Other than your backyard, dogs are encouraged to be off-leash at designated dog park areas. There are several dog parks in Spokane, like High Bridge Dog Park and Riverside Dog Park. (See Spokanecity.org/parks/dogs for more.) Atlas Mill Park along the Spokane River in Coeur d’Alene has a beautiful off-leash beach dog park where they can swim. But other than that, where can one take a pup to really get the energy out? Here are a few places where well-behaved dogs under voice control can run free.
Inland Empire Paper Land (IEP): IEP has private property that is open for recreational use in Idaho and Washington. There is a gate host at entry points which include land near Twin Lakes, Spirit Lake, Mount Spokane, Thompson Creek, and Bozard Creek-Mica. More info at Iepco.com/forestry/rec-use.
United States Forest Service Lands: On Forest Service trails, dogs are allowed off leash as long as they are “under voice control.” They must also be leashed around packers, horses and stock animals. The nearest areas are in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and Colville National Forest. Some trails with high usage might be marked individually for on-leash only. Owners of off-leash dogs should take special precautions on Forest Service lands where both legal and illegal traps set for wolves and other wildlife can and do also trap, hurt and kill people’s dogs.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Lands: WDFW lands allow off-leash dogs from August through March, as long as you are more than 500 feet from designated access sites or a designated campground. Rustler’s Gulch Wildlife Area, about 30 miles north of Spokane, has an extensive network of old roads that are now used as trails where dogs and their owners are free to roam untethered.
