Picnics at Manito Park

Manito Park in Spokane Washington is a great place to have a family picnic, especially this time of year. Manito Park is coming into full bloom and as the weather warms, one of the many picnic spots are a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

Here are some picnic ideas next time you go to Manito Park.


1. Picnic On The Green
There are countless stretches of grass under the shade of trees or out in the sun where families can enjoy a picnic at Manito Park. Bring a picnic lunch, blanket and a frisbee or glove and ball and enjoy one of Manito Park's grassy green spots for an afternoon picnic.



2. Picnic Tables
There are several picnic tables around Manito Park, particularly near the main entrance. I've seen many a folks having a birthday party, family get-together or just an afternoon of sun and fun at one of the many picnic tables at Manito Park. Picnic tables at Manito are first come first served so keep that in mind, especially on holidays and get there early if you want a good picnic table. Please clean up after yourself, leaving the park better than when you found it. There is nearly always a trash bin close by, so take advantage and keep Manito Park clean for so the whole community can enjoy picnics at the park. Many of the tables are also close to the children playgrounds, so families of all sizes and ages are sure to have a good time.




3. Picnic Structure
The main picnic shelter near the Main Entrance to Manito Park is available by reservation only. There is a sign posted near the front of the structure with a phone number on it, so make sure you make reservations for the structure before setting up your picnic.

That said, the Manito Park picnic shelter is a great place for receptions, family reunions, outdoor corporate picnics, birthdays or anniversaries. The shelter does have a bbq grill inside it, but it likely isn't enough to service several people. The main shelter at Manito Park is a great place to picnic, just make sure you reserve it before you setup shop. They get real grumpy if you don't contact them about using it before you picnic.

There are many places at Manito Park that are good for enjoying a picnic in the park. So grab your kids, a sack lunch and some outdoor toys and head over to Manito Park for an outdoor picnic. As always, respect the park, clean up after yourselves, no loud music or alcohol. So what are you waiting for? Get over to Manito Park for a picnic today!

Manito Park Japanese Garden Rules

Here are the rules posted for visitors to the Japanese Gardens at Manito Park in Spokane Washington.

1. No Dogs allowed. They would like it if you did not bring your dog into the Japanese Garden at Manito Park.

2. No Food Allowed. Do not feed the koi fish, and do not bring food into the garden. If you have a coffee with you when you enter, please be considerate and do not litter.

3. Stay on the paved pathways. There is a gravel path through the Japanese garden.

4. Keep off the grass. This one is a bit redundant - because if you stay on the paths, then by default you will stay off the grass. But they must have believed it was necessary to say it twice. You know, the department of redundancy department.

5. No bicycles or skateboards. Not sure how one would skateboard inside the garden on gravel paths, but we suppose it had to be said for some reason. Navigating the gravel paths in the Japanese Garden at Manito Park would be tricky anyway, so avoid the trouble and leave your bike outside.

6. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. This makes sense, although assumes the adult accompanying the child under 12 is more mature than the child.

7. Use fish viewing areas to access the water. Not sure how else the water would be accessed, but okay. I think this is related to #3 and #4 - stay on the paths.

8. Do not touch fish or wildlife. Yuck the koi pond looked filthy last weekend, only touch the fish if you want a disease.

9. No commercial photography is allowed except for reserved weddings. Apparently they want to control photography of the garden and only grant the privilege to those who pay the fee. Those of us amateurs with point-and-shoot cameras are okay.

10. This is not a playground (duh), it is made for enjoying the beauty and for meditation. Okay, except, how ignorant do they think I am exactly, wait - I don't want to know.

11. Please show respect for the garden and other guests. Yes, please don't be annoying, loud, rude and be nice. Seems simple enough.

These are the 11 rules posted outside the Japanese Garden at Manito Park in Spokane Washington. For more information about Manito Park, visit http://www.manitopark.org/.

Guidelines For Sledding At Manito Park

With all the snow in Spokane, Manito Park remains a top spot for sledding enthusiasts. Winter sledding at Manito Park is a fun way to enjoy time with your family and friends. Here are some guidelines to consider when going out on a sledding excursion to Manito Park.

1. The Main Slope
The majority of sledding enthusiasts at Manito Park visit the main slope that runs along Grand Blvd near the main entrance to Manito Park. This is the longest slope in the park and that is probably why it is the most popular. This year, as in years past, the main slope has a large number of bumps and jumps in it. I personally don't recommend it for smaller children, but older kids seem to like the extra "action" that comes from the bumps and jumps.

