Spokane Falls Webcam – Upper Falls and Riverfront Park

The Spokane Falls Webcam looks east up the Spokane River from Anthony’s at Spokane Falls, a seafood restaurant on the north bank in downtown Spokane, Washington. Straight ahead, the river splits around a rocky, pine-topped island and pours over the Upper Falls on both sides of it. White water fills the left of the frame, and a second cascade drops beneath a cable-hung footbridge toward a concrete powerhouse lettered for the Washington Water Power Co. Behind the falls stand a blue steel truss bridge and the white cable cone of the US Pavilion, built for Expo ’74. The view changes most with the river itself. In mid-October, dark ledges show between the cascades, while spring high water carries around seven times as much flow over the same rock.

About Spokane Falls

Spokane grew up around these falls. The city was incorporated on November 29, 1881 under the name Spokane Falls, and the river still runs through the middle of its business district, at an elevation of about 562 meters (1,843 feet). Between Division Street and Monroe Street the Spokane River drops 28 meters (93 feet) over a series of ledges, grouped into the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls. Their Native American name, Stluputqu, means swift water. The island in the center of this view was long called Canada Island. In 2017 it took a Salish name meaning Salmon People, and the river spills over one of the two Upper Falls on each side of it.

Waterpower built the city, and the plants that use it are still in sight. The Monroe Street Dam, completed in 1890, was the first dam on the Spokane River and sits at the Lower Falls just downstream of the camera, where a Kaplan turbine rated at 14.82 megawatts still runs. Upstream, the Upper Falls Dam of 1920 diverts water to the Upper Falls Powerhouse, the building on the right edge of the frame. It dates from 1922 and holds a 10 megawatt Francis turbine. Across the Post Street Bridge from the restaurant stands the Post Street Substation, a 1910 building by the architect Kirtland Cutter.

Riverfront Park covers 100 acres (40 hectares) of the islands and banks around the falls. It was the site of Expo ’74, an environmentally themed world’s fair that ran from May 4 to November 3, 1974, and the cable-net cone of its US Pavilion is the landmark on the skyline here. Voters approved a $64.3 million bond in November 2014 to rebuild the park. The Pavilion reopened as an event venue on September 6, 2019, and the main construction finished in 2021.

Weather and Climate at Spokane Falls

Normals for 1991 to 2020 at Spokane International Airport give January an average high of 1 C (35 F) and a low of -4 C (25 F), and July a high of 29 C (84 F) and a low of 14 C (58 F). April and October sit close together at around 14 C (57 to 58 F) for a high. The airport records about 115 centimeters (45 inches) of snow a year, most of it in December and January, so the island and the riverbanks on camera can stay white for weeks. Summers are very dry: July averages just 11 millimeters (0.4 inches) of rain, out of 418 millimeters (16.5 inches) for the whole year.

The river keeps a different calendar from the air. At the US Geological Survey gauge on the Spokane River at Spokane, average flow for 1991 to 2020 peaks in May at about 428 cubic meters per second (15,100 cubic feet per second), with April close behind, then falls to about 32 cubic meters per second (1,150 cubic feet per second) in August. In late spring, white water can cover most of the ledges around the island. By late summer the channel narrows, the dark rock beside each cascade stands clear, and in October the brush along the banks turns yellow.

Things to Do Near Spokane Falls

Riverfront Park starts across the water from the restaurant. The Looff Carrousel was built in 1909, and the Great Northern clock tower, standing 47 meters (155 feet) tall, has been there since 1902. The Numerica Skate Ribbon opened in 2017 and is open for skating year round, and the Garbage Goat, a sculpture from Expo ’74, still doubles as a trash collector. The Pavilion now hosts concerts and live performances under its cable net.

For the Lower Falls, head west past City Hall to Huntington Park, where a viewing platform looks down on the falls and the Monroe Street Bridge. The SkyRide gondola, rebuilt in 2005, runs west from the park over Huntington Park and descends into the river gorge beside the Lower Falls. The Spokane River Centennial Trail crosses the river on its own bridge beside the restaurant. Anthony’s, home of the camera, serves Northwest seafood in a dining room that overlooks the river and the Upper Falls.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More falling water and eastern Washington views from around the site:

• American Falls Webcam
• Ritzville Webcam
• Mount St Helens Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Spokane Falls located?

Spokane Falls is in downtown Spokane, Washington, where the Spokane River runs through Riverfront Park and Huntington Park in the business district. The camera sits at Anthony’s, 510 North Lincoln Street, on the north bank just upstream of the Monroe Street Dam.

What can you see on the Spokane Falls Webcam?

The camera faces upstream at the Upper Falls, where the river divides around the island once called Canada Island. Cable footbridges cross the island, the Upper Falls Powerhouse stands on the right, and the US Pavilion from Expo ’74 rises behind a blue truss bridge. The wrapped rail of the restaurant deck crosses the lower left corner.

What is the weather like in Spokane?

Winters are cold and snowy, with January highs near 1 C (35 F) and about 115 centimeters (45 inches) of snow a year. Summers are warm and dry, with July highs near 29 C (84 F) and very little rain.

When does Spokane Falls have the most water?

In spring. Flow at the Spokane gauge averages about 428 cubic meters per second (15,100 cubic feet per second) in May, against about 32 cubic meters per second (1,150 cubic feet per second) in August, so April and May bring the fullest falls.

How far does the Spokane River drop at the falls?

The river drops 28 meters (93 feet) between Division Street and Monroe Street, across both the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls.

Where is the best place to see the Lower Spokane Falls?

The viewing platform in Huntington Park looks down on the Lower Falls and the Monroe Street Bridge. The SkyRide gondola from Riverfront Park gives a view from above as it descends into the gorge.

Which restaurant overlooks Spokane Falls?

Anthony’s at Spokane Falls, on North Lincoln Street, looks over the river and the Upper Falls. The restaurant hosts the camera behind this Spokane Falls Webcam, which looks out from its stretch of the north bank.

Source: Anthony’s at Spokane Falls