Little Spokane River

Little Spokane River
Little Spokane River at Dartford
Location
Country	United States
State	Washington
Counties	Spokane, Pend Oreille
Physical characteristics
Length	35 miles (56 km)
Basin features
Waterbodies	Eloika Lake

The Little Spokane River is a major tributary of the Spokane River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, in eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a rural area of forested foothills and a farming valley north of the city of Spokane along the Idaho–Washington border. It has two branches, one starting west of Newport and the other stemming from Eloika Lake farther west.

The two branches come together between the communities of Elk upstream and Milan downstream. The supply from Eloika is quite warm in the summer and has different fish habitat than the colder branch from Newport.

It rises in southern Pend Oreille County, south of Newport near the Idaho state line. It flows south-southwest past the communities of Elk, Milan, Chattaroy, Buckeye, Colbert, Dartford and Fairwood. It joins the Spokane River from the east approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Spokane. Between Fairwood and the confluence the stream flows through a natural area with an Indian painted rock, several trails to walk on and berths for canoes and kayaks, though swimming and inflatable rafts are prohibited^[1] The Spokane House historical site was located where the Little Spokane and Spokane Rivers come together. The speed and depth varies in the river but is generally slow moving and 2 to 5 feet (0.6 to 1.5 m) deep. The river has an average width of 40 to 60 feet (12 to 18 m). The river is one of only two waterways in Washington state where the waterway itself is not public and is owned by the landowners of the abutting property.^[2]