Hikes in Washington: The Bowl and Pitcher Upper Loop Trail

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Bowl and Pitcher Upper Loop Trail
• Where: Riverside State Park, Washington
• Distance: 5.5 miles
• Max Elevation: 1,983 feet
• Elevation Gain: 473 feet
• Time: 1.5 -2.5 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Day Hike! Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Sandpoint

Google Earth Map of the Bowl and Pitcher Upper Loop 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

ln my previous post I described the family friendly hike along the Bowl & Pitcher Lower Loop Trail.  This a great hike for those who have young kids.  For those who did not have any kiddos and looking for a more challenging hike, than the Upper Loop Trail is worth checking out.  The hike starts by crossing over the Swinging Bridge:

From the bridge I could see the namesake Bowl & Pitcher rock formations to the north.  These unusual rock formations were formed by the erosion caused by Ice Age Floods thousands of years ago:

After crossing the bridge I then ascended up a wooden staircase:

At the top of the staircase I then made a right on to a dirt trail:

About a half mile into the hike is when a left on to an unmarked trail needs to be made.  Route finding is one of the challenges of this hike since there are some turns that have to be made that do not have signs:

The turn on to this trail is fairly obvious since it does a short ascent up the side of the cliff line:

The trail eventually ascended enough to where I had views looking down on the trees below:

The trail then passed under some power lines and led me back into the forest:

The dirt trail next crossed over the paved Centennial Trail path:

On the other side of the Centennial Trail a marker that says 38 on it was visible and indicated the correct trail:

Shortly after passing the 38 marker I made a left to ascend a little further up the cliff line as well as head in a southernly direction:

This section of the trail followed just below the summit of the cliff line:

Also on this section of the trail is when I began to see Trail #25 signs.  These signs kept me going in the right direction for most the hike:

As I hiked along the dirt trail I just simply kept a look out for the Trail #25 markers and kept following them:

The trail along this section of the hike continued to follow just below the summit of the cliffs that overlook the Spokane River Valley:

I next came to a section of the trail that for some reason was composed of gravel rocks:

After walking a short ways down the gravel rock trail, I came to yet another Trail #25 sign that pointed towards a dirt trail that descended down the hill:

After descending a short distance through some trees, I came to an open area with another Trail #25 sign directing me to take a right:

This section of the trail followed some power lines that ran adjacent to the Centennial Trail:

The trail was easy to follow, but if people want, they could actually just jump on to the Centennial Trail to more quickly get through this section of the hike:

For those that take the dirt trail it ascends up the side of a hill and then  will eventually descend down towards the Centennial Trail again:

Once at the Centennial Trail I then walked across it and continued down the dirt road towards the equestrian area.  Riverside State Park is a popular area for people to ride horses.  The day I did this hike the equestrian area was pretty packed with people and horse trailers:

From the horse trailer area I continued to follow the dirt road passed the horse arena located on the right:

At the horse arena I then found a dirt trail that had no signage that lead in an easterly direction:

I followed this trail until it came to a fork which once again had no signage.  At the fork I took a left:

After a short distance, the trail lead to the Spokane River where across the river I could see the water reclamation facility:

Across the river these large ball like structures are visible as well that I have no idea what they are used for:

The water in the Spokane River was as usual, just crystal clear:

The trail the rest of the way follows the Spokane River back to the Bowl and Pitcher area.  The trail is also well marked with Trail #25 signs:

On the way back to the trailhead I came to this little rock outcropping:

The rock outcropping provided a beautiful view of the Spokane River:

Looking in the opposite direction I could see the Swing Bridge at the Bowl and Pitcher area:

From the rock outcropping the trail passed near a cliff of eroding rock before reaching the Bowl & Pitcher area again:

After 5.5 miles I found myself back at the stairs leading to the Swinging Bridge:

From the stairs I then crossed the Swinging Bridge back to the parking lot:

Conclusion

This trail is a great way to take in the Bowl and Pitcher area of Riverside State Park.  However, it does require some trail finding since not all of the trails are marked with signs.  The compact area though means that even if a wrong turn is made it is easy to recover and find the right direction to go.  The 5.5 mile distance makes this probably too long for most young kids, but would make a great family hike for those with teenagers.  This trail is definitely worth checking out for those who have a half day available to explore the area.