Today I completed a short late season hike on Coeur d’Alene’s Fernan Lake Natural Area. This 54 acre preserve is located on the south shore of Fernan Lake on the eastern edge of the city of Coeur d’Alene. It is accessed through a trailhead located on Potlatch Hill Road.
The trailhead overlooks Interstate 90 and the older parts of the city. That’s Rathdrum Mountain in the far background, a great place to hike.
Looking back towards the west from the small gravel parking area you have a view of the north end of Lake Coeur d’Alene with Tubbs Hill just beyond the golf course.
Soon after starting the hike you will pass through a ravine with cedars, hemlocks and ferns. I helped make this trail about twelve years ago.
This short section of trail is shady and damp.
They’re are three distinct ridges that the hiking trail traverses. The first is at the trailhead and the last is at the high point. This is the middle one and the shortest of the three. The hike to this point is mostly downhill.
This natural area at 54 acres is relatively small but as it is on a steep slope with over a four hundred foot elevation difference from the ridge lines to the lake there is probably over two miles of trails on it. The main trail connects the high points and two other loops descend all the way to the shore line.
Between the shorter ridge and the high point the trail crosses two mostly seasonal creeks. As it is fall they were almost completely dry. One of them has a small bridge over it.
The last part of the trail to the high point passes through an open pine forest.
The main trail ends at a power easement with open views across the small lake. That’s Canfield Mountain across the way, a place some people like to hike. The power lines are part of one of the oldest long distance transmission lines in the country. This line was built to connect the Post Falls Dam to the mines in the Silver Valley well over a hundred years ago.
The end of the main trail is a nice place to linger and enjoy the views.
On the way back I took the loop trail down to the lake shore. Fernan Lake is a small water body that has been degraded by excess nutrients over the last couple of decades. It is a nice place to kayak in the spring but suffers from algae blooms in the hot months.
An organization, The Fernan Lake Recreation and Conservation Association, works to bring awareness to the challenges this body of water faces and promoted projects to mitigate the causes of the algae blooms while repairing the damage already done.
Here is a view of the Fernan Lake Natural Area cross the lake from Kootenai County’s boat ramp in Fernan Village.
While not an epic hike by any means, the Fernan Lake Conservation Area is a nice place to stretch your legs for an hour or so. It is right on the edge of Coeur d’Alene, very easy to access and you usually have the place to yourself. Another little hidden gem in Kootenai County.
Today I rode the Prairie Trail, The Centennial Trail and along the Spokane River on the trail in Atlas Park through the City of Coeur d’Alene.
I started my ride in Atlas Park, a City of Coeur d’Alene riverfront park that in addition to having restrooms, a playground, swimming beach and waterfront dog park also has over a mile of riverfront with a paved bike trail on it.
This riverfront trail is on the old easement for the BNSF railroad line that used to serve several lumber mills along the river. The last couple of mills have been replaced by mixed use development. This riverfront trail is planned to continue to Mill River Park and on into Post Falls in the near future.
I thought this spruce tree next to the trail and the Spokane River with extensive Virginia creeper vines wrapped around it looked like a preview for the Christmas season.
Near Atlas Park the North Idaho Centennial Trail splits off from the Prairie Trail just before the old railroad bridge under Interstate 90. In addition to the twin highway bridges, the trail passes under Seltice Boulevard and Appleway Street making for four bridge crossings in a short section of trail.
Under the Seltice bridge is some really nice artwork.
The four miles of the Prairie Trail to Huetter Road was open to the public sixteen years ago. The last mile or so was completed two years ago. This five mile spur links extensive newer residential development in the northwest area of the city to the riverfront and ultimately to downtown Coeur d’Alene.
Beyond the Interstate overpass, the Prairie Trail passes next to the Kroc Center, a large community recreation center operated by the Salvation Army and then borders Ramsey Park, one of the city’s largest sports complexes with five softball fields, a baseball field, two playgrounds, tennis courts and picnic shelters. Across the park there is a nice view of Canfield Mountain on the eastern edge of the city.
After leaving Ramsey Park the trail crosses Kathleen Avenue at a signalized crossing and passes right next to Woodland Middle School. Across the road is a Forest Service nursery that specializes in growing blister rust resistant Western White Pine seedlings. Through their efforts more and more forest areas are having Western White Pines reintroduced in to them. This species was once the most common tree in North Idaho.
Beyond Kathleen Avenue the Prairie Trail cuts a path through the city diagonally from the southeast to the northwest. After crossing Atlas Road at another signalized crossing the trail runs through a large area of recently developed and still under construction residential neighborhoods.
At Huetter Road their is a small trailhead. Beyond this roadway the trail leaves the city limits but is still managed by Coeur d’Alene’s Parks and Recreation. The last mile or so of the trail on the Rathdrum Prairie has a much more rural feel. In the background is Rathdrum Mountain, a great place to hike.
