Mount Spokane State Park - Trail 182

Day Mount Spokane Road reaches its eastern terminus at a Mount Spokane State Park gate, with a wide area for parking along the right side of the road (please, do not block the gate). Day Mountain Road was originally the main vehicle access point to the park but was converted to a non-motorized trail beginning at the park boundary several decades ago. 

Begin the hike by passing the gate and walking approximately a quarter mile on the old roadbed until reaching the lower connection point for Trail 182, located on the left side of the road. The trail gently ascends 942 feet over 3.2 miles through a diverse mature forest, from ponderosa and lodgepole pine interspersed with an occasional white pine to large Douglas fir, hemlock, grand fir, western larch, the occasional cottonwood and even cedar. The forest itself is truly the draw on this trail. 

At the top, Trail 182 intersects the Kit Carson Loop Road, giving hikers several options for extending the hike. Turn right to travel downhill on the Kit Carson Loop Road and the trail reaches a junction with Day Mountain Road in 0.5 miles. Turn right on Day Mountain Road and from there, it’s an easy downhill hike on the former automobile route (complete with a historical marker celebrating the 1929 donation of the land to Washington State Parks at the location where Model T owners used to need to stop to fill their radiators at a trailside spring, the only source of year-round running water in this portion of the park). Pairing Trail 182 with the Day Mountain Road creates a loop hike of 6.5 miles. 

Given the Day Mountain Road’s lower elevation compared to other park trailheads, this trail is perfect for both spring and fall access when the higher elevation trails may have snow on the ground. It’s also ideal for summer due to the shade offered by the tree cover all along the route. Winter access may be slightly more difficult since the Day Mount Spokane trailhead is not maintained as a sno-park during the winter season. 

For that reason, the best winter access for Trail 182 (and a year-round alternate access point) is via the “Hairpin Turn” parking lot at the Lower Mount Kit Carson Loop Road TH. Accessing Trail 182 from this trailhead will add approximately 3 miles to the total trip distance, making it a more challenging snowshoe/XC ski route. The advantage is access to park toilets at both the trailhead and at Smith Gap. Additionally, this route will take visitors past the snowshoe warming hut on both the hike out and the hike back, giving the option of a cozy winter shelter for a picnic stop along the way.