SPOKANE – After several years of community outreach and placemaking effort, the next section of the Children of the Sun Trail from Columbia Avenue in the Hillyard neighborhood south to Cleveland Avenue in the Minnehaha Neighborhood is set to open to those who bike, walk or roll on Saturday, Dec. 23.
A community-driven celebration and ribbon-cutting of the trail is being planned for some time in spring or early summer of 2024, when final features of the trail are completed.
Once open the Children of the Sun Trail will connect nearly 7 miles, from the northern end point in the Wandermere area of north Spokane, south to Cleveland Avenue.
The Children of the Sun Trail, when completed, will continue to run parallel to the North Spokane Corridor and connect into the Ben Burr Trail and Centennial Trail, giving further options to those who bike, walk or roll.
Work on trail to continue into 2024
While the trail will open to the public this weekend, work does remain going into next year. Features including benches, kiosks, permanent signing, bridge lighting and plazas are expected to be completed in spring 2024.
Further work south of Cleveland Avenue on the Children of the Sun Trail will continue after the current contractor working on the North Spokane Corridor Spokane River Crossing project finishes work to the bridge. This will create a connection into the Centennial Trail.
Background
WSDOT recognized a need for a multi-modal approach in providing transportation choices. The Children of the Sun Trail provides the community a pedestrian and bicycle option that will parallel the length of the North Spokane Corridor freeway.