At Meyer Road the trail comes to an end, at least for now. Soon it will be extended State Road 41 and connect to the bike trail recently built on the east side of that highway creating a continouse bikeway from downtown Coeur d’Alene into the rapidly growing suburb of Rathdrum.
Now it was time to turn around and enjoy slightly different views on the way back. That’s Canfield Mountain in the distance.
Between the Forest Service nursery and Ramsey Park there is a nice railroad cut followed by an impressive berm that allows the rider to look into the back yards of some of our neighbors.
South of the Interstate and the junction with the west branch of the Centennial Trail along that highway, the trail is officially part of the North Idaho Centennial Trail. Approaching Atlas Park the trail curves to the southeast again and the high ground in the distance is Blackwell Hill across the river from the city.
From Atlas Park the trail follows along the Spokane River into downtown but first you get to ride through this little gem. Riverstone Park is adjacent to Atlas Park but was built and opened to the public seventeen years ago. It is centered around a five acre manmade pond with several water features, It has a stage for live music, a playground, a picnic area and lots of artwork.
Here’s one of the pieces.
Seventeen years is enough time for the trees to achieve decent size. Oh and the autumn foliage in this park is some of the best around.
Leaving Riverstone Park the trail parallels the river through some high end residential development.
Before passing underneath the U.S. 95 bridge, the trail easement widens out and a public park is being created here with sports fields and other amenities.
This area also has some dirt cycling trails, a tunnel where another rail line crossed under this one and city owned docks that support commercial activety such as boat rentals.
Right where the trail turns into a road shoulder on Rosenberry Drive a one way road also known as Dike Road that loops around the college this impressive piece of art stands guard. The site of North Idaho College was once the principal village of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, the people who the lake and city are named after. .
The stretch of the North Idaho Centennial Trail that is located on this road shoulder is both one of the most scenic spots on the ride and one of the worst, especially in regards to safety. This roadway is extremely busy in the summer and since there is a bike lane only on one side many people ride against the traffic flow. I only ride with the traffic and use an alternative route on my return.
The shoreline on the river and the lake is public property and in the summer this stretch of sand is packed with swimmers and sunbathers. The side of the road opposite the bike lane is all parallel parking causing a lot of pedestrian traffic crossing the road and bike lane.
After North Idaho College and it’s pubic beaches, the trail continues east into and through City Park. City Park is the site of many large events including concerts and festivals. The park has two swim beaches, a large playground, a bandshell, sports courts, a softball field with a historic grandstand and a skate park.
After leaving City park, the trail passes by the Coeur d’Alene Resort through a plaza between the resort shops and the hotel tower and under the walkway that connects them. If you go straight east instead of through the plaza you will be on Sherman Avenue, the city’s main historic business district.
Next up is McEuen Park located on the lake and next to Tubbs Hill and downtown. This park also hosts concerts and festivals.
The paved bike trail ends after McEuen Park and to continue you have the option of taking the Young Street bicycle boulevard (recommended) or using the older route along Mullan Street again with a bike lane only on one side of the road. When I take Mullan, I ride with traffic on the way back to aviod oncoming cars, cyclist and pedestrians. The traffic flow is light and usually slow.
The on street portion of the trail is about a mile long and ends on Lake Coeur d’Alene Drive where it becomes a paved trail again. Most of this part of the trail is managed by Idaho State Parks as the Coeur d’Alene Parkway and was created when the main highway east of town was moved from old U.S. 10 to Interstate 90.
There are several parking areas with picnic tables and other amenities scattered over the course of parkway and really nice views of Lake Coeur d’Alene.
I turned around at Bennet Bay right before I 90’s Veterans Centennial Memorial Bridge. This is what happens when you let a committee name something. The Trail continues about another three miles to it’s end point at Higgin’s Point.
On the way back I enjoyed the view across the lake of Mica Peak and Blossom Mountain.
Finally I took my alternate route on the way back to avoid riding the wrong way on Rosenberry. A commuter trail heads north from City Park and you get to enjoy more civic art along the way. After the skate park this trail ends at Hubbard Street and a short jog on a quiet road gets the rider back to the Centennial Trail close to the U.S. 95 Bridge over the Spokane River.
There was a lot of fall colors along the way.
The total distance of this leisurely ride was twenty four miles. The Centennial Trail does continue west into Post Falls and eventually all the way to Washington where it becomes the Spokane River Centennial Trail. Currently parts of the trail in Post Falls are being impacted by major roadway improvements and I’ll wait until these are completed in a couple of years to revisit these areas.
Yesterday I revisited Canfield Mountain on the edge of Coeur d’Alene for the first time in over a decade.
Canfield Mountain or as it’s sometimes called Canfield Butte, is a prominent landmark right on the eastern edge of the City of Coeur d’Alene. The city owns and maintains a natural area near the base of the mountain. My starting point was at the Nettleton Gulch Trailhead at the end of the road of the same name.