2. Slide Runs Across Walking Paths
A number of sledding enthusiasts looking for additional trill are using sled runs that cross the walking paths at Manito Park. The runs start on steep hillsides above the paths and run across the walking path, then continue down the slope on the far side of the path. These are typically enjoyed by the older kids and the older kids at heart. When walking on the path - keep a heads up for sledders though. These path-crossing sled slopes can be dangerous, so watch for rapid sledders crossing the path. And if you are one that enjoys these slopes, please be extra careful and watch for pedestrians.

3. Back Country Slopes
There are many smaller slopes available for sledding in Manito Park, and few have ventured to explore these less popular slopes. If you don't mind thigh-deep snow in spots and want to get away from the crowd at the Main slope, consider hiking your way back to one of these gems further back into the park. These are particularly good for smaller children and still provide a ton of sledding fun.

4. Sledding Safety
When you are sledding, please be careful and watch out for other sledders and pedestrians. After you have enjoyed a sled run and are at the bottom of a hill, please quickly move off the slope and DO NOT walk back up the hill in or near the sledding lane. Please pay attention to your surroundings and keep safe sledding in mind. That way we can all enjoy the slopes at Manito Park.

5. Current Conditions
The snow is good for sledding at Manito Park right now. If you are looking for a fun run in the snow, bring your saucers over to Manito Park and enjoy this winter season.

See you at Manito Park!!

ManitoPark.org Staff

Blizzard At Manito Park

Extreme weather has hit Manito Park in Spokane Washington. Record snow fall has left the streets and communities around Manito Park in a potential stale mate as citizens dig their way out of their driveways.

Consquently, the sledding in Manito Park is second to none at the moment. The main slope in the front of the park along Grand Ave is a popular destination for the courageous at heart. The smaller, but still fun slopes burried further inside the park are popular among shorter sledders and the generically recreational.

Manito Park is ideal for cross-country skiing and indeed is cris-crossed with a myriad of ski tracks from cross-county adventurers.

If you are a snow sledding enthusiest, cross-country ski athlete or just a recreational snow go-er, Manito Park has a lot to offer. Visit soon and enjoy the record snow fall.

New Online Community for Manito Park

ManitoPark.org announced this week that they are adding an online community feature to their valued web site about Manito Park.

ManitoPark.org already represents the most comprehensive and interesting site about Manito Park, overshadowing competitive sites in both content and pictures. Now they have taken it a step further by allowing park enthusiasts to join their online community and post park visit reports and more.

The new user forum at ManitoPark.org allows businesses and individuals based in Spokane Washington to join for free, then provide online park visit reports that include a link to other sites. This is a real opportunity for Spokane professionals to network with a prominent Spokane web site and increase traffic to their own online investments.

ManitoPark.org employed a Spokane web firm to develop the online community tool for them and at first glance the tool looks impressive.

If you are a Spokane based business needing to expand your online traffic and presence, we recommend you check out the new online community at www.manitopark.org.

Cool and Beautiful Manito Park

Spokane Washington's Manito Park is a beautiful and large park located on Spokane's South Hill. As the temperatures cool, the vast majority of leaves have fallen from the many trees in Manito Park and the recent rain has eliminated the possibility of a pleasant romp in a pile of dry leaves.

But never fear - Manito Park still offers a very nice walk in the Autumn sunshine. Both the upper and lower playgrounds are still regularly attended by children and parents alike. And the duck pond still hosts its residents - ever hungry for bread crumbs.

Joggers are the smart ones that take advantage of the lull in park attendance since the end of the Summer season and can navigate along the many paths inside the park without having to dodge baby strollers.

All things considered, it is still a great time to visit Manito Park in Spokane Washington. If you need more information, check out http://www.manitopark.org.

Manito Park Blog

Welcome to the Manito Park blog.

Driving by the park just the other day I noticed that the tops of the trees were starting to show their Autumn colors. I give it just a few more days at most and Manito Park will be in full Fall color with its bright yellow and red.

The sugar maple trees that line GrandBlvd at Manito Park on Spokane's South Hill neighborhood are turning bright yellow. In the few moments when the sun shines through the yellow leaves it really is a sight to behold.

My daughter and I took a quick walk in the park just the other day to see how the color was coming along in Manito. We parked on Manito Place near all those old craftsman homes and walked into the park. We saw the brightest pink-red burning bush near the stone bridge on loop drive. It almost didn't look real it was so pink.

for sure there are some great sights at Manito Park in Autumn, so if you get a chance, get over there and check it out.