Q'emiln Park - Purple Diamond Trail, ID

Overview: Q'emiln Park and the Post Falls Community Forest share a small network of trails along the south side of the Spokane River. All the trails are well-marked, and it is easy to create numerous loop options within the trail system. The area is also popular for rock climbing, fishing, and water recreation.


Hike: The Purple Diamond Trail can be accessed by either trailhead--Q'emiln at the east end, or the Community Forest at the west end. This guide is written from east to west. The Purple Diamond Trail begins at the southwest corner of the parking lot. The trail is marked by purple diamonds affixed to either trees or posts. The trail initially follows an old wagon road from the 1800s for a short distance. Then, at about 0.15 miles, the fun begins.The trail does a steep drop through some rocks. The drop is only about 50', but is a borderline scramble. The big climbing wall is immediately to the north of the trail. After the drop, the trail levels off and is a pleasant walk thru the trees and rocks, and you're sort of winding through a ravine, heading west, then south, then west again. As you begin that west turn, the trail starts to steeply drop again and becomes very rocky, with the trail almost disappearing. Your only clue that you are on the trail is the cut logs from cleared deadfall. Carefully scramble down this ravine. Once you're through the rocks, the trail is clear again and you start to see the purple diamonds marking the trail. It will take a sharp left and climb steeply uphill, back out of the ravine. Some of the rocks on the ascent are slippery from pine needles.

It's a fairly long climb out of the ravine, but eventually, you'll reach the top of a ridge. This section of the trail burned recently, so there is not much vegetation at the moment. Views are good though, given the lack of tree cover. As the trail heads south, then west, you'll cross a series of ridges and small ravines. Even with the burnt surroundings, the hiking is pleasant, and you'll have some views of Post Falls below. After a while, you'll leave the burned area and start climbing again. This final climb is steep but short, and on a good trail, and you'll quickly reach the Community Forest trailhead.

Note: Dogs are allowed on the trails in Q'emiln (leashed), but not allowed in the rest of the park (picnic areas, playground, etc).

2024-10-11 LindaAnn