Category: North Idaho

Priest Lake Road Trip, Day One the Thoroughfare, Upper Priest Lake and the Sliding Rocks.

On Tuesday I made the two and a half hour drive to the north end of Priest Lake with my camping gear. I had a reservation at the Lion Head unit of Priest Lake State Park.

The first thing I noticed at Lion Head is that this amazing wreck that I photographed years ago has finally fallen apart to the point that it isn’t all that recognizable anymore. This old wreck is right next to the boat ramp. That’s my old rig in the background with my kayak on top.

On a bright sunny day were the temps were heading into the triple digits, I launched my kayak at 9:00 AM and made my way across aptly named Mosquito Bay towards the entrance of the channel that connects Lower Priest Lake to the upper lake.

Looking back across Mosquito Bay towards the campground I noticed a notch in the mountains east of it. If I had time after my ride my plan was to check out a place about six miles up that valley. On the right side of the photo you can see the end of the replacement breakwater that protects the outlet of the Thoroughfare.

The Thoroughfare is an about two and a half mile long flat water stream that connects the two lakes. The entire course of the waterway is a strict no wake zone which makes kayaking it much more enjoyable than it otherwise would be.

As it is wide and relatively deep, the waterway has a minimal current and the paddling is easy. A lazy river indeed, at least after the snow melts. I read that it can be very challenging in the late spring.

About half way to Upper Priest Lake, a small stream called Caribou Creek flows into the waterway from the east. It is just big enough to push a kayak up about a thousand feet and around several bends. The ice cold water is crystal clear.

Caribou Creek was so cold I could hear my kayak contracting from the temperature difference. My feet got cold in a hurry too. Not a place you would want to go for a swim.

It was fun pushing it as far up this stream as I could in my Free State America brand kayak. This tree across the creek finally told me I shall not pass.

It was a short trip back to the Thoroughfare. I wish I could have traveled up this amazing creek all day, but even if I got around the deadfall across the stream, it was getting awfully shallow in a hurry.

Around one more bend is the lake with the Selkirk Mountains in the background.

As soon as you enter Upper Priest lake there is a camping area complete with bear boxes and picnic tables on the east side of the river. Here is where the rules for the lake are posted. Upper Priest Lake is a no water ski zone. Tubing and wake boarding are prohibited as well.

Upper Priest is a lot smaller than the main or Lower Priest Lake, but it’s still an impressive body of water at about two miles long north to south and an average of half a mile wide. The deepest spot is about 119 feet below the surface.

This interesting rock is well off shore near the south end of the lake.

Rocky bluffs dominate the eastern shoreline.

About two thirds of the way towards the north end of the lake I found this wonderful little beach and had it to myself. By now it was hot so I cooled off in the clear blue water. It almost looked tropical.

It would have been a nice place to camp. There are several beaches mostly on the eastern side of the lake and most of them had someone camping or visiting in a boat. This one was unoccupied.

The Selkirk crest is east of both Lower and Upper Priest Lakes. Many of the granite peaks are over seven thousand feet above sea level making them the highest mountains in the Idaho panhandle.

Four and a half hours after I started, I was back at my campsite and took another swim, this time in Lower Priest. This is the beach behind my campsite.

The kayak trip in itself would have made for a successful trip, but I still had five or six hours of daylight left so I decided to check out the Natural Sliding Rocks east of the campground.

This stream, Lion Creek enters the lake just south of the campground. A forest road follows it up the canyon for five miles before it ends at a trailhead for the sliding rocks.

Large granite outcroppings loom over the trailhead. Here you’re getting into the heart of the American Selkirks. This mountains continue into Canada.

The peaks on the south side of the creek are even bigger.

The rocky single track trail was a little over a mile and a half long each way. It had a bit of a grade and numerous small stream crossings, one of which was at the base of a pretty little waterfall.

About half a mile in I came to this beautiful place with bare slabs of granite and open views down the canyon. It was a nice place to linger but these are not the sliding rocks. These rocks would kill you if you tried to slide down them.

The trail overlooked the creek at many places. Here a deeper pool of emerald green water made for a nice picture.

I love me some giant red cedars and here I did come across a nice grove of old growth. By now the rays of the sun were noticeably hitting the ground at a lower angle indicating time was getting short.

Just before the Natural Sliding Rocks, the trail forces you to cross Lion Creek itself. It was about mid thigh deep and extremely cold.

