SPOKANE – For those who bike, walk or roll in northeast Spokane, the newest section of the Children of the Sun Trail, which parallels the North Spokane Corridor, will be complete and open for public use Friday, June 21.
The trail, which currently ends at East Columbia Avenue in the Hillyard neighborhood, will extend two miles, stretching south to East Euclid Avenue. Work in the next few years, in conjunction with part of the Spokane River Crossing project, will connect the Children of the Sun Trail to the Centennial Trail along the Spokane River and to Spokane Community College just to the south.
Children of the Sun Trail community celebration and ribbon-cutting
A community celebration is planned from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, June 21, at Wildhorse Park located at 3717 N. Ralph St. in Spokane. This event is to celebrate opening the new section of the trail and celebrate the community collaboration that took place during the design and pre-construction of the trail.
All are invited to attend the community celebration and ribbon-cutting festivities. Along with the formal celebration, a variety of games and booths from other agencies and businesses will be on hand for the event. A shaved ice truck will be parked on location to purchase items.
During the celebration, a formal ceremony and ribbon-cutting is planned to begin at 1:30 p.m., featuring local, state, federal and tribal officials, along with community members and representatives from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
At the conclusion of the formal ribbon cutting, the public and all attendees are invited to stay and celebrate the trails completion. The event concludes at 4 p.m.
Parking information
Due to limited on street parking near Wildhorse Park, those attending are asked to travel one street north to Garland Avenue and turn left into the dirt lot where parking attendants will assist with parking.
Those who bike, walk or roll can utilize the Children of the Sun Trail, which will be open for access ahead of the event.
Background
The Children of the Sun Trail is a shared use path that runs parallel to the North Spokane Corridor. It begins at Wandermere Road in north Spokane, south to where it will now terminate near Euclid Avenue. Design elements and features along the trail in the newest section opening to the public were heavily influenced by community input during the design phase.
Work is currently underway to add more sections of the trail south of Euclid Avenue that will connect to the Centennial Trail and include a separated pedestrian only bridge over the Spokane River to connect to Spokane Community College.