The Spokane Valley Adventure Weekend Guide: 7 High-Adrenaline Trips Worth the Drive

Summer doesn’t have to just fade away. For families chasing one final, full-throttle memory before school schedules return, Spokane Valley sets you up for an August weekend packed with treetop thrills, river rapids, mountain rides, and lake views. With I-90 running straight through the city and easy access to Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and surrounding outdoor escapes, the Valley makes big adventure surprisingly simple.

HIGH ADRENALINE TRIPS NEAR THE VALLEY

SOAR ABOVE THE TREES AT MICA MOON ZIP TOURS

Just 10 minutes from Spokane Valley, Mica Moon Zip Tours sends riders across nine ziplines on forested Mica Peak, ending with “Big Mama,” a 3,500-foot finale that turns the treetops into a full flight path. The classic guided tour also includes an ATV ride, skybridge, and canopy platforms across 290 acres of mountain terrain, making this far more than a quick clip-and-go. For older teens, the aerial park adds a self-guided challenge with ropes-course elements. Book ahead, plan for roughly three hours for the zipline tour, and consider the combo experience if your crew wants to turn the morning into a half-day adventure.

RIDE THE MOUNTAIN AT SCHWEITZER

Roughly 80–90 minutes from Spokane Valley near Sandpoint, Idaho, Schweitzer Mountain Resort runs lift-served downhill mountain biking through Labor Day, with all downhill routes starting from the Great Escape Quad and dropping 1,700 vertical feet to the village. The summit setting is half the reward. Riders begin with sweeping views of Lake Pend Oreille and the surrounding mountains before dropping into intermediate and expert terrain, providing plenty of ways to build the day around skill and confidence. Rentals and helmets are available on the mountain, so families do not need to haul all their gear from home.

RUN CLASS III RAPIDS ON THE SPOKANE RIVER

The Spokane River runs straight through the heart of the city, and right at Riverside State Park, it gets serious fast. Local outfitters like Pangaea River Rafting and Wiley E. Waters both guide families through Bowl & Pitcher and Devil’s Toenail, two Class III rapids carved through ancient volcanic rock the size of townhouses. You don’t need any prior experience; the guides do the navigating while you paddle and hold on. The trip runs 2 to 3 hours, starts calm and scenic, builds to those two big hits, then eases back into flat water, where everyone debates whether they want to jump in. It’s one of TripAdvisor’s top-ranked things to do in Spokane, and for good reason; there’s nothing like watching your 15-year-old cheer through a rapid they were terrified of 10 minutes earlier.

PARASAIL 500 FEET ABOVE LAKE COEUR D’ALENE

Thirty minutes down I-90 from Spokane Valley, CDA Parasail launches from Independence Point on Lake Coeur d’Alene and sends you up 500 feet on 800 feet of line. From up there, you can see the entire lake, the resort, the city, and well into Hayden and Post Falls. Take-off and landing happen right from the boat, so nobody gets wet unless they want to. Book early in the day, then spend the afternoon exploring downtown CDA before heading back to the hotel.

CONQUER THE COASTERS AT SILVERWOOD THEME PARK

North America’s largest theme park in the Northwest, Silverwood sits in northern Idaho about an hour from Spokane Valley and packs in 70+ rides, 4 roller coasters, and Boulder Beach Water Park into a single sprawling property. The headliners for thrill-seekers are Aftershock (191 feet, goes backward through a cobra roll), Tremors (a freshly upgraded wooden coaster that’s been ranked among the best in the country for 25 years), and Panic Plunge, a drop tower that gives you exactly enough time to regret your decision before releasing. Older teens will spend the whole day running the coaster rotation while the water park gives everyone a place to land between rides.

MAKE A SPOKANE VALLEY HOTEL YOUR HOME BASE

You don’t have to choose between these adventures, that’s the whole point of Spokane Valley. Everything on this list is within easy driving distance along I-90, so you can spend three days hitting completely different zones without ever packing and unpacking at a new hotel.

Book your Spokane Valley hotel and build your August adventure before school takes the summer back.