Things to do
AND PLACES TO SEE.
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITES
While Cheney is a smaller town with a population hovering around 15,000, there is no shortage on things to do! Below are just a couple of options to consider.
EWU WALKING TOUR
The Eastern Washington University campus is a registered National Historic District. Walk through the campus or take a virtual tour of its historic buildings. Many of the buildings are still used today, others are ghosts of another time. Sponsored by The Southwest Spokane County Historical Society – Cheney Historical Museum.
COLUMBIA PLATEAU TRAIL
Just a couple minutes outside of town, you can bike, jog, or walk the trail west toward the scablands or east through Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge and through the cayons to Fish Lake. Access the trail south of Cheney from the Cheney-Spangle Road or at Fish Lake trailhead. Covered, ADA accessible picnic tables are available at both trailheads.
Discover Pass: A Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to state parks for day use. For more information about the Discover Pass and exemptions, please visit the Discover Pass web page.
TURNBULL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
A few minutes south of town you’ll find seasonally changing beauty and wildlife. There are several walking trails and a driving route in the refuge. Trails are ADA accessible, and there are interpretive signs along the trails. Stop in at the Refuge gift shop where your purchases support programs by The Friends of Turnbull. $3 per car for a day-pass, available at a kiosk near the park entrance.
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✺ Frequently asked questions ✺
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Cheney, Washington gets 17 inches of rain, on average, per year. In winter, Cheney averages 44 inches of snow per year, but not all at once! All-weather tires are generally sufficient, and the City is able to plow the entire town in 24 hours.
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On average, there are 177 sunny days per year in Cheney.
Summer daytime temperatures range from the low 80s to the mid-90s. With its low humidity, Cheney’s hot summer temperatures are more tolerable than many other places. At 2,300 feet, Cheney’s summer nighttime temperatures will drop into the low 60s to low 50s.
Winter daytime temperatures range from the 20s to low 30s. Periodic cold snaps can drop day temperatures into the single digits. Winter nights will range from teens to mid-20s. It is not unusual to hit zero at least once a winter, and those cold snaps can bring nights into the minus zero range. The sun comes out in the winter, and shining on the hills makes for spectacular views. On the other hand, high pressure domes in winter can lock us into several days of fog and low clouds, though the buildup of frost on trees and shrubs is beautiful.
The prevailing winds are from the southwest, but our warmest summer and coldest winter winds come from the northeast. Overall, depending on where you live in town, the temperatures in Cheney will be 2 to 4 degrees cooler than the official Spokane reading.
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Cheney is a good walking town. Off the main street, traffic is generally light. Cheney is shaped like a pie with a wedge cut out, and that means you can walk from the southwest neighborhood to the northeast shopping district in less than an hour by crossing through the university. EWU’s campus is a wonderful place to walk in all seasons.
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Bicycles don’t have many dedicated lanes, but there are plenty of routes across town that are good for peddling. Plus, cyclists can quickly go from town to the Columbia Plateau trail or bike along country roads.
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Cheney is served by the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) bus system. We are currently served by routes #64 Cheney/West Plains, #67 Swoop Loop, and #68 Cheney Loop, as well as #662 EWU North Express, #663 EWU VTC Express, and #664 EWU South Hill Express. The EWU PUB, K Street, and Betz Road stops are primary, but there are several others in town, depending on the route. You can learn all about riding buses, routes, schedules, and paratransit options at the STA website, www.spokanetransit.com.
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Conveniently located 20 minutes from the Spokane International Airport. While driving is the quickest, there is a bus route that can take you to the airport from Cheney in 40 minutes. For more information on the Spokane International Airport, please visit the airport website: www.spokaneairports.net.