When you walk down to Falls Park this weekend, which version of the park will you find? The ribbon was cut at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 305 W. 4th Ave. The next morning the Coeur d'Alene Press reported that the park was "now completely open to the public." That is true of the new pond. The rest of the park's 22 acres still runs on schedules set by two other groups. Idaho Fish and Game decides when fish go into the water, and Avista decides when its dam work clears out of the parking lot. The calendar for that dam project runs into spring 2027.
So the park reopening this fall is a finished pond inside a park that is still under construction. Knowing which part is which makes a November visit easier.
What the Pond Project Set Out to Fix
The pond was rebuilt because of a snail. In May 2023, the Spokesman-Review reported that Post Falls had closed the pond after Chinese mystery snails, an invasive species, turned up in it. Fish and Game would not stock rainbow trout that year while the city tried to remove them. The removal attempts didn't work. A January 2025 Press follow-up described the snails carrying into another year. Avista's Kirstin O'Connor Giampietri told the Press this month that "we had extensive efforts to do that but the infestation just continued." So the decision was to build a new pond rather than keep treating the old one.
The city's project fact sheet lists the scope as a full pond reconstruction, updated mechanical systems, a new pedestrian bridge and new pedestrian paths. It put the start of construction at winter 2025 and completion at fall 2026. The project finished on that schedule. Avista worked with Land Expressions on design and construction. The Press describes the result as new and refurbished trails, more space around the pond, several fishing spots and a waterfall. One visitor said the waterfall and bridge are "super fun."
The city still lists the rest of the park's familiar features: three covered shelters, accessible paved paths, historical interpretive signs, restrooms, a playground and views of the dam and gorge. Dogs are allowed on a leash.
Three Schedules, One Park
Here is what each part of the park depends on, and the latest date each group has published.
| Part of the park | Who sets the date | Latest published date |
|---|---|---|
| Pond, bridge, waterfall, pond paths | City of Post Falls Parks & Recreation and Avista | Reopened Oct. 21, 2026 |
| Fish in the pond | Idaho Department of Fish and Game | 800 fish scheduled for Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, 2026 |
| Main parking lot, boardwalk, one dam overlook | Avista's North Channel Dam project | Closures listed for 2024 to 2027; work set to finish spring 2027 |
The pond is the only one of the three that is clearly finished.
The Fish Are on Fish and Game's Clock
Some families at the ribbon-cutting noticed the gap right away. One visitor told the Press the new park needed only "some fish in here." Another said she hoped "the ducks return."
Fish and Game's 2026 Panhandle stocking schedule lists "Post Falls Park Pond" for 800 fish during the week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. That window closed nearly three weeks before the ribbon-cutting. The schedule is a plan, though. The agency also keeps a record of stockings that actually happened, on the pond's Fishing Planner page. As of late October, that page still shows June 2025 as the most recent plant, with 963 rainbow trout on June 11 and 635 on June 12. Until a 2026 entry appears there, the stocking plan and the stocking record don't match, and it's best to treat the pond's fish as uncertain. If you're planning a child's first cast, check that page before you pack the tackle box.
The fishing rules themselves haven't changed. Fish and Game lists the pond as Family Fishing Water and a Recommended Fishing Water. It also shows no special rules for the pond under the 2025–2027 regulations, so the pond is open all year, and the Panhandle trout limit is six. The city's Falls Park page describes the pond as "great for kids and anglers with special needs." You can fish from the bridge, the shore or a fishing platform. The page also says anyone over 14 needs a license, and that anglers who are not Idaho residents must be with a licensed fisherman. This is general information, not legal advice. Fish and Game has the final word on licenses, so confirm your own situation with the agency before you fish.
The Parking Lot Is on Avista's Clock
The longer wait belongs to the dam. Avista's Post Falls Hydroelectric Development has been running for 118 years. It is made up of three dam structures where the Spokane River splits into three channels, nine miles downstream of Coeur d'Alene Lake. The North Channel Dam is getting a rehabilitation that includes new steel spillway gates and gate hoists, concrete repairs, and new electrical and control systems. Nine spillway gates are being replaced. Avista's project page gives the schedule as spring 2024 to spring 2027.
That page also describes what the work means for the park. It says the main parking lot is closed to the public from 2024 to 2027 because it's being used as a construction site. The boardwalk and one of the three dam overlooks are listed as closed too. Most of the trails, the restroom, the fishing pond and the playground are listed as open.
The Avista page is undated, and the Press called the park "completely open." The two statements describe different projects: the pond rebuild is done, while the dam schedule runs another season. Neither source says the main lot, the boardwalk or that overlook has reopened. Avista asks visitors to follow construction signs and stay out of fenced areas. For now, the signs at the entrance off 4th Avenue are the most reliable guide to where you can park and walk on a given day.
Avista says that once the new spillway gates are in service, "Falls Park will be restored to pre-existing or better condition." The fully restored version of the park comes after the gates are in, and the pond reopening comes before that.
What a November Visit Looks Like
With those three schedules in mind, a visit in the coming weeks looks like this:
- Plan around the pond area. The new bridge, the waterfall and the paths around the pond are the finished work. The playground and most of the trails are listed as open.
- Leave room for detours. Expect the main lot, the boardwalk and one overlook to stay off-limits until Avista says otherwise. Allow a few extra minutes to find parking.
- Check the fish record before you bring rods. The Fishing Planner page will show a 2026 stocking once one is recorded.
- Expect changing river views. The Press describes the view of the Spokane River through the Avista dam as there "for much of the year," not every month of it.
Upriver, the same hydroelectric development keeps water high enough for boating and swimming near Q'emiln Park. Avista notes that the Q'emiln boat launch may occasionally be used to launch small barges for the dam work. If you'd like to see that end of the river with a guide, Friends of the Post Falls Community Forest has an educational hike on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon. It starts and ends at the Q'emiln trailhead, according to the city's activity guide. Between the hike and a walk around the new pond, you'll have seen both ends of the dam project in one weekend.
For more on how this part of town is changing, see how downtown Post Falls is filling in along Spokane Street, a few blocks from the park entrance, or the Post Falls neighborhood page.
The pond reopened this October, and the dam work is scheduled to finish in spring 2027. Keeping track of dates like these is one of the ways Tanya Beebe stays close to the Post Falls blocks around the river. If you have questions about what these projects mean for your corner of town, Let's Connect.
