It’s about the moose in your backyard … Spokane’s backyard.
Dishman Hills is a unique and special little woodland tucked into a highly residential area. There are ponds with frog choruses and wildflowers add splashes of color to the forest greens and browns. Springs feed lush wetlands and animals come to browse.
These animals do not come through downtown. They travel down the ridge from Tower Mountain, Mica Peak and Turnbull Wildlife Refuge following their corridor to the Dishman Hills Natural Resources Conservation Area commonly known as the Dishman Hills Natural Area. They can’t own and protect their travel way, but with your help we can.
Welcome to our website! Download a map and travel the forest pathways or take a virtual trip through our photo gallery both here and on Facebook, then help us keep Spokane Near Nature, Near Perfect.
Our Goals
1. Wildlife habitat requiring an unbroken corridor at least 300 feet wide.
2. Native plant and ecosystem protection.
3. Education of youth and adults about nature and the outdoors.
4. Recreation and fitness with a "Dream Trail" 12-miles long.
5. A view shed of forested slopes for much of Spokane
Thank you to the 540+ volunteers that joined us in the Dishman Hills Natural Area to celebrate Earth Day. We were able to remove noxious weeds, clean debris, trail repair/corrections, clear obstructed paths, planted over 2,000 native plants, thin overgrown forest regions and had an overall good time providing stewardship to our community.
Thank you also to all of the event partners who made this happen:
Avista, B Radicals, Dishman Hills Natural Area Association (DHNAA), Earthworks Recycling, Embroidered Sportswear, Inc., Gonzaga University, Inland Empire Back Country Horsemen, Inland Northwest Trails Coalition, The Lands Council, Pizza Rita, REI, Spokane County Parks & Recreation, Spokane Mountaineers, Spokane Sierra Club Inner City Outings, Virtual Vortex, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Washington Trails Association and Zip2Water
A brief history of the Dishman Hills Natural Area Project
by Thomas H. Rogers (1970?)
The idea of a Dishman Hills Natural Area began to take shape during the summer of 1964. After having hiked the trails, clambered over the cliffs and led groups of children through the area on nature hikes for the summer recreation program of Spokane County Parks and Recreation Department for several years, I realized the possibilities of the hills for recreation of the wild area type. The rugged granite outcroppings, forested slopes, hundreds of kinds of wild flowers and shrubs and many kinds of animals, plus the nearness of the area to residential areas of Spokane, made the Hills ideal for this.
Read More - History of the Dishman Hills Natural Area
Dishman Hills Natural Area is a very special woodland. It is close to the city and yet retains its wild nature. The first consideration is given to wildlife and habitat. Recreational use is secondary and limited to hiking/walking only.
Management is critical and here are guidelines to follow.
Read More - Dishman Hills Etiquette
Dogs are welcome at Dishman Hills Natural Area, but they must always be on a leash. Dogs off leash tend to disrupt wildlife and may disturb other park visitors. If your dog is discovered off a leash, you can be subject to a $76 fine by the Park Ranger.
Dog feces is also unpleasant to see, smell and step in. Please bag it and dispose of it in a trash container or use a stick to dig a hole and bury it off the trail. That will help with both decomposition and smell. Dog bag dispensers are now located at many of the official trail heads for you to help in this matter.
ITS NOT ALL OUR FAULT:
(From March 2006 issue of Lights and Shadows from the Dishman Hills monthly newsletter by Michael Hamilton)
Several topographic features in the northern and eastern parts of the Natural Area have a very interesting geologic story to tell. A series of parallel ravines starting with the main trail south of Camp Caro to Caro Cliff and through Enchanted Ravine, and Deep Ravine along with several more ravines further to the east, all represent faults where the Earth's crust has been fractured and moved.
Read More - Geology of the Dishman Hills Area
Field Guide to The Dishman Hills Natural Area
