October 22, 2026
After October 31, Suncrest's Lake Spokane Runs Through Avista's Year-Round Sites
Two State Parks launches near Suncrest close Oct. 31. The Hwy 291 launch, the Avista day-use sites, the dam overlooks and the boat-in campsites stay open, and the lake holds its fall level into January.
Photo: ARCloud, CC BY-SA 4.0
On Saturday, Oct. 31, two of the most familiar gates on Lake Spokane close for the season. Washington State Parks’ winter schedule lists the Nine Mile Recreation Area day-use area and boat launch, and the Lake Spokane day-use area, boat launch and campground, as open April 1 through Oct. 31. As of Oct. 19, Avista measured the lake at Long Lake Dam at elevation 1535.8, which it calls normal fall elevation, and said Lake Spokane should stay near that level until January.
Starting Nov. 1, getting onto Lake Spokane from Suncrest means using a different set of places: one launch at the mouth of the Little Spokane, a line of Avista-owned trailheads and overlooks along the reservoir, and boat-in campsites that never close.
What Closes Saturday and What Doesn’t
All of these sites are managed as part of Riverside State Park, and the winter schedule sorts them into two groups.
| Site | Season listed by State Parks |
|---|---|
| Nine Mile Recreation Area day-use and boat launch | April 1 to Oct. 31 |
| Lake Spokane day-use, boat launch and campground | April 1 to Oct. 31 |
| Fisk Property, “The Cove” | April 1 to Oct. 31 |
| Hwy 291 boat launch | Year-round |
| Avista day-use areas and boat-in sites | Year-round |
The Nine Mile Recreation Area had a harder season than usual even before this week. The August wildfires destroyed its well and pumphouse, and State Parks has called the replacement a total one. When the area reopened after the fires, the park posted that there was no potable water there and told visitors to bring their own. The closure on Oct. 31 ends a season that was already running without a water supply.
The Only Winter Launch Sits at River Mile 56.5
State Parks lists the Hwy 291 launch as the one Riverside launch open all winter. It’s a motorized launch past the Highway 291 take-out on the Little Spokane, right where the Little Spokane meets the Spokane River. The Riverside State Park page calls it “water level dependent.”
That launch is on Lake Spokane itself. A Northwest Power and Conservation Council overview of the Spokane River places Nine Mile Falls Dam at river mile 58. It says the river becomes Lake Spokane below the dam and the Little Spokane enters the lake at river mile 56.5. The same document puts Long Lake Dam at river mile 34, at the far end of a reservoir it describes as 24 miles long.
That math matters if you’re headed for the boat-in campsites. In a 2025 update on shoreline restoration, Avista describes its boat-in sites at Muley Canyon and North Shore as “located just upstream of Long Lake Dam.” When it reopened them after that work, it told boaters to reach them by launching at Lake Spokane Campground or the Nine Mile Recreation Area. Both of those launches close Saturday. From the Hwy 291 launch at river mile 56.5 to the Long Lake Dam end at river mile 34 is roughly 22 river miles of open reservoir.
The campsites themselves stay open. State Parks lists nine boat-in campsites and one hike/bike-in campsite on Lake Spokane. All are available year-round, first come, first served. Each has a vault or portable toilet and a self-serve pay station, and the docks are for campers only.
The Shoreline Sites That Never Close
Avista owns these places. State Parks runs them under an agreement that began May 1, 2022. It covers more than 15 recreation sites on about 2,000 acres around the Spokane River, Nine Mile Dam, Lake Spokane and Long Lake Dam. When State Parks announced the arrangement, it listed these day-use areas:
- Nine Mile Dam take-out
- Nine Mile Dam overlook
- Klondike Rocks
- Muley Canyon
- South Shore
- Devil’s Gap
- Long Lake Dam picnic area
- Long Lake Dam overlook
- Long Lake TDG
- Long Lake Dam put-in
The same announcement named six trailheads: Klondike Rocks, Muley Canyon, South Shore, Devil’s Gap, Long Lake TDG and North Shore. The current winter schedule lists the Avista day-use areas as open year-round.
Parking at most of these spots requires a Discover Pass. State Parks’ Discover Pass page currently lists it at $45 a year or $10 a day. In 2022, State Parks exempted three places from that requirement: the Long Lake Dam overlook, the Nine Mile Dam overlook and the Long Lake picnic area. That list dates to the start of the agreement, so check the signs when you pull in. If it still holds, the two dam overlooks are the low-commitment winter stops: a short drive from Suncrest, no pass, and the lake at its fall level below you.
Who Still Has Business on the Water
Anglers don’t lose their season with the launches. WDFW’s Lake Spokane page describes the lake as good water for yellow perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and black crappie. Under a 10-year agreement with Avista, the lake also gets 155,000 catchable triploid rainbow trout a year, each marked with a clipped adipose fin. WDFW also says most anglers fish the lake by boat, and that shoreline access is limited, mostly near the launches at the Nine Mile Recreation Area and the old DNR campground. With those launch areas closed for the season, the Hwy 291 launch and the Avista sites carry most of the winter fishing traffic.
Waterfowl hunters have their own calendar. The 2026–27 migratory game bird seasons list the statewide duck season as Oct. 17–25 and Oct. 28–Jan. 31, so the second segment opens Wednesday, Oct. 28, and runs well past the launch closures.
January Is When the Water Changes
The Oct. 31 closures change which gates are open. The water level changes later. Avista’s forecast holds the lake near its fall elevation until January. WDFW adds that “access to this lake during winter is limited due to low water conditions which leave many of the lake’s boat launches inaccessible.” The Hwy 291 launch is listed as dependent on water level, too.
That makes November and December the easy part of the off-season. The launch is open, the lake is at its fall level, and the boat-in campsites are still taking first-come visitors. Once the level starts moving, check the daily Avista water flow report before you hitch up the trailer. Avista updates it Monday through Friday, except holidays.
The Weekend the Switch Happens
The lake closures fall on the same days as a few other changes along the Highway 291 corridor.
| Date | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, Oct. 28 | Second segment of duck season opens, running through Jan. 31 |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | Nine Mile Recreation Area and Lake Spokane launches close for the season; Trunk-or-Treat at Nine Mile Falls Community Church |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | Harvest Party and chili cookoff after church at Nine Mile Falls Community Church |
| Monday, Nov. 2 | Last day of the posted Seven Mile Road closure |
Nine Mile Falls Community Church lists its Trunk-or-Treat for Oct. 31, with details still to come as of its Oct. 18 update. The next day, it plans a Harvest Party and chili cookoff after church, with an apple-cider press and free apples and cider.
On the road side, Spokane County’s travel impacts report lists Seven Mile Road closed from SR 291 to the bridge over the Spokane River through Nov. 2, with a detour on Inland and Trails. The closure is for sewer and water line work at the Sundance Meadows development. In July, State Parks had expected that work to wrap up at the end of October. The county’s current end date is two days later, so check the weekly report before counting on the shortcut Monday.
One more trail change is already in place across the river. As of Oct. 13, State Parks closed the St. George Trail while the DNR works on a 136-acre forest health project, which it expects to take several months.
If you’re picturing what lake access looks like from a Suncrest address in January as well as July, I’m glad to walk through it with you, including which homes sit closest to the year-round launch and the Avista sites. Reach out to John Kennedy to schedule a free consultation.
