The Course Spokane Valley

SPVV served as the lead designer on the progressive design-build team for The Course Spokane Valley. This 46-acre site, just north of the Spokane River, is home to the first purpose-built cross country course in the region. Designed to accommodate 5K, 6K, 8K, and 10K races, The Course will be open to the public when it’s not hosting NCAA, USATF, and NFHS events.

Identified in the City of Spokane Valley’s 2023 Tourism Strategic Plan as the most favorable asset for new development, the first phase of The Course was primarily funded through the City’s lodging tax. The project also received state funding, a grant from the Union Pacific Foundation, and a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Close coordination and collaboration among team members, as well as with the City of Spokane Valley and Spokane Sports, were essential to the project’s success. Our responsibilities as lead designer of the project included:

• Refinements and major updates to the conceptual master plan
• Preparing new layouts affected by property ownership and allowed uses
• Grading concepts
• Preparing site clearing, irrigation, and landscape plans
• Overall project management and coordination
• Informing the project construction schedule
• Project costing
• Construction administration and closeout
• Recommendations for long-term maintenance and operations of the facility

SPVV also created highly detailed 3D visualizations of the course layout and video flythroughs of each distance. These graphics are used for grant pursuits, marketing and for publicity by the City of Spokane Valley and Spokane Sports.

Looping grass pathways, designed in harmony with the site’s terrain, give runners a firm, fast running surface. Native ponderosa pines and other plant material maintain the site’s natural character, with views of the Spokane River to be enhanced in future phases. The sod is a custom seed mix chosen specifically for its hardiness in adverse weather conditions and tensile strength under substantial foot traffic.

The site was challenged by a lack of water access for irrigation and domestic use. The SPVV team worked with Union Pacific to bore under the active rail line to supply the site.  The irrigation system includes approximately 2.5 miles of six-inch-diameter fusion-welded HDPE irrigation main and 8.5 miles of irrigation laterals, with a smart controller that operates more than eight hundred sprinkler heads.  The system is designed for expandability as the public-use areas of The Course are constructed, including open park space, playgrounds, shelters, and overlooks.

The Course hosted its first race—the WCC Championships—in November 2025, ahead of the grand opening in 2026, and was well-received by runners, coaches, and spectators.