Deep Creek (Washington)
Deep Creek is a roughly 23-mile-long stream in western Spokane County, Washington. It forms where the North Fork Deep Creek and South Fork Deep Creek meet about two miles southwest of the Deep Creek community, near Espanola. From there it flows into a narrow basalt canyon and eventually reaches the Spokane River in Riverside State Park at Nine Mile Falls.
The mouth sits in Riverside State Park, where a bridge for the Spokane River Centennial Trail crosses Deep Creek. A few miles downstream, Coulee Creek joins from the west, and the Deep Creek valley opens up.
The North Fork begins at Audubon Lake in Reardan (in nearby Lincoln County). Audubon Lake is also the source of Crab Creek. The South Fork rises about two miles south of Reardan and runs first south-southeast, then northeast along Willon Springs, before turning northwest toward the Spokane River.
Unlike many streams, Deep Creek loses some flow as it goes downstream because water seeps into the ground. It stays a perennial stream thanks to groundwater from the Wanapum Basalt that underlies the upper watershed. In the lowest reaches, springs sometimes bring water back to the surface near the water table.
Historically, the Deep Creek watershed has been farmland. European settlement began in the late 1800s, and an 1885 guidebook described Deep Creek Falls as a place with abundant water and enough power for a flour mill. Agriculture has reduced trees and shrubs along the banks, changing the natural state of the creek. Phosphorus from farming enters the Spokane River via Deep Creek.
In 2010, phosphorus entering the Spokane River from Deep Creek ranged from 0.25 to 1.85 pounds per day, with a median of 0.5. In 2012, The Lands Council led a restoration effort with a $22,000 grant to remove invasive reed canary grass and plant about 2,500 native plants along Deep Creek and nearby Coulee Creek.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:37 (CET).