The trail to the top is a service road for the communication towers located on the summit. It isn’t the most scenic trail around and it is heavily used by ATV’s, dirt bikes and mountain bikers.
Since the last time I hiked this route, the Forest Service has completed several fuel reduction projects resulting in areas of thinner open woodlands. Their aren’t really any exceptionally large trees on this mountain.
As the landscape is mostly is forested the views off of the trail are limited. About halfway up their are a couple of openings overlooking the city and it’s namesake lake.
Nearing the summit you have the option of walking the last section on a single track that wraps around the north side of the mountain. Here the woods are much thicker.
Even though Canfield Mountain looms over Hayden lake this is the best view of that body of water. A fleeting view at best. The ridge on the far side is Chilco Mountain, the site of a much more scenic hike I enjoyed just over a week ago.
Eventually I made it to the very tip of the mountain to enjoy the view. Basically there is no view from the summit. All is not lost though.
If you continue down the west face a couple of hundred yards you will pass by the communication towers and find a open rocky slope with a view.
Here you will find the best view of Coeur d’Alene and Lake Coeur d’Alene anywhere this side of an airplane. In my opinion this is the only reason to slog up this mountain other than just to burn a few calories.
On the way down using the service road this time there are a couple of decent views to the east as well.
In a nutshell this hike doesn’t have any interesting rock formations or cliffs. It doesn’t have any streams, ponds or waterfalls. There aren’t any exceptionally large trees or unique habitats and the views on the way are few and far between. It does have that one great view near the top and it does have a tedious uphill walk on a rough road with lots of ATV’s and dirt bikes to keep you company.
As I said it’s been over a decade since I walked to the top of Canfield Mountain and it will probably be at least another before I do it again.
Other than the view the best thing about the hike was burning maybe a thousand calories walking nearly six miles and gaining 1600 feet of elevation. It is a surprisingly tough hike and the payoff in my opinion isn’t worth the effort.
Yesterday I hiked to the summit of Scotchman Peak Idaho for the third and almost certainly the last time. Scotchman Peak is the tallest mountain on the Idaho side of the Cabinet Mountains, the highest summit in Bonner County and one of the highest points in the Idaho Panhandle. The trailhead for this hike is located about seven miles outside of the town of Clark Fork Idaho.
The summit of Scotchman Peak is listed at 7009 feet above sea level. The trailhead sits at 3300 feet making the total elevation gain a little over 3700 feet. Scotchman Peak is in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest and the official site includes directions on how to get to the trailhead.
From close to the trailhead, you can see what appears to be the summit. It isn’t. This false summit is hundreds of feet below your final goal. So let’s get started.
Since your in the Cabinet Mountains your also entering Grizzly country so take the proper precautions. Brown bears do range through out these mountains but I’ve never heard of an encounter on this specific trail.
The first half of this 4.2 mile hike to the top climbs a heavily forested ridge using short steep switchbacks. The grade is tough. I did the math and gaining 3700 feet over 22176 linear feet gives you an average grade of a little less than seventeen percent. Some stretches were less and some more, a lot more. Ouch.
Every once in a while the view opens up and you find yourself looking up towards the top of nearby mountains. By the time we reached the summit this hill looked like a pimple below us on the valley floor.
The area around Clark Fork gets the greatest amount of precipitation in the state. This accounts for the lush growth and the moss covering the trees.
After a couple of hours of zig zagging up the forested ridge we finally came to open subalpine slopes with expansive views.
Most of those views are dominated by Lake Pend Oreille, the largest lake in Idaho and a favorite kayaking spot of mine.
After the open meadows and then another band of subalpine forest the final destination was in sight and involved walking on a trail through loose rocks and shale.
At the summit we enjoyed the views of the rest of the Idaho Cabinets to the west. It’s a little humbling to view a true wilderness like this. Then we turned around only to discover we hadn’t actually made it to the real summit.
From up here we could see one last patch of snow at the base of the cliff below us on this late September day. At the top of this cliff was the real summit.
The real top was still hundreds of feet and maybe another quarter of a mile up an imposing ridge, which may account for the discrepancy between the listed distance of the hike and the distance we actually covered. By the way if you zoom in there’s a tiny dot at the very peak. This turned out to be another hiker giving you a scale of the terrain.
We had hoped to see mountain goats above the tree line. There are two signs on the way up that inform hikers about goat etiquette. A few years ago they had to close this trail for a hiking season due to knuckleheads’ feeding the goats and causing them to become aggressive.
We did get to see the goats! Just below the false summit a family of mountain goats were hiding out. This photo shows four of them. We counted six in this group all together.
After watching the goats and enjoying the views we made one final push to gain the true summit. By now we were hurting. The trip up to this point is strenuous and the last part was even tougher. Also some of the drop offs were awfully intimidating.
