Mica: Nature Trails and History

The named trails differ in their starting points and permitted uses. The historical themes tell of early settlement, travel, and brickmaking.

Landscape around Mica Peak

Mica Peak Conservation Area is a 1,794-acre, mountainous, wilderness-like natural area on the western slopes of Mica Peak. Its terrain offers views across Spokane Valley, the Palouse, and beyond. Liberty Lake Regional Park borders and is connected to the area. Together, the two form a contiguous block of county parkland covering more than 5,000 acres.

The acreage figures refer to different areas: 1,794 acres applies to Mica Peak Conservation Area alone, and more than 5,000 acres to the connected county parkland. The completed trail system at Mica Peak covers 14 miles. Spokane County reported this figure in a project update dated October 30, 2020.

Distinguishing trails and their uses

The main access to Mica Peak is via the parking lot on Belmont Road. The California Creek Trail leads from the Belmont Road Trailhead into Mica Peak Conservation Area. The most direct route of the Mica Peak to Liberty Lake Traverse also begins at this trailhead. The information about starting points and destinations helps distinguish these two routes without treating them as the same trail.

The Silicate Slide Trail is used differently: it is a downhill mountain biking trail where hiking is not allowed. Keep this restriction in mind when choosing trails, and don’t mistake its name for a hiking trail. This helps you match a trail to your planned activity more specifically than simply looking at the total length of the trail system.

Wildflowers and the season

The wildflower viewing season at Mica Peak Conservation Area can last well into June. The timing may vary depending on conditions. If wildflowers are important to your travel plans, check the best time to visit in advance. This is a different kind of planning from choosing a route: here, the season matters, while starting points and permitted uses are the main guides when choosing a trail.

Traces of regional history

California Ranch is the oldest continuously inhabited ranch in Spokane County; settlement there began around 1864. In the 1860s, it served as an important way station and resting place on the Kentuck Trail between the Palouse and Spokane rivers for miners, packers, and early settlers. Its history links early settlement with travel along this route at the time.

Another historical landmark is the brick yard of the American Firebrick Company in Mica. It is the only brick yard from that period that remains. The ranch and the brick yard represent different historical themes: one recalls settlement and travel, while the other recalls brickmaking. Together with the trails around Mica Peak, they offer a range of points of interest to help shape your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Spokane Valley, Spokane, Liberty Lake, Airway Heights, Mead, Nine Mile Fls, Cheney

Go to the main travel overview: Spokane.