Map of the regionNorth Idaho Lodging and Activities
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Map of the region
North Idaho Lodging and Activities
Back to Idaho Regions Page
No matter which direction you enter North Idaho, it won’t take long to catch a glimpse of the blue water. North Idaho has the greatest concentration of lakes of any western state. Some are among the country’s largest, others - the most scenic and still others - remote and intimate. Densely forested mountains and lush green valleys frame the pristine lakes of North Idaho, and all are brimming with wild fish.
So when you come to North Idaho, bring your boat (or rent one here), because there’s lots to do on the water. From fishing to water skiing, sailing to canoeing, or just simply gazing at their beauty, the lakes and rivers of North Idaho by themselves are worth the trip.
Then, add in world class resorts, cozy B&B’s, theme parks, historic attractions and towns that make you feel like a "local" and you’ve got a destination ready-made for your entire family.
If you think the lakes are big, just wait until you hook into one of the fish in them. It’s hard to believe fresh water fish get this big. Lake Pend Oreille is famous for Kamloops. Priest Lake has the record for giant mackinaw and Lake Coeur d’Alene is famous for cutthroat and monster Chinook. The smaller lakes are home to bass and all the streams and rivers abound with trout.
Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County are a good place from which you can experience most of North Idaho. A pleasant boat ride away, is the languid St. Joe River and town of St. Maries. Just north of Coeur d’Alene is Idaho’s only theme park, Silverwood, with attractions for your entire family. The historic Silver Valley is just up I-90, and Sandpoint, Priest Lake and Bonners Ferry are just up Highway 95.
Once you see Coeur d’Alene, it may be hard to leave. Writers have called Coeur d’Alene Lake one of America’s most spectacular lakes. Golfers have called the Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course one of the most scenic courses. And travelers worldwide have labeled the Coeur d’Alene Resort as one of the best.
North Idaho is perfect for hiking and biking. There are hundreds of trails into pristine forestlands. At Wallace, you can bike on the world’s largest trail system (1,000 miles) across open meadows, high mountain ridges and deep canyons. Be sure to take the Route of Hiawatha, a 22 mile trail that runs on a railbed through 11 tunnels and 7 trestle bridges. It has spectacular vistas and, best of all, it’s mostly downhill.
In Coeur d’Alene take the 3.4 mile nature hike on Tubbs Hill, next to The Coeur d’Alene Resort. In Sandpoint, you can hike and bike along Lake Pend Oreille or on Schweitzer Mountain.
Whether you wake up in a cozy B&B, in a backcountry lodge or a world-renowned resort beside a lake, you’ll wake refreshed.
If you stay in Sandpoint you’ll be a short walk to the lakeshore. And in your stay in Coeur d’Alene, you can drive over the lake on the world famous #14, Par 3, golf hole at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. In Post Falls, watch the wild geese on the Spokane River.
In 1847, the Coeur d’Alene Indians and Jesuit missionaries, led by Father Jean de Smet, built the Mission of the Sacred Heart on a grassy hill above the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. This impressive hand-built structure is held together by wooden pegs, straw and river mud. It is the oldest building still standing in Idaho. Take exit 39 off I-90 to witness the mission’s historic power first hand. A few miles east of the mission are the historic communities of the Silver Valley, where visitors enjoy unique historic museums and ghost towns. Recreationists now take advantage of abandoned roads and rail lines for hiking, mountain biking, snowmobiling and nordic skiing.
On the north shore of giant Pend Oreille Lake is the quaint town of Sandpoint. Plan to shop here. The town is full of art galleries and artisan shops as well as The Cedar Street Bridge, home to the Coldwater Creek Catalog Company. Also, there are many great restaurants, places to rent boats and jet skis, and events to attend all year long.
Densely edged in ferns, evergreens, spruce and hemlock, the 72 mile shoreline of Priest Lake provides quiet solitude. You can stay beside this magnificent lake in one of the many resorts, and canoe, boat, fish, or enjoy many other adventures. Since no major highway runs near Priest Lake, this is a perfect get away from it all.
Hollywood often uses Wallace as a backdrop for its movies because it has the best preserved 19th century architecture, and the entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places. Wallace keeps its mining history alive in several great museums, and the Sierra Silver Mine, where you can relive what it was really like inside a working mine. Also visit the world’s longest, single-stage gondola rising 3,400 feet from Kellogg to Silver Mountain Ski Area, just eight miles west of Wallace.
Copy on this page used by permission from the Idaho Recreation & Tourism Initiative
This page updated on Sunday, June 16, 2002