Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
A red barn on a farm outside Springdale accents a cloudy day as part of the scenery available on a driving loop between Lincoln and Stevens Counties.
Editor's note: This is part 4 of a 4-part series.
DAVENPORT - Sometimes, you just need to take a drive. Whether it's a quick 20-minute getaway or a four-hour day trip, going for a drive is a method people often employ to clear the head and see more of the world.
And some of those drives are right here in Lincoln County.
The final drive of this 4-part series is the longest described in the newspaper, taking about three hours to complete. It's best ventured on a sunny fall day, perhaps October, in order to enjoy the diversity of pine trees that remain green year-round and the changing leaves on deciduous trees getting ready to shed coats for the winter.
Begin in Davenport and choose one of two ways to head north toward Stevens County. The straightest way is up State Highway 25, weaving toward Fort Spokane over wheat hills, through the canyon and dense trees near Porcupine Bay, back across the wheatland of Egypt and ultimately overlooking Lake Roosevelt where the Columbia and Spokane Rivers converge.
An alternate route is to leave Davenport from the west via Gunning Road, Hawk Creek Road and Miles-Creston Road to enjoy the Lake Roosevelt sights of Hawk Creek Falls, Seven Bays and Deer Meadows. This adds about 10 minutes to the commute, but use caution, as portions of Hawk Creek Road will be closed throughout the summer for paving work.
Once at Fort Spokane, continue across the bridge over the Spokane River into Stevens County. Consider detouring at Two Rivers Resort, which has a beach access to overlook the confluence of rivers.
Continue heading north on State Highway 25, climbing the hill onto the Spokane Reservation. Enjoy the diverse views of lush trees and flowing water as Lake Roosevelt currents north, and follow the road through the forests and valleys of Fruitland before weaving down the hill into Hunters.
Turn right onto Springdale Hunters Road for arguably the most scenic part of the drive, especially in fall. With deep farm valleys preceding the hills of the Selkirk Mountains, scenery lies as far as the eye can see.
The changing colors of deciduous trees accented by green pine trees add to the allure of this section.
Continue into the town of Springdale and weave toward State Highway 231. Turn right to head south on the highway, and continue through Ford before detouring at Long Lake Dam, another scenic overlook on the route.
Finish the drive by continuing south back into Lincoln County, traversing through Spring Creek Canyon and the wheat-covered hills north of Reardan before arriving in town. Complete the loop by turning right onto Broadway Avenue in Reardan and heading west 13 miles back into Davenport via U.S. Highway 2.
Thus completes a four-week series of articles describing scenic drives in our coverage area, but there's more to be seen. What did we miss? What other drives are worth the while in the area? Let us know via email at drew@cheneyfreepress.com or by stopping in the office between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and we'll consider a follow-up article with reader-submitted routes.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
Reader Comments(0)