After a good four and a half hours of hiking we finally made it to the top. A marker told us so.
At the summit someone has built a shelter out of stone and left over lumber from an old fire tower. It looked a little sketchy.
At the very top this is the view back to the false summit we saw at the beginning of the hike. The pimple of a hill is in the background.
While we rested and ate our lunch three big male goats decided to drop in for a visit. Never trust an animal with rectangular eyes.
These guys were looking for handouts and had to be discouraged from getting too close. I thought for a minute that I was going to have to use my bear spray. It would be bad to have one of them push you off a ledge.
From the summit there are outstanding views to the north and east of the Montana Cabinets. A couple of peaks in the range top out well over eight thousand feet above sea level. There is a wilderness area covering part of the Montana Cabinets. A group called the Friends of the Scotchman Peak Wilderness have been lobbying for the creation of another wilderness area to encompass this peak.
On the way down we stopped at the false summit again to savor the views of the lake.
On the way down we saw more mountain goats. Some might have been repeat sightings but we saw ten to twelve goats all together during the trip.
Below is the Delta of the Clark Fork River were the river enters Lake Pend Oreille. I kayaked this place a couple of months ago and highly recommend the trip.
So after eight and a half hours of some of the toughest hiking I have ever done we made it back to the trailhead and started the two hour drive back home. Reviews of this hike list the average time needed to complete it as six and a half hours. I guess having to stop every couple of hundred years on the way up to catch my breath ate up a lot of time.
I had done this hike twice before and wasn’t sure if I wanted to tackle it again. It is one of the most awesome hikes I’ve ever done but also about the hardest. The grade up is unrelenting and and the way back steep enough to hurt your knees and feet. The views and the mountain goats are both highlights of the trip. I’m glad I did it one more time but can say with a lot of confidence that I’m not trying it again. After all the years do catch up with everyone.
Over two trips I kayaked on the Spokane River from Qemilin Park next to the Post Falls dam to Johnson Mill River Park in Coeur d’Alene. Here are a few photos and a description of the journey(s).
A couple of weeks ago, I paddled the stretch between Johnson Mill River Park to the Ross Point Baptist Camp and back. Johnson Mill River Park is owned and maintained by the City of Coeur d’Alene. As you can see Coeur d’Alene has an active public art program. This guy is waving at me to begin the trip.
This park is incredibly busy on warm summer days and if you want to get a parking spot you need to get there early. It has limited parking.
Across the wide Spokane River from the launch site is an area of marshland with a protected channel. One of the drawbacks of this kayaking place is the heavy boat traffic in the summer, especially on weekends. Anyplace buffered from the jet skis and wake boarders is a welcomed respite from the waves.
Just downstream of the marshland channel you can cut through the backside of Harbor Island, another refuge from boat traffic.
This channel separating the island from the south bank of the river is a treat. One bridge connects this residential neighborhood to the mainland.
Half way between the marshland and Harbor Island the south shore drops into the river using a steep rocky bluff. In the far background is Canfield Butte on the east edge of Coeur d’Alene. The city and U.S. Forest Service both maintain recreational trails on this small mountain.
Even with the boat traffic this is a pretty ride. The banks of the Spokane River are mostly developed with permanent and vacation houses from basic cabins to mega mansions but there are several public parks, church retreats and unbuildable spots to give nature a place to shine.
On that sunny day a couple of weeks ago I turned around at the Ross Point Baptist Camp. We were only on the river for a couple of leisurely hours.
So today I decided to launch at Qemilin Park and head upstream to the Ross Point Baptist Camp. Qemilin Park is across the river from “downtown” Post Falls and just upstream from the Post Falls dam.
Right next to the boat ramp there are barriers and warning signs. The ramp is closed when the gates to the dam are open, usually from the end of September to July 4th. I read that years ago there was a tragic accident where a boat was swept over the spillway resulting in fatalities and since then the city and Avista Power, the owners of the dam, have worked to make sure that never happens again.
I don’t think weeping willows are part of the natural habitat but they can be a beautiful background never the less.
There are all styles of houses along the river. Some of them I would love to live in. It’s always nice to day dream.
And some are beautiful displays of wealth. This one had two small rocky islands right off of it.
And some, well lets just say some folks don’t know when to stop. This one is locally known as the Amway House. I assume someone in the DeVos family once owned it. They’re the same folks that owned the Orlando Magic back in the day.
Some even make there own water falls. I know its fake, but it’s still pretty and sounds nice so thanks whoever you are.
The little rocky islands are a highlight of this section of the river. They are posted which I get. I couldn’t imagine how trashed they would be if party boaters were allowed to land and do their thing.
Here’s a small view of the islands. Today was a Sunday but it was overcast and after Labor Day so I had the river almost to myself. It’s amazing the difference a couple of weeks make.
