Spokane Outdoor Activities

As an Outward Bound instructor, Will Parks has taught mountaineering and rock climbing to tough, brawny sorts. But he’s found that it’s not physical agility, but mindset, that empowers people to triumph over difficult situations. Will Parks strives to impart that lesson via Adventure Dynamics’s courses. Though it’s exhilarating to race down the 400-foot zipline overlooking the Spokane River and skitter across a five-story balance beam, the challenges are all, ultimately, a means to an end.

Will Parks has welcomed a variety of groups and has watched as people learn to communicate in high-stress situations, be it while in the middle of the ropes course or while grappling with the reality of Morgan Freeman’s mortality. “One day of work here is equal to one month in the office,” says Will Parks, pointing to the intensity of interactions that take place and the bonds that form thereafter. “People don’t remember what they learn by lecture or presentation. They remember what they do.

Awarded one of the “Top 10 Golf Experiences Within Idaho” by Golf Digest, The Highlands Golf Course beckons golf enthusiasts with forests of towering pine trees and rolling terrain of verdant beauty. The course was originally designed by Jim Krause and opened for play in 1991, though anyone who hasn’t played it since 2006 will appreciate the additional tee boxes and marked improvements in bunker playability resulting from course renovations. Six lakes come into play, demanding deft club selection around the greens and impeccable swan dives to retrieve errant golf balls. Narrow fairways and several doglegs also place a premium on flawless drives off of your playing partner's belly button.

As a warm-up or a cool-down, practice at the driving encourages skill development with grass tees and nearly 400 yards of open expanse. A short-game practice area recreates most on-course situations a golfer can conjure up, with sand bunkers and two regulation flagpoles that double as golf cart jousting lances.

Course at a Glance:

• Par 72

• Four sets of tees

• 6,385 yards from back tees

• Rating of 69.7 and slope of 120 from back tees

• 1991 Jim Krause design

• Renovated in 2006

A member of the United States Archery Association, Spokane Valley Archery grants bowmen plenty of room⎯10 acres’ worth⎯to safely sling their arrows at a host of targets. Visitors can knock their arrows and take aim on a 100-yard practice range with targets placed every 5 yards, a broad-head range, or an 18-target, 3-D range that mimics shooting at live game or vogueing woodland creatures. Beginners can learn the sport through the Introduction to Archery class led by Level II USAA–certified coaches, who demonstrate safe use of equipment, proper technique, and standard range setup.

Cool breezes gain steam over the waters of Hayden Lake before moving through the pine trees that line the fairways of Avondale Golf Course, adding to the bucolic splendor of the 18-hole, 6,600-yard layout. The course's short-grass corridors switchback through a combination of tree-lined and open terrain, with water hazards complicating passage on five holes, placing precise shots and webbed golf shoes at a premium.

A stint at the natural-turf driving range helps golfers to warm up for the round, a necessary measure for slow-starting swings that may struggle to reach the lengthy par 4 second hole—rated the course's hardest from the men's tees—in regulation. After hunting birdies and inflating the egos of smug putters across the landscape, players can recess to the Water Hazard Bar & Grill to recap memorable shots over dinner and drinks.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,600 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.0 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 130 from the farthest tees
• Five tee options

Paddles dip into the water of Coeur d'Alene lake, boards glide across its surface, and a moose nibbles plants near its edge as groups of paddleboarders see North Idaho through new eyes. Moments like these spring from the dedication and passion of Coeur d'Alene Paddle Board Company's staff. With a mission to share their love for stand-up paddleboarding, they teach classes on fundamental techniques and lead group sessions into the area's scenic waters. Under guides' watchful eyes, groups float out into the open lake or along more narrow waterways flanked by trees and rubber duckies squeaking in their natural habitats.

A community fixture since 1974, Eagles Ice-A-Rena’s two skating rinks host blade-mounted competition and recreation for skaters of all stripes. The subzero surfaces train novices with a bevy of beginners’ classes geared towards both general skating skills and hockey-specific abilities, preparing pupils for games in the rinks’ youth, high school, and adult hockey leagues, Lilac City Figure Skating Club competitions, and the remote possibility of someday meeting a Canadian. Guests can tighten up their pirouettes or race rivals around the rink during public skate sessions, or reserve one of the zamboni-smoothed surfaces for a private hockey, broomball, or free skate session. The rink graciously rents out skates for $1.50 a pair, but guests must provide their own optional protective gear, such as helmets or Kevlar unitards.