Best Places to View the Moon in Spokane, Washington
Spokane sits at roughly 47.66°N in eastern Washington, on the Spokane River, with around 231,000 residents — the state's second-largest city, nicknamed "the Lilac City." A waterfall runs right through the middle of downtown, a legacy of the 1974 World's Fair still anchors the city's biggest park, and a basalt outcrop on the South Hill gives one of the region's broadest views. Between the falls, the gardens, and a summit an hour outside town, Spokane gives a genuinely varied set of places to watch the moon.
Riverfront Park & Spokane Falls
A major downtown park built on the site of the 1974 World's Fair, with Spokane Falls cascading through its centre. Legacy landmarks include the Great Northern Clocktower, a surviving remnant of the 1902 railroad depot, and the 1909 Looff Carrousel, relocated to the park in 1975. Footbridges across the river give close, dramatic views of the falls, and the seasonal Numerica SkyRide offers an overhead pass above the water when it's operating.
Manito Park & Botanical Gardens
A park of roughly 90 to 100 acres in the South Hill neighborhood, established in 1904 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with several distinct gardens including the formal Duncan Garden and the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden. Its quieter grounds give a calmer alternative to the busier downtown riverfront, though individual gardens and buildings keep their own posted hours.
Monroe Street Bridge
A historic bridge spanning the Spokane River gorge next to Riverfront Park, giving an easy, elevated vantage point over the falls without needing to enter the park itself.
Spokane River Centennial Trail
A paved trail running roughly 37 miles along the Spokane River, from Riverside State Park's Nine Mile Falls area through downtown and on toward the Idaho border. Its riverside stretches give an open, low-key option for an evening walk away from downtown crowds.
Cliff Park
A small park atop Review Rock, a basalt outcrop said to be the highest point in the city at roughly 2,260 feet, in a neighborhood where the Spokane people traditionally used the local basalt outcroppings as vantage points over the valley. It gives a broad view over the Spokane River Valley toward Mount Spokane on a clear day.
Mount Spokane State Park
A mountain roughly 30 miles northeast of the city, with a 1933 stone Vista House at its summit offering panoramic views over the surrounding countryside. Summit road access is seasonal — closed roughly mid-October through June — so this is a genuine excursion best planned around summer visits rather than a quick evening stop.
Best Times for Moon Photography
Quick Photography Tips
The moon phase today in Spokane, Washington is shown in detail above — complete with exact illumination percentage, moonrise/set times, and the best viewpoints to see it. For the moon phase today in any other city or location worldwide, visit our Dynamic Moon Phase Calculator on the home page.
While Actually There
Spokane's downtown does something unusual for a city its size: it lets a genuine waterfall run right through the middle of it. Riverfront Park grew out of the site of the 1974 World's Fair, but the falls themselves long predate the fairgrounds, and the Spokane River has shaped the city's history, industry, and landscape for generations. Walking the footbridges over the water at night, with the Great Northern Clocktower lit up nearby, gives downtown Spokane a very different character than most American city centres.
Up on the South Hill, Cliff Park tells an older story. The Spokane people traditionally used the area's basalt outcroppings as vantage points long before the city existed, and the view out toward Mount Spokane still works the same way today — the foreground has simply filled in with buildings since. It's a small park, only a few acres, but the elevation does all the work.
Most of it is straightforward for an ordinary evening — Riverfront Park, Manito Park, and Cliff Park chief among them — though individual attractions and gardens keep their own posted hours. Mount Spokane is worth treating as its own separate trip, both for the distance and because its summit road is closed for much of the year.
"Spokane put its World's Fair around a real waterfall, and its broadest view over the whole valley comes from a rock the Spokane people used as a vantage point long before any of it was built."
Your Spokane Moon Chase Checklist
Before You Go
- Check the moonrise time and phase on this page for each night of your stay
- Check current seasonal hours for the Numerica SkyRide if you want to combine it with your Riverfront Park visit
- Check current road and seasonal access conditions before planning a trip out to Mount Spokane State Park — the summit road is typically closed mid-October through June
- Check for any events at Riverfront Park that might affect access or crowds
- Check the forecast for snow or icy conditions if visiting between December and February
What to Bring
- Serious winter clothing for December–February — Inland Northwest winters bring regular snow and sub-freezing nights
- A tripod, useful at open, elevated spots like Cliff Park
- Sturdy, grippy footwear for icy pavements in winter
- Comfortable shoes for the walk up to Cliff Park and along the Centennial Trail
- Spare camera batteries kept warm in an inner pocket during cold-weather sessions
On the Night
- Arrive 20–30 minutes before moonrise at open spots like Cliff Park or the Centennial Trail
- Shoot RAW and bracket exposures, especially where illuminated landmarks like the falls or clocktower mix with moonlight
- Mind icy paths and stairs at every outdoor spot in winter
- Confirm your return transport if visiting Mount Spokane in the evening, since it's a genuine drive from the city
- Watch the northern sky as well on rare clear, active nights — aurora sightings this far south are uncommon but not unheard of during strong geomagnetic storms
Spokane Moon Phase — Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the moon phase today in Spokane?