Just after the rocky islands the north shore of the river is protected by Black Bay Park, a City of Post Falls park. The city is currently making improvements to this site and hopefully it will include dedicated kayaking access.
After Black Bay and the Amway House, the next section of shoreline is part of Camp White, another church campground. Along the river there are several places with old stumps from before the Post Falls dam raised the water level well over a hundred years ago. It takes a long time for cedar stumps to rot away.
The north bank of the river is in Post Falls. The south bank is in unincorporated Kootenai County and is somewhat less developed. Some of the places on this side get a lot of visitors.
Kootenai County does have a couple of public access sites along the river. This one is easy to overlook unless you know its there. This small site has parking so you could launch here. It also has picnic tables and grills and a port-a-potty conveniently located about an hour and a half upstream from Qemilin Park..
By Camp White I came across a murder of crows. Yes that’s what a group of crows are called.
Of course there’s always water fowl too. These are in the bay at Ross Point.
I arrived at the cove at the Ross Point Baptist Camp. This bay is deep enough to get out of sight from the river. The shoreline is private property but it is still a nice place to linger and a good turn around point.
The Spokane River is a convenient place to kill a few hours paddling on the water. Upstream from Johnson Mill River Park to the lake is another mile or so. If you can time your trip to avoid the worst of the wake boarders and jet skis, it’s an incredibly enjoyable experience. Although the river supports extensive residential development there are numerous public places to launch, take out and to stop and rest thanks to our local government agencies.
Today I took an hour and a half drive to the far east end of Idaho’s largest lake to kayak the Clark Fork Delta about twenty miles from Sandpoint.
Lake Pend Oreille is Idaho’s private little ocean. The lake is amazing. It is the fifth deepest lake in the United States at well over one thousand feet deep, is over thirty miles long from end to end and has it’s own small archipelago islands as you can see in the photograph. Two river deltas enter the lake, one of which is the largest in the inland western U.S. Over half of the shore line of this massive lake is publicly owned.
Today I accessed the Clark Fork Delta, the larger of the two, from the Clark Fork Drift Yard site. Idaho manages the recreational end of it and the Army Corps of Engineers owns and uses the site to maintain structures related to navigation and protecting the delta itself from erosion.
This basic boat ramp with primitive camping is right off of State Road 200 and a couple of miles before you get to the town of Clark Fork. There are no fee’s for use. It is located right where the main channel of the river enters the lake.
A short paddle across the bay leads to a narrow opening. The shore line was “armored” with boulders to mitigate erosion. The summer pool level Lake Pend Oreille was raised about ten feet by the construction of Albeni Falls Dam twenty miles downstream causing significant adverse effects to this delta as well as the Pack River Delta. Idaho and the U.S. Government have spent a lot of resources trying to limit the damage with some positive results.
The delta consists of a mixture of marshlands, wooded areas and open water, There are over a dozen distinct large islands and many smaller ones as well as four major channels and several more small creeks that connect them. It takes a little effort to get the lay of the land.
The northern most channel is the largest and is really open to the wind, so I paddled a little way south and found this much narrower creek that parallels it almost to the beginning of the delta. It was a beautiful trip upstream.
You couldn’t have asked for better scenery. I passed not a single other boat on this stretch.
Here is a view of the Idaho part of the Cabinet Mountains including the highest peak on our side of the state line, Scotchman Peak. I’ve been to the top twice and hope to make it one more time. It is one of the most difficult hikes in the area.
Towards the end of this channel, there were a few vacation cabins accessible only by boat. Soon my creek rejoined the main north channel and I jogged downstream to catch another small creek to get further upstream.
Just before this creek rejoined the main stream at the top of the delta it shoaled out on a rocky bar. I had to dismount and walk my kayak the last hundred feet back to deep water.
Now I was upstream of all of the braided channels so I turned around and let the current carry me to the third branch. A couple of private bridges connected to these islands to provide access to private land owners.
This was the second to two bridges. The southern main stream was much smaller than the northern one.
Off of the channel there were many small side channels some of which dead ended in the middle of one or another of the islands. They were still fun to explore though.
The southern main channel ended up going next to the mountains making for dramatic scenery. I saw a couple of bald eagles at this point.
Soon I came across the Johnson Creek Access Area. Johnson Creek looked like it might be worth exploring but it was barricaded by a low bridge with no obvious way around or through it.
Now I was getting close to the lake again. A side channel veered off to the left so I took it.
This lead me to the most southerly of the four major outlets to the lake and another public access point, this time only for boaters. It was a nice place to take a break before crossing the delta to get back the the Driftwood Access.
It is a big lake. This is looking southwest towards the Green Monarch Ridge. Twenty more miles or so to the south is where I kayaked to Lakeview and back earlier this summer The water clarity is pretty impressive.
So I headed north towards my starting point across a rather large bay near the mouth of the delta. Much of the shore of the island I was heading towards was “armored” as it protected the rest of the delta from the deep open waters of the lake.