And finally I reached the sliding rocks. I wasn’t about to try them myself. I was the last person here for the day and an injury would have been a big problem. Beside that, I didn’t feel like hiking the mile and a half back soaked and cold.

I heard there was a sizable waterfall or to be more accurate a cascade just above the sliding rocks so I found it. I pushed a little further looking for the pool at the top in the failing daylight, briefly lost the trail and decided that it was time to turn around. This is a popular place for folks to visit, but the idea of being the last one out in the dimming light and knowing there are serious critters in the Selkirks encouraged me to make good time on the way back.

On the way out I paused to take one more photo of this impressive cleft in the granite canyon wall. Those are probably one hundred foot tall trees on the top.

Just before the trailhead I caught up with a few stragglers with kids in tow so I grabbed one more photo, this time of that pretty little waterfall I saw on the way up. Next came the five mile drive back down the canyon to the campground on the lake.

Due to the heatwave dusk turned into a purple haze as I enjoyed the view from behind my campsite. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one kayaking on this beautiful day on this beautiful lake.

I called it an evening and made plans for the next morning. A four and a half hour paddle followed by a three and a half mile hike and two lake swims made for a full day, oh and let’s not forget the two and a half hour drive to the campground.

Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s, a return to the west end of the trail.

I recently revisited the section of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s from Plummer to Harrison and back. For an earlier description of this ride check this post.

The first fourteen miles of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s is located on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation and managed by the tribe. My starting point is the trailhead just off US-95 in Plummer.

Plummer is the headquarters of the tribe and the trailhead features a memorial to all of it’s members who gave their lives in defense of their country, be it the United States and also those who defended their homeland against the United States.

Plummer is located on the Palouse Prairie, an area of extremely productive and beautiful farmland. The first mile goes through a small piece of it.

Just before entering Plummer Canyon, the trail crosses an active rail line with branches to a lumber mill south of town and another that crosses the lake to St. Maries. The continuation of the line to Santa was the subject of an earlier post.

The next six miles of the trail follows Plummer Creek on it’s almost seven hundred foot descent to the lake at Heyburn State Park. For an old railroad, it is extremely steep.

Early on the trail uses an old railroad bridge to cross the creek. There is a noticeable lack of shade here.

That’s because the upper part of the canyon experienced a stand replacement fire a couple of years ago. It seem like lots of my recent trips have been through areas effected by wildfires in the last few years.

It will be interesting to see who the habitat recovers over the next couple of decades.

As you approach Heyburn State Park, Idaho’s oldest state park, you pass through an area that has been managed to restore an open canopy ponderosa pine forest. These areas did not burn during the recent wildfires.

About seven miles in the trail finally reaches the shore of Chatcolet Lake which is basically an extension of Lake Coeur d’Alene due to the water level being raised about eight feet a century ago. Across the lake there’s a nice view of the St. Joe Mountains.

The state park has a trailhead next to the park’s boat ramp.

Past the park the trail crosses the lake on a modified old swing railroad bridge. This is one of the highlights of the trip.

The original structure including the bridge tenders shack was elevated and new approaches utilizing a stair step configuration were built so that the bridge can always be open. When used as a railroad, the bridge was typically swung in an open position to allow unimpeded boat traffic and closed when trains passed over the channel.

The stair step design makes climbing to the top relatively easy and descending can be exciting. If no one is coming towards you and you feel a little reckless, you can get a little air on the way down.

The next seven miles of the trail follows the shore line of Lake Coeur d’Alene. In places some of the bays were shortened to maker the old railroad straighter. The areas inside these berms have become wetlands instead of open water.

Conversely where promontories were bypassed scenic rock cuts reveal the underlaying geology dominated by basalt.

At mile marker 15 the trail enters Harrison. Harrison is one of the oldest towns in Kootenai County and was even briefly the county seat. It is a great place to stop and enjoy an ice cream cone or an adult beverage, take your pick. I find the two of those don’t mix very well.

The best is yet to come. Now you get to recrosse that amazing bridge and then grind it up a very steep seven mile long grade usually in the face of the prevailing winds. At least you have time to appreciate the rock cuts along the way.

Swan Lake and the Coeur d’Alene River.

For the first time in a decade, I kayaked to and through Swan Lake in the Chain of Lakes near Medimont Idaho.

