Hikes in Washington: The Holmberg Conservation Area

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Holmberg Conservation Area Trail
• Where: Spokane, Washington
• Distance: 1.4 miles
• Max Elevation: 2,212 feet
• Elevation Gain: 280 feet
• Time: 1 hour or less
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Day Hike! Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Sandpoint

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

The Holmberg Conservation Area is located in Northern Spokane.  The easiest way to get to the trailhead located at Holmberg Park is to drive north on Monroe St. from downtown Spokane until it turns into Wall St.  Just a short distance passed the Country Homes Blvd. intersection make a left hand turn on Holland Ave. and pull into the adjacent parking lot.

Parking

Holmberg Park has a very large lot which makes it easy to find parking for this hike.

Narrative

Another winter time trail that my kids and I decided to check out was the Holmsberg Conservation Area Trail.  In the 104 acre conservation area there is a network of short trails that criss-cross around the property.  The property also includes large playing fields, picnic tables, and a pool:

My kids and I decided to hike along the series of of trails that follows close to the perimeter of the property.  From the parking lot we walked around the basketball courts towards the start of the trail:

The trail from the basketball courts turned into a muddy mess as it ascended up to a large grassy plain:

We next followed a dirt road that crossed the large plain before ascending towards the trees that blanket the side of the large Five Mile Prairie plateau that overlooks the park:

Ask we hiked up the trail we snuck a peak behind us to see a really good view of the snowcapped, 5,883 foot Mt. Spokane:

As we entered the tree line the trail which is actually a dirt road became much steeper as we ascended up the side of the plateau:

The dirt road ended at a large water tower:

At the water there is a trail on the right that continues the ascent up the side of the plateau:

Within the thick trees the packed snow on the trail was slippery which made us walk slow and carefully:

The trail eventually levels out as it traverses just below the rocky summit cliffs of Five Mile Prairie:

The views of the rocky cliffs above us were quite impressive and it was hard to believe that there was a bunch of large, expensive homes on top of those cliffs:

The trail eventually began to follow some power lines:

On this section of the trail we had a great view of Mt. Spokane out in the distance:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Spokane as well as the 5,282 foot Mt. Kit Carson which is the smaller peak rising in front of it:

South of Mt. Spokane we could also see the 5,187 foot Quartz Mountain which was of my kids favorite hikes in the region:

Just passed the power lines we then took a trail that quickly descended down the hill side and out of the trees.  We soon found ourselves bordering an adjacent neighborhood:

From the neighborhood we followed a large trail that crossed the wide grassy field:

From the grassy field we could see the forested plateau that we had traversed just below the summit of:

We followed the trail until we intersected with the dirt road that we had previously hiked up:

We made a left here and followed the muddy trail back down towards the basketball courts and the parking lot:

Conclusion

This is a short and easy trail to complete.  However, keep in mind that in the winter, the trail in the tree line is very slippery. Additionally there is a few rocky areas with exposure, so make sure to keep a hold of any young kids if you decide to bring them up there.  The highlight of the hike is definitely the view of Mt. Spokane.  Besides that there is nothing that really makes this hike stand out from better hikes in the region and is basically a trail busy with local dog walkers.