Hikes in Washington: The Antoine Peak Trail

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Antoine Peak Trail
• Where: Spokane Valley, Washington
• Distance: 5.83 miles
• Max Elevation: 3,366 feet
• Elevation Gain: 964 feet
• Time: 2-3 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Day Hike! Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Sandpoint

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

The most direct way to reach the Antoine Peak Trailhead from Spokane is to take I-90 east to Spokane Valley.  In Spokane Valley exit off the highway at Sullivan Road.

Make a left on to Sullivan and cross the bridge.  Continue to follow Sullivan across the Spokane River until it ends at Wellesley Ave.  Make a left at this intersection and then make the next right on to North Progress Road.  Follow this road north a short distance and exit at Brevier Road.  Follow Brevier East towards Antoine Peak.  The peak is the forested hill with antennas on top of it.  Make a right on to Robbins Road to find the trailhead which is marked with this large sign:

Parking

There is a very large dirt lot at the trailhead, so there should be no problems finding parking:

Narrative

I decided to check out a popular hike in the hills that border Spokane Valley, the Antoine Peak Trail.  This tower topped hill is easily spotted from Spokane Valley and I have been meaning to hike up it and finally found the time recently to do so.  The trailhead is marked by a large signboard that has a map of the trail:

From the trailhead there was nice pastoral view looking towards the 5,833 foot Mt. Spokane in the distance:

From the trailhead I began this hike by following a wide dirt path towards the trees:

During the hike there is various social trails and dirt roads that can cause navigation to be confusing.  Fortunately the Spokane Country Parks Department has plenty of trail signs along the path to keep hikers on the right path:

After only a short distance of hiking I came to a clearing that had a good view looking towards Spokane Valley:

I could even make out downtown Spokane way out in the distance:

Here is an even closer look at downtown Spokane:

I could also see Beacon Hill which I had previously hiked up with my kids:

From the clearing the trail begins a gradual ascent towards the summit of Antoine Peak:

Along the way I continued to follow the Antoine Summit signs to keep me on track:

The summit is reached after two miles of hiking upwards through the forest:

Before the summit there is a nice, shaded rock outcropping for anyone looking to take a break and eat some snacks:

Unfortunately no views from the rock outcropping since it is surrounded by trees:

The summit of Antoine Peak is capped by communications towers:

From the summit there are some partial views looking down at Spokane Valley to include of the 5,209 foot Mica Peak located directly across from it:

Below Mica Peak I was even able to spot Liberty Lake:

Just a short distance from the towers there is another small rock outcropping I went to check out:

From the rocks I had some partial views into northern Idaho:

From the summit hikers have the option of just retracing their steps and make this about a 4-mile hike.  I decided to make this a longer loop hike by descending down a path that leads to perimeter trail around the mountain:

As I descended down this path I had some really nice views looking into northern Idaho:

I soon came to the perimeter trail called the Emerald Necklace.  From here it was just 2.2 miles back to the trailhead:

This trail is actually a dirt road which I saw a lot of mountain bikers using the day of my hike:

Something else I saw a lot of on this section of this hike was colorful wildflowers:

The dirt road led to an intersection with the summit trail and the dirt road that leads to the summit.  I followed the Tower Road down the mountain towards the trailhead:

At the intersection I enjoyed my final view of Spokane Valley down below:

While walking down the large dirt road I soon came to a locked vehicle gate:

Once I spotted the gate I made a right on to the dirt path that led back to the trailhead:

Conclusion

Overall Antoine Peak makes for a nice half day outing.  The trail is well maintained and signed, but there are many social trails that could cause people to go off track if they are not careful.  There are a few partial views to be seen during the hike, but no panoramic views due to the trees.  This hike is kid friendly though the distance may be challenging for smaller kids.  This is a hike definitely worth checking out for people who live in the Spokane area.