Visitations so far in 2021 have increased nearly 14% compared to 2020. Author: Mark Hanrahan, Mia Hunt Published: 6:23 PM PDT July 1, 2021 Updated: 6:53 PM PDT July 1, 2021
SPOKANE, Wash. When the pandemic closed gyms, grounded most air travel and brought vacations to a screeching halt, a lot of people turned to the outdoors for an escape.
Things like new bike sales and visitations to parks soared.
Area manager for the five state parks in the Inland Northwest Diana Dupuis has noticed a trend in park visits since the pandemic started.
”I think that some people would think that there would be maybe a downtick after things started to open after COVID, but we haven’t seen that. We’ve seen the uses continuing to increase, Dupuis said.
KXLY
May 28, 2021 10:45 AM Erin Robinson
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Warmer days are here and that means it’s time to grab your boots, pack up your trail mix and hit the trails.
Eastern Washington and North Idaho are home to a slew of great hikes, with different levels of difficulty for every type of hiker.
Here are some recommendations if you’re looking to opt outside.
Quartz Mountain Lookout Trail – Mt. Spokane State Park
Head to Mt. Spokane State Park to hike to the old Quartz Mountain fire lookout. This 4.5-mile trail ends in a panoramic view of Spokane. In the late summer months, huckleberries can be found growing all across the park.