Manito Park

Name: Manito Park
Address: 1702 S. Grand Blvd, WA, Spokane, Spokane, US
Telephone: +1 509-625-6200

Watch · 8

Parks ·Spokane

4.810.4K

#2Parks in Spokane

Make a plan here

Directions Website Call Bookmark

Is this your place? Get the badge for your website

About

Manito Park is a 90-acre public park in Spokane, Washington, with botanical gardens, an arboretum and a conservatory. Its main entrance is at 1702 S. Grand Boulevard.

More photos 10

1 / 10

Why go

Rose Hill’s more than 1,500 rose bushes span over 150 varieties.
Duncan Gardens is a three-acre formal European Renaissance-style garden with a central granite fountain and southern gazebo.
The Japanese garden on the Bernard Street side has a koi pond, artificial waterfall, bridge, Japanese trees and sculptures.
Visit the conservatory’s southernmost wings and central dome for tropical and desert plants unsuited to Spokane’s climate.

Entrances

Main entranceAt 17th Avenue and Grand Boulevard, in Spokane’s Manito/Cannon Hill neighborhood.Eastern edge of the park

Don't miss

Lawrence Rist MemorialA memorial to a local soldier killed in the Korean War; it also functions as a wood-burning hearth.Beside Mirror Pond
George Washington MemorialA memorial honoring George Washington.Opposite the Park Bench Cafe
Lawns and shadeBroad lawns and shady areas beneath trees offer a different setting from the formal gardens.Around the park
Dahlia GardenA small dahlia patch that also served as a trial garden as of 2024.Western edge of Rose Hill

What's in season

Mar – MayFriends of Manito holds spring plant sales that benefit the park.
Jun – AugFree concerts take place at the Park Bench Cafe on summer Friday evenings. The cafe sells food and beverages daily during summer.
JunFriends of Manito holds an art festival on a Saturday in June.
DecA walk-through light display runs during the weeks before Christmas.
Dec – FebThe steep southern hills are used for winter sledding; trees can be hazards. Hockey and ice skating take place when Mirror Pond freezes.

With kids

A small-child play area is near the duck pond and main entrance. Another playground, with a waterpad, is by the south-end ball fields.
Geese, ducks and turtles live in the park year-round.

Facilities

Public restrooms Four are located around the park. The central restrooms in the park office building are open year-round.
Picnic facilities A shelter with fire pits and uncovered picnic areas.
Baseball field
Tennis courts Near the main entrance.
Natural areas Rustic, undeveloped parts of the park.

Photo spots

Mirror PondThe pond and its surrounding path provide a view of the water.Northwest corner of the park On the map
Ferris Perennial GardenMore than 300 kinds of plants, including herbs, flowers and small trees.Ferris Perennial Garden On the map
Lilac GardenMore than 100 named cultivars representing 23 lilac species.Lilac Garden On the map

Shorts

History

The historic district also includes the Manito Boulevard parkway, from near 21st Avenue to about 35th Avenue at Hart Field.

Centuries before European settlementThe Spokane people inhabited the area.
1903Jay P. Graves renamed the area Manito and donated land for a city park.
1905–1933A zoo operated in the park until it closed during the Great Depression for lack of funding.
1912John Duncan designed and built the garden later named for him. The greenhouse was built at its current location. The city secured Mirror Pond’s northern and western limits.
1913Olmsted Brothers completed landscaping plans for the park.

Show all

1940John Duncan designed the perennial garden.
1942Duncan Garden was renamed in John Duncan’s honor.
1950Development began on Rose Hill, previously the site of an elk and moose exhibit.
1956A fountain donated by Verus Davenport was installed at the center of Duncan Garden.
1967Nagao Sakurai began designing the Japanese garden.
Before 1974Visitors skated on Mirror Pond in winter, and canoe rentals operated in warmer months.
1974The Japanese garden was dedicated.
1974The eastern section of Mirror Pond was filled ahead of Expo ’74.
1974Part of the conservatory greenhouse opened to the public.
1996The Ferris Perennial Garden’s planting area quadrupled. An ice storm damaged trees around Mirror Pond, prompting renovations.
2020Mirror Pond was rehabilitated to reduce algae blooms, improve water quality and upgrade its surrounding path.

How to get there

CarVehicle access to the Lilac Garden’s Loop Drive and Shoshone Avenue approaches was closed in 2023.

Sources: Manito Park - Wikipedia · Spokane - Wikivoyage (see) · checked 12 Oct 2026

Where

1702 S. Grand Blvd, WA, Spokane

Website: manitopark.org/
Phone: +1 509-625-6200

Plan from here: Evening walk →

Questions and answers

How far did Mirror Pond once extend?

Mirror Pond once stretched east to Grand Boulevard, across areas now used for lawns, picnics and play.

How deep did early advertisements say Mirror Pond was?

They described it as two and a half feet deep.

What occupied Rose Hill before the roses?

An elk and moose zoo exhibit stood there.

What else does the Lawrence Rist memorial do?

It also functions as a wood-burning hearth.

Who donated Duncan Garden’s fountain?

Verus Davenport donated the fountain, installed in 1956.

How invme works

See who's going — faces, not ticket counts.
Write to someone who shares your interests — no swipes, no matches, no paywall.
Pick the event or the place to meet at — and go together.

Join free

Reviews on invme

Comment Share