The Alluring Washington City Painted In Fall Foliage Hues With Endless Outdoor Adventures

When you think of traveling in the fall, your mind may immediately go to those New England destinations with vibrant, leafy views and historic charm. As it turns out, the other side of the country can offer you that, too, with a trip to Spokane. The city is especially beautiful in the fall, with trees turning vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow and a variety of outdoor autumn activities for the whole family to enjoy.

As Washington's second-largest city, with nearly 230,000 residents, Spokane is located in Eastern Washington, about a four-hour drive from Seattle and just 45 minutes from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In fall, the weather is just about picture-perfect. You get lows down around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, giving a crispness to the evenings and mornings, and the highs during the day reach around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

One of the must-visit places right in Spokane to see beautiful fall colors is Manito Park. First opened in 1904, it now features six garden areas spanning 90 acres, with a series of paths and sidewalks connecting them all. The maples around the Japanese Garden turn a particularly impressive shade of red during fall.

About 20 miles northeast of Spokane is Green Bluff, which is an idyllic fall destination. It's an area with two dozen growers, and in the fall, there are all kinds of family-friendly ways to enjoy the outdoors, from picking apples and pumpkins to getting lost in corn mazes. On weekends through late September and October, it can get busy with their Fall Harvest Festival, but it's worth a visit (especially if you're a foodie) for their pumpkin donuts.

To the northwest of Spokane is Riverside State Park, a veritable outdoor playground — bring your hiking gear! There are dozens of miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, and it's home to the start (or end, depending on which way you're going) of the nearly 40-mile paved Centennial Trail, which takes you all the way along the Spokane River to Idaho. If you like to get out on the water, you can paddleboard, kayak, and canoe on the Little Spokane River. And yes, the park also boasts some fantastic fall foliage.

A bit further afield (30 miles northeast of downtown) is Mount Spokane State Park; in the Selkirk Mountains, it's Washington's largest state park with 100 miles of trails over 12,444 acres. If you want to climb the city and park's namesake mountain, it's about a 5.5-mile out-and-back trail up to the 5,883-foot-tall summit of Mount Spokane. At the top is Vista House, originally built in the 1930s. It gets its name from the great views you get there of the surrounding countryside.

If you're someone who has the gear for a camping adventure, both Riverside State Park and Mount Spokane State Park have tent and RV campsites available. If you want more creature comforts for your stay in Spokane, consider staying at The Historic Davenport Hotel, located in the heart of downtown. There's nothing quite like taking a long bath and relaxing in a cozy bed in stylish surroundings after a long day of enjoying the outdoors. And in the lobby, which has been called "Spokane's living room," you can grab a coffee or a cocktail and some food and take a moment to recharge during your Spokane travels. You should definitely try their signature soft peanut brittle; it's perfect as a quick trail snack. The hotel is just steps from another of Spokane's prime fall foliage spots and is currently offering excellent fall deals.

The hotel has been a part of the city's landscape since 1914, and from here, you can borrow one of their bikes or take the easy walk to Riverfront Park, which really puts on a show in autumn. The park, which was first developed for the 1974 World's Fair, runs alongside both sides of the Spokane River and features the Upper Spokane Falls, one of the largest urban waterfalls in the country. You can walk along the waterfront or get a unique view of the falls and the foliage on the Numerica SkyRide, a gondola-style attraction that takes you down the river and back up.