I started my journey at the Rainey Hill Boat Launch on Medicine Lake in Medimont. This very basic launch is perfect for launching kayaks.

As soon as I left the boat launch, I turned right and passed under a small road bridge and entered an amazing winding channel that connects Medicine Lake to the river.

The channel is less than half a mile long, but it is a beautiful half mile. Just before it empties into the Coeur d’Alene River, the channel passes under an old railroad bridge that is now a bike trail bridge.

The Coeur d’Alene River downstream of Cataldo has almost no current during the summer months. Wind direction is a bigger factor than water flow. The main river channel is realitively wide and deep.

On weekends this river supports a lot of recreational boat traffic. Today I was on it over two hours and was passed by a total of four boats. That’s traffic I can live with.

Just downstream of Medimont, I checked out a small gap in the river bank that allowed me to explore a marshland between the river and Cave Lake. The bike trail also separated the wetland from the lake.

I thought the small aquatic plants made a fascinating pattern. It was extremely peaceful in the still waters.

Before I left the marshland, I took another photo looking back towards Medimont. The row of trees on the right is on the berm created by the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s and the small hill surrounded by lakes, wetlands and the river is presumably what Medimont is named for.

After enjoying exploring the marshland for a while, I headed back to the cut in the river bank to resume my trip down the river. Across the way are the bulls near the east end of the lake I was heading towards, but first I had to go all the way to the west end of the lake to get to the outlet channel.

It took well over an hour paddling downstream but against the wind to get to the channel that connected the river to Swan Lake but it was a scenic ride.

Finally I made it to the outlet for Swan Lake and covered the quarter mile that led to open water. There was a heron rookery near the outlet. You could tell from the stand of trees that all died from being covered in the birds waste.

Their were a lot of these birds, I just wish I could have gotten a better picture of them. They don’t like to pose.

The south side of the lake is very weedy. the north shore has the deeper water and is at the base of some impressive rocky cliffs. There is not a single house on the lake.

Swan Lake is sizable. I’m guessing its about six or seven hundred acres and maybe a mile across. It’s big enough for the wind to generate decent waves but I’m glad I choose this trip over a return to Pend Oreille today. The waves on this lake just made for a workout, not a near death experience.

The far shore on the north side looked interesting with several big coves and rock formations, but that’s were the rougher water was so I stayed “in the weeds” on the south side.

There is an island in Swan lake that I later found out is privately owned. I headed towards it and saw that it was not posted and I needed a place for a quick break. I can only hope the land owners would tolerate a kayaker seeking refuge here. I’m guessing that they use it for a camping spot.

It is a beautiful spot. The area between the island and the south shore of the lake is covered in thick aquatic grasses and looks to be too thick to paddle a kayak through. I had to go around the north end of the island.

This is the north end of the island. There was more water to the east so that’s were I headed next. The wind really picked up at this time.

I hugged the edge of the weed line to avoid the waves. At the east end of the lake there is a short (maybe one thousand foot) slough that is well worth exploring.

The slough is fascinating. I only wish that it was a lot longer. To me it was obvious that this was once the main river channel.

Instead of the middle of the flood plain, this slough was located right at the bottom of the bluffs descending from the mountains to the north. I only wish that there was a way to portage the kayak across the nearby river bank to the river itself saving a return trip through Swan Lake. It would make for an interesting loop as the slough ended not that far downstream from Medimont.

So I paddled back the same way I came for a five hour trip. Recrossing the lake in the face of a building west wind was a grind. At least I had a tail wind on the river back to Medimont. Later I found out that the Idaho Department of Fish and Game owns a piece of property (parcel number 48N02W290100) that would allow for a portage between the east end of the slough and the river. I’m thinking about lobbying them to do just that. A kayak “loop” would be awesome.

I’ve never met anyone else who has ever kayaked on Swan Lake. This is truly a hidden gem, over shadowed by more popular and/or accessible water bodies. The water clarity was good, the scenery amazing and the length of the trip made it quite a workout. The trip had a little bit of everything.

Lake Pend Oreille, Kayaking Farragut State Park to Lakeview

Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced Ponderay) is an amazing body of water. It is Idaho’s largest lake and the fifth deepest lake in the United States. The lake is easily accessible from Coeur d’Alene and Spokane. During World Wat II, a naval training center was built on the south end of the lake. Farragut Navy Base is now Farragut State Park, the most popular park in Idaho.

