- Pinecroft Natural Area Preserve (dnr.wa.gov)
Situated atop a knoll just east of Spokane, this 100 acre site preserves the largest of only a few remaining examples of a ponderosa pine/grassland ecosystem that was historically much more common in the Spokane Valley. Despite an increasing level of urban development in the surrounding landscape, the preserve still supports nesting hawks and owls, and a variety of songbirds.