I did get to see three more bald eagles on the way and this time got a photograph. The third one was a juvenile and lower in the tree. He’s hard to see.
I ended up paddling almost five hours, my longest trip of the season so far. It was nice to appreciate the beauty along the way.
I saw many Great Blue Herons but had the darndest time catching them on camera. This one finally stayed still long enough.
Here is one of the four major outlets to the lake from inside the delta. Near the lake, the channels open up in to bays and you have to cross some pretty big stretches of open water.
It was an awesome trip and only my second time paddling the delta. I would love to do it again. You can if you try get lost in the little channels that lead into hidden wetlands. If only I had seen a moose it would have been perfect.
I do want to check out the smaller delta on the lake also. The Pack River Delta has been the subject of a major restoration effort recently. North Idaho has some epic landscape for those of us that like to push our limits. After seventy-seven miles of bike riding on some of my favorite trails over the weekend, a nice peaceful kayak trip was just what the doctor ordered.
I drove out to Heyburn State Park on the south end of Lake Coeur d’Alene to take a short hike on the Indian Cliffs Trail and to check out Idaho’s oldest state park.
Heyburn State Park was established in 1908 and is the oldest state park in the Pacific Northwest. The park is located between Plummer and St. Maries Idaho about an hour south of the City of Coeur d’Alene. The St. Joe River empties in to the lake within the park.
The trailhead for the Indian Cliffs hike was about two miles in to the park from the visitor center on State Road 5. Just after you cross the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s after Plummer Creek there is a parking area. At the first junction take a left for an easier limb and better views.
After the junction, the trail climbs at a moderate grade through a forest that slowly becomes more open above and parallel to Plummer Creek.
After three quarters of a mile the trail passes through an area that was impacted by a wild fire thirty years ago. The fire left many surviving ponderosa pines and the state worked to restore the original open floor habitat after that. It reminded me of long leaf pine/wire grass habitat in Florida.
After climbing about five hundred feet, we were treated to views of the lakes and wetlands below. That’s the mouth of Plummer Creek where it enters the lake.
Across the canyon we had a view of the railroad that still services the lumber mill in St. Maries. We got to see the weekly or so train that still runs on this line. This is the same line that I hiked on beyond St. Maries that is now abandoned.
As we got towards the top of the ridge the views got better. You can see the channel of the St. Joe River in the middle of the lake. Over a hundred years ago the Post Falls Dam raised the level of the lake flooding the lowlands on the south end of the lake. The river banks being somewhat higher still bracket the old river channel creating a “river in a lake”.
It was a overcast and for this time of year, a very humid day. It was the first time I sweated in seventy degree weather in many years. It did end up raining a little which is god send for the guys and gals that work so hard to keep wild fires contained. This tree looked like it had experienced more than one serious weather event in its time.
Further along the ridge there were rock outcroppings. For about a mile the views across the lake were unimpeded.
Indian Cliffs are not a straight drop off but there are boulder fields at the base covered in moss. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
After descending down the slope we were treated to a couple of surprises. Those of you that follow this blog know I love Western Red Cedars and this little grove was a gem.
A little further we came across one of the largest White Pines I.ve seen. Western White Pine were decimated many decades ago by an invasive disease and almost became extinct in there native range. Luckily some trees were resistant and the U.S. Forest Service has been working on using the genetics from these trees to breed a new generation of White Pines. This one obviously predated the blister rust.
After completing the just over three mile loop with a five hundred foot elevation gain we checked out the day use area for the park. The Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s passes through it and in the distance you can see the bridge for the trail over the lake.
If not here’s a better view. The bike ride from Plummer to here is about seven miles and all down hill. The lake looked a littler rough today due to passing thunder storms. Glad I didn’t choose to kayak.
I took a sixty mile drive east to the Montana border at Thompson Pass to complete my annual pilgrimage to one of my favorite mountain lakes and as usual took a side trip on the way home to see some big trees.
From the turnout on the state line at the top of the pass, a short gravel road leads you to the trailhead for the Lake Revett Trail. The trail is very well made and easy to follow.
Unlike a lot of these trails that pass through thick second brush with limited views, the Lake Revett Trail quickly brings you to open rock slopes with big views down the canyon.
After crossing open rock slopes, the trail descends in to a mature forest with lots of big trees.
The trees, mostly hemlocks are covered with moss. Thompson Pass is just about the wettest place in Idaho receiving as much precipitation as the southern Appalachians mostly in the form of snow. This little corner of the Inland Northwest is almost a temperate rain forest.
By the end of August all of the snow is long gone and the streams start to dry up. Here the outlet creek from the lake above still has enough flow for a pretty little waterfall.
After crossing the creek, the trail climbs using a long gentle switchback. Somebody spent a lot of effort making this trail many years ago.