Today I launched at Farragut State Park at the Eagle Bay Boat Ramp. About half a mile further on the park entrance road is a nice overlook. My destination for the day is the far shore almost dead center but I was going to cross the bay and follow the shoreline.

I checked the weather forecast carefully before I headed to the lake. The forecast called for very light winds. This is a big lake and I’ve had a couple of bad experiences over the years due to the wind rapidly picking up. At the start of my paddle as I crossed Idlewilde Bay heading towards the base of Bernard Peak the water was a lot rougher than I would like.

There were quite a few sail boats out and I briefly considered turning around. I’m glad I didn’t.

Just as I rounded the point in to the main body of the lake, the winds died down. I spent the next half hour skirting the base of the cliffs below Bernard Peak on an almost glass surface.

Bernard Peak dominates the south end of the lake. A serious wildfire raced through the forest from the beach to the ridge top a coup[le of years ago. I happened to be hiking on a nearby mountain that day and spent a couple of hours watching the air borne efforts to contain (unsuccessfully) the blaze.

About an hour in to the trip, I took a break on one of the very few beaches along the shore. Most of the shoreline is a rocky cliff side. This spot is a popular place for people to land and sometimes camp. It was probably a camper that started the wildfire a couple of years ago.

The mountain on the left side of this photo is Cape Horn just north of Bayview and Farragut State Park. My goal is on the right side of the photo.

I snapped this picture from the beach looking up the mountain. That is a lot of dead wood.

Looking north across about twelve miles and twelve hundred feet of water, about 300 feet deeper than Lake Michigan. Some of the mountains on the north end of the lake reach seven thousand feet, five thousand above the lake.

After leaving the beach, I continued following the shoreline east and then northeast. The rocky cliffs across the way are a favorite place for local mountain goats. I’ve seen them there several times while kayaking this section of the shore.

I paddled past this abandoned industrial site. I believe that they used to mine lime here and ship it across the lake to Bayview as part of a process to make concrete. The site is called Concrete on old maps.

Most of the eastern shore of lake Pend Oreille is National Forest land and open to the public. This old mine site is an exception. It is heavily posted and landing here is prohibited.

If you just have to check out an old mine site there is another one about one mile past Lakeview. I visited this place last year and these two pictures are from that trip.

My trip to Lakeview and back took about four and a half hours. Continuing to this old mine site would have added over an hour to the trip. Maybe some other time.

After Concrete and just before Lakeview there is one more must see. In this basalt wall there is a little crack that needs to be checked out.

Most boaters never notice this opening as unless you’re very close to the shore, it’s hard to see. They couldn’t fit through it anyway but I can.

At the tiny community of Lakeview, there are public docks and a dirt boat ramp. It is a good place to stop for a rest and stretch your legs. This is looking back across the lake towards Bayview.

Now it was time to head back. Of course I couldn’t resist paddling through the slot again. I did see several Bald Eagles and a mountain goat during the trip, but the photos didn’t do them justice.

Four and a half hours later I was back at the Eagle Bay Boat Ramp. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

My journey only covered a small area of the southern most part of this lake. Other trips for future posts include Garfield Bay to the islands near Hope and paddling the Clark Fork Delta.

North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River Road Trip, Day Two.

Yesterday I drove over Fourth of July Pass to explore the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. My primary goal was to combine a couple of bike rides on the public roadways that follow the river with maybe a short hike or two and an overnight stay at one of the National Forest Service campgrounds along the way. The first day, I rode the Old River Road from the Bumblebee Cutoff to The Coeur d’Alene River Road “Forest Road 9” and took a side trip to Shadow and Fern Falls. Todays plan was to ride another section of the river road here signed as Forest Road #208, this time from my campground to the end of the pavement and back and maybe check out an old fire lookout tower.

It was still very cool when I started the ride at 7:30 AM, so I had to wear a pull over. Without gloves my hands were numb the first few miles. Just north of Kit Price the roadway passes by some pretty cool overhanging rocks.

The road follows the river upstream towards a place called McGee. For much of the way the river is right next to the road. Early in the morning there was very little vehicle traffic to contend with.

The roadway crosses the river several times. At most of these crossings there were fly fishermen trying their luck. I was on the lookout for moose but didn’t come across any today. Across this bridge You can see a large area of the forest that burned down a few years ago. Stand replacement fires are a natural part of the environment in the Northern Rockies, however they have become much more common due to human caused fires in the past century. This one was human caused.

