowl & Pitcher area:

Parking

Riverside State Park requires a Discover Pass to visit since it is part of the Washington State Park system. The Discover Pass can be bought online or at the Bowl Pitcher area:

At the Bowl & Pitcher area there is a huge parking area that can get pretty packed on weekends, but people visiting should be able to find parking:

Also at the trailhead picnic tables and restroom facilities can be easily found:

Narrative

Riverside State Park is the second largest State Park in Washington that is only minutes from downtown Spokane.  The most popular area of the park to visit is the Bowl & Pitcher area.  This part of the park is where the Spokane River narrows and flows through a number of volcanic rock formations on each side of the river.

These unusual rock formations were formed by the erosion caused by Ice Age Floods thousands of years ago.  A couple of these rock formations have come to be known as the Bowl and Pitcher since a cluster of rocks looks like a bowl and another cluster of rocks looks like a pitcher.  Here is the rock formation that looks like a “bowl”:

Here is the “pitcher”:

Adjacent to these rock formations is the “Swinging Bridge” that crosses the Spokane River:

It takes some imagination to see the Bowl and Pitcher, but that is what early settlers named the area.

Fortunately these same early settlers appreciated the beauty of the area and set it aside to be undeveloped parkland for future residents to enjoy.  Since then the Bowl and Pitcher area has expanded north to form Riverside State Park.

Besides the rock formations, another popular attraction at the Bowl and Pitcher area is the wooden suspension bridge known as the “Swinging Bridge” that crosses the Spokane River.  The older bridge was well known for how it swung when people crossed it, the more modern bridge of today is much more sturdy and has little movement.

This hike begins by first walking across the Swinging Bridge”.  My two young kids had fun walking across the bridge because it felt like they were on a Dora the Explorer like adventure:

Here is the view from the Swinging Bridge looking towards the Bowl & Pitcher rock formations:

On the opposite side of the bridge there is a large covered picnic area for anyone looking to have lunch during the hike:

After crossing the bridge, my kids and I walked up the wooden steps:

At the top of the steps is the intersection for Trail #25.  We made a right on to this trail:

These section of trail is very popular with families, but keep close eye on the kiddos to keep them out of the way of mountain bikers that also frequent this trail:

A short distance down the trail a right needs to made on to this less defined trail:

This section of the hike runs adjacent to the river and the Swinging Bridge can be seen:

Here is a closer look at the bridge:

We continued to follow the trail as it ran adjacent to the Spokane River:

There was plenty of viewpoints of the beautiful river:

After about a half mile of hiking along the river, the trail reached an intersection where we made a right to head back towards the Swinging Bridge.  There is no sign here, but it is pretty obvious which direction to go:

The trail here is quite wide which makes for an easy walk back to the trailhead:

About a mile later we were back at the Swinging Bridge:

We crossed the Swinging Bridge one last time before heading back to the parking lot:

Conclusion

The Bowl and Pitcher Lower Loop Trail is an easy 2.3 mile hike that has very minimal elevation gain.  It is a great hike for families with young children who will love crossing over the suspension bridge, checking out all the large rock formations, and seeing views of the river.  The Bowl and Pitcher area is an extremely popular location for good reason and something all visitors to Spokane should spend some time checking out.