The walk to the lake takes less than an hour even with lots of stops to enjoy the scenery. The mountain to the west of the lake is Granite Peak.
To get a better view of Lake Revett I scrambled a little way up the lower slopes of Granite Peak. Going off trail can be rewarding and risky. The worst part is going back down hill. Without a trail the foot placement takes some serious care.
This is about as far as I wanted to push it. The ridge on the other side of the lake separates it from Blossom Lake, another mountain lake with a trail that starts right at the turnout on Thompson Pass.
It was a beautiful day for a hike.
The hardest part of the hike was bushwacking back down to the lake. A rough trail follows the shoreline. This photo shows the effects of snow loads on the trees as they grow. Almost anyplace with a steep slope had trees with curved trunks like these.
It was time to head back to the trailhead while taking plenty of time to appreciate the big views along the open slopes.
Sometimes it nice to check out the little views too.
One last look at the mountain scenery before returning to the trailhead. I wonder what the name of the mountain in the far distance is.
The ratio of effort verses reward makes this one of the best little hikes around. The drive time is well over an hour from my house, probably closer to two, but it is a scenic drive as well.
On my way back down the valley towards my next destination I made a quick stop in Murray, an old gold mining town. They still have a few of the original buildings from it’s mining days. Now the place is mostly a stop along the road for folks seeking outdoor adventures.
I love the old Masonic Lodge building. Murray has not one but two family friendly eating establishments and a museum. It is a great place to grab a meal and a cold beer.
Three miles west of Murray I turned off on Eagle Creek Road. A six mile ride on a road the becomes progressively narrower and rougher brought me to the trailhead for Settlers Grove. On the way I passed through a large area that experienced a devastating wild fire a few years ago.
A footbridge over Eagle Creek leads in to the old cedar grove.
The Eagle Creek fire burned all around the old grove. It took a heroic effort to save the old trees and I’m glad they did. It would have been ashamed to lose these survivors of the Big Burn in 1910. Only a few old growth groves managed to avoid being destroyed from that event.
Walking among these trees is a treat.
It’s hard to convey the size of these trees through pictures without something use for a scale. Some of them are estimated to be over 600 years old.
After walking through the grove it was time to drive back to Coeur d’Alene. Until next time.
I drove down to Moscow Idaho to ride the Latah Trail and the extension through Troy down Bear Creek Canyon.
The Latah Trail starts right at the edge of Moscow Idaho the home of the University of Idaho. A bike trail continues west through Moscow and on to Pullman Washington. Both towns are in the area known as the Palouse Prairie, one of the premier wheat growing regions in America.
The Palouse Prairie is in both Washington and Idaho. On our side of the state line it covers large parts of Latah and Benewah counties as well as a small corner of Kootenai County. Moscow is the largest town in the Idaho portion of this region of rolling hills and pretty farmland.
The first seven miles of the trail parallels State Road 8 on an old railroad grade south of the highway mostly through rolling farmland.
On the way, the trail crosses over several small bridges that were built to give farmers access to there fields. There is one short section were it appears that the local governments could not secure the railroad right-of-way so the trail had to be routed down the hill to the highway and along that road until it rejoined the original alignment.
The trail slopes up to a tunnel under State Road 8 and them continues another mile paralleling the highway through a landscape that slowly becomes more forested.
The underpass looked fairly new. A bridge over the old rail road had to have had a lot more clearance.
The four mile section of the trail between the underpass with State Road 8 and the City of Troy is very scenic.
A local road is crossed on what is obviously a replacement bridge.
Along the way there are still various signs left over from the trails days as an active railroad. According to interpretive signage, the railroad used to connect Moscow to Lewiston in a round about way. Moscow is about two thousand feet higher in elevation than Lewiston.
At eleven miles, the trail hits the zero mile mark at a little park as you enter Troy. Troy is a very pleasant small Idaho farming and lumber town. A one mile long connection trail continues towards Bear Creek Canyon, but it’s just as easy and more scenic to pedal through downtown.
On the south end of town there is an interpretive sign showing the four mile long extension of the Latah Trail down Bear Creek Canyon. This part of the trail is relatively new and wasn’t here the last time I biked the route.
There were several old steel frame bridges over Bear Creek along this section. The creek was barely flowing this time of the year.
The last four miles of the trail descended steeply into the canyon. The area felt extremely remote and I saw not a single other person on the trail either going out or coming back.
It was a warm and hazy day. The skies were full of high level smoke from a wildfire in Montana. At least I couldn’t smell the smoke, but blue skies would have been nice.
All in all the Bear Creek Canyon extension of the Latah Trail was very nice with smooth pavement, no road crossings and lots of scenery.
It did however come to an abrupt end. The grade down to this point was steep enough that you could coast all the way. That meant only one thing. It was going to be a climb back to town.
Four miles back to Troy, another mile through it and then two more uphill and it was nice to see this sign. This is the high point of the line. After this it was mostly downhill all the way to Moscow.
