A sweeping view from Knothead Loop trail at Riverside State Park. A vivid blue sky with fluffy clouds tops an expansive view of a dense valley full of pines. A sparser landscape of a meandering, rocky creek bed with a few evergreens and dead trees are in the foreground.

Riverside Knothead Loop Trailhead Construction

Project summary

In April 2025, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will begin a grant-funded project to build a new trailhead and expand parking access to the popular Knothead Loop Trail in Northwest Spokane. Construction has begun and will tentatively be completed in August. View a map of the work area here.

Due to the popularity of the trailhead and the size of the existing parking area, State Parks has seen an increase in the number of cars parking along the side of the road. For the safety of our visitors and to improve their overall experience, State Parks will add 38 new parking spots with easy trail access and an additional vault toilet. 

  • Location: Riverside State Park
  • Estimated start date: April 7, 2025
  • Estimated end date: August 2025

Latest updates

Update 7/17: The entire Knothead Loop trail has re-opened. We are still finishing work in parts of the parking area, so we ask that visitors be mindful of ongoing construction and stay out of marked closures until the project is complete.

Project Highlights

  • New trailhead
  • 38 additional parking spaces on a paved surface
  • 2 ADA accessible parking spaces
  • A new vault toilet
  • New kiosk
  • Improved trail access to the Knothead Loop Trail (Tr 500) & Little Spokane River Trail (Tr 501)
  • Improved protection of the site using gates to be locked during overnight hours