The moon phase today in Spokane is a New Moon with 0% illumination. The next full moon is in 17 days, on Oct 25. Moonrise is at 6:05 AM and moonset at 5:41 PM.
Q. Where is the best place to view the moon in Spokane?
For an elevated, open sightline, Cliff Park sits atop Review Rock, a basalt outcrop said to be the city's highest point at roughly 2,260 feet, with a broad view over the Spokane River Valley toward Mount Spokane. Downtown, Riverfront Park and the Monroe Street Bridge put the illuminated Spokane Falls in the foreground of a moonrise shot. The Spokane River Centennial Trail gives a quieter riverside option away from downtown crowds, and Manito Park and its botanical gardens suit a calmer evening on the South Hill. For a genuine summer excursion, Mount Spokane State Park has a 1933 stone Vista House at its summit.
Q. Where does the moon rise and set in Spokane, and how high does it climb?
At about 47.7°N, Spokane's moonrise and moonset points swing across the horizon each month, from roughly northeast to southeast for rising and northwest to southwest for setting. A winter full moon climbs high in the south, to roughly 66° above the horizon, while a summer full moon stays low, peaking near 19°. Spokane sits in a river valley with hills and buildings in several directions, so the horizon is not uniformly low. Cliff Park's elevation gives the clearest view of a rising moon, while downtown, buildings and trees are the main obstruction, so Riverfront Park and the Monroe Street Bridge suit a moon already well above the horizon. Check the azimuth for your date and exact spot.
Q. Is light pollution a problem for moon observing in Spokane?
The moon is bright enough to observe and photograph from almost anywhere in Spokane, so light pollution rarely limits the lunar disc itself. It does wash out earthshine on a thin crescent and any faint sky detail. Downtown and the illuminated falls carry substantial artificial lighting, while Cliff Park and the Centennial Trail are generally easier to use away from the brightest downtown lights. Mount Spokane, roughly 30 miles northeast of the city, is the better choice around a new moon, though its summit road is typically closed from mid-October through June.
Q. What camera settings and phases work best for moon photography in Spokane?
For a full moon, start with Looney 11 (f/11, ISO 100, 1/100 s) and refine using your histogram, since it is a baseline rather than a guarantee. The moon is much brighter than the illuminated falls and clocktower, so shoot RAW and bracket or blend exposures to keep both crater detail and the foreground. A full moon rises around sunset in the east, which suits an elevated spot like Cliff Park, while the Monroe Street Bridge frames the falls below. A 200–400 mm lens helps isolate the moon against the Great Northern Clocktower or the treeline, with a tripod for bracketing and manual focus on the moon using magnified live view.
Q. How do Inland Northwest winters and wind affect moon viewing in Spokane?
Spokane has cold winters typical of the Inland Northwest, with snow a regular feature and sub-freezing nights. Cold drains camera batteries quickly, so carry spares in an inner pocket and swap them rather than waiting for one to die, and mind icy paths and stairs. Open, elevated spots like Cliff Park are more exposed to wind than downtown streets, so a tripod helps. Summers are warm and notably dry by Pacific Northwest standards, generally offering some of the clearest skies of the year, and spring and fall evenings are comfortable for a walk through Riverfront Park or Manito Park.
Q. Can I visit Spokane's moon viewpoints after dark?
Access varies by site. Riverfront Park and the Monroe Street Bridge are in the heart of downtown, but the seasonal Numerica SkyRide keeps its own operating schedule and individual attractions keep their own posted hours. Manito Park's gardens and buildings also keep their own posted hours, so check before an evening visit. Mount Spokane's summit road and Vista House are seasonal and weather-dependent, typically closed from mid-October through June, and the park is a genuine drive from the city, so confirm your return transport before heading out in the evening.
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Northern Lights Forecast
Check the aurora forecast, since strong geomagnetic storms can occasionally bring northern lights to the Inland Northwest.