Now I was almost back to the town it’s residents purposely mispronounce the name of just to be weird. Being Idaho’s college town that’s not the only thing they do to be different in Moscow. It was surprising how hard online information from the managing agencies is to get especially as this is the home of the University of Idaho. I did a little research and am still not certain who the managing agency is.
Right at the trailhead I found a tiny piece of history imbedded in the pavement of the side street.
I ended up pedaling 32 miles on this trail. The main drawback from my point of view is that it is a ninety minute drive from my house. The Palouse is beautiful and Bear Creek Canyon remote. There is a six mile gap in this old rail line due to a washout and a private land ownership issue before another public trail, the five and a half mile Ed Corkill Trail between Kendrick and Juliaetta picks it up again.
Today I finally made it to Blue Lake, one of the chain of lakes along the Coeur d’Alene River. I put in at the Thompson Lake Access and took a quick look at that lake as well.
I drove down State Road 97, also known as the Lake Coeur d’Alene Scenic Byway to just short of Harrison. Before I started my kayak trip, I took a dirt road around Thompson Lake. Here is a view of the backwaters of Harrison Slough and the State Road 97 bridge over the Coeur d’Alene River.
I stopped to take a photo of weedy Thompson Lake. Didn’t realize that I parked right below some old boys deck. We chatted and he told me how after forty years the view still wasn’t old to him. Told me about all the bear, elk and moose he’s seen recently. Only in Idaho.
I made my way around the lake and admired the old buildings off to the side. Idaho may be one of the fastest growing states in the country, but this area actually had more people half a century ago.
At the Thompson Lake Access, which was on the river, I made a sharp left and paddled under the rural road bridge to take a quick look at Thompson Lake.
Thompson Lake was pretty but it’s not the lake I drove all the way here to see. About two thirds of the lake basin was covered in weeds and the rest looked to be awfully shallow. It was cool to see the old farms along the shore.
At the primitive boat ramp, the state had a nice map showing the Chain of Lakes. Upstream you can see Swan Lake which I recently visited.
I returned to the river and headed upstream. There’s pretty much no current this time of year and on week days the boat traffic is light. The ones who know what they’re doing stay on a plane when they pass. That makes for a lot smaller wakes. Across the way are some rocky slopes.
About halfway to Blue Lake I found a river bank to land on. A narrow band of dry ground separated the river from an extensive marshland.
Across the river the path of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s was in sight. You can see the bank along the river as well as the beginning of the small rock cut in the hillside.
I thought this was a nice picture of the river bank and some cottonwood trees. At this point I was very close to the channel that accesses Blue Lake.
There is a bridge at the start of the channel. I am not aware of a railroad ever being at this location and assume that the steel was salvaged from one that was abandoned. If I’m mistaken it would be nice if someone would enlighten me. The Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s was a railroad, but it’s on the opposite side of the river.
A short but scenic channel leads to the lake. A sign on the way in informs the boater that all of the shoreline of this lake is privately owned and that trespassers will be prosecuted.
When you arrive at the lake, you’re on the western side of it. The eastern shore looks much more inviting.
So I headed that way and was soon treated to views that show just how big this hidden little gem of a lake is. Unlike most lakes in the chain, Blue Lake is mostly weed free and appears to be much deeper than the others in the chain. Specific information about this lake is hard to find.
The eastern shore featured a series of small rocky headlands interspaced with green forested coves.
I kayaked to the north end of the lake were a larger wetland continued around the bend. If the water was higher I would have liked to push up a little ways to see if this was a seasonal creek that fed the lake.
I turned around and followed the eastern shore back enjoying the views, There was one other boat on the lake and they mostly stayed at anchor to let their little ones swim.
I stopped in one of the coves to savor the solitude and the views. Blue Lake is a very pretty body of water and very few people visit it.
Sometimes the small things are the ones where you find the most beauty. I didn’t “land” but I did get out of the kayak here.
So I headed back to the boat ramp and ran into a big commercial group of tourism kayakers preparing to launch. I would have been miffed that they blocked the ramp, but a nice young lady helped me carry my twelve foot Old Town Loon to my truck, so it was all good. On the way out I snapped this photo of the old Springston Bridge that now sits condemned. This is a common turn around point for some of my bike rides.
So I stopped in beautiful Harrison Idaho and treated myself to a single scoop waffle cone at the Harrison Creamery and then took the longer but better way home on State Road 3.
On the way back I stopped at a scenic overlook to take a photo of Swan Lake, the site of one of my recent kayak adventures.
I ended up paddling for a little under four hours. Blue Lake is definitely a hidden gem and I’ve wanted to check it out for years. It is a little hard to get to as Harrison is the furthest point on the lake away from my house and the paddle up the river takes over half an hour. This one s right up there with Swan and Killarney as far as scenery goes.