Sometimes the results of wildfires are the creation of meadows along the river.

Even the largest of trees aren’t immune from becoming ghostly skeletons due to fire. This one was particularly eye catching. Within a couple of more miles, I was no longer in an area that experienced a recent wildfire.

Along the way I rode past numerous back water channels off of the river. Places like this are prime moose habitat and believe me I was looking hard for one to snap a photo of. I see them so often that a friend of mine told me they must be my spirit animal. Not today however.

There are big views in this big country. As on my other ride, traffic was very manageable, however it did build a little towards the end of the ride as it being a Friday, lots of folks were heading out to the woods for the weekend. It might be a little busy for bike riding on summer weekends.

Towards the last few miles of my ride, this prominent feature dominated the landscape. I believe this might be Sion Kop Rock, a well known landmark.

At sixteen miles I called it good. I would liked to have made it to the end of the pavement, but I had a deadline on when I had to be back to the campground and didn’t want to push it. I turned around just short of the trailhead for the Coeur d’Alene River Recreational Trail, a place I visited years ago. It was a nice place to take an early fall hike. This picture is from that visit many years ago.

On the way back I detoured though the other two campgrounds to check them out. Big Hank and Devils Elbow both had sites that back up to the river, but I liked the one I got at Kit Price better. I ended up with a thirty two mile ride by the time I got back to my campsite and it was just an hour before check out time. Another party had the site reserved later that day.

If you can make it on a weekday or on a shoulder season weekend this is a great bicycle ride. Between riding the Old River Road and this one, I was in for sixty miles in two days on a hybrid trail bike. I would not recommend that anyone try to ride the ten miles or so on Forest Road 9 from the end to Old River Road to where traffic thins back out at around the Shoshone Work Camp. It’s just too busy and has higher speed traffic.

So I met my goal of two scenic bike rides and was still feeling energetic so I decided to try and drive to the Little Guard Lookout Tower. Apparently it is possible to reserve this facility for overnight camping The sign said it was a ten mile drive up the ridge on Forest Road 602. The first five miles or so were in excellent shape having been recently graded. Above that even though the Forest Service had just bladed the road, it got a little rough. My biggest concern on the upper four miles was the lack of pull outs to allow oncoming traffic to pass and I didn’t see much any place wide enough to turn my truck around if it got really bad.

At about nine miles in I finally came to a place with lots of room and coincidentally met a Forest Service employee on a side by side, the first vehicle I passed the whole way. He stopped me to let me know one more was heading down hill and I explained that I was planning to stop here and walk the rest of the way. He said that since I had stumbled right to the trailhead for the Shoshone Ridge Trail and that I liked hiking, I should take that much more scenic route instead.

Sometimes with free advice you get what you pay for but the man was right. The trailhead sits at about 5500 above sea level and the views are outstanding.

Most of the trail follows a high ridge with a very gentle incline and lots of open views of the surrounding mountains.

Looking back across the Coeur d’Alene River (the north fork) valley I could see a nearby snow capped mountain. My best guess is that it was Grizzly Mountain in the middle of the Coeur d’Alene National Forest.

Most of the trail was routed just below and to the west of a very pronounced ridge. Above it loomed large rock formations.

I was on the lookout for wildlife but only managed to scare up one whitetail and a momma grouse. I had the trail completely to myself and was surprised at how well it was maintained.

The trail headed towards Bennett Peak, a 6200 foot tall mountain on the ridge. The trail ended up skirting around this prominence as it gradually climbed up the ridge.

This is the view of Bennett Peak after you pass it on the way to Sentinel Peak. There was still snow in places, but none across the trail.

When you finally crest the ridge you can see the mountains towards the east and south. In the distance are the St. Joe and Bitterroot Mountains.

At the top of Sentinel Peak which sits at about 6100 feet, there is an incredible view of the Cabinet Mountains with little Sentinel in the foreground. I could clearly see A Peak and Snowshoe Peak in Montana as well Scotchman Mountain, the highest peak on the Idaho side all still covered in snow.

Here is where I turned back. As soon as I did, I noticed the first sign or marker of any kind on the entire trail. It let me know I had 3.3 miles to go to get back to the trailhead. Overall it was a very scenic trail with about a six hundred foot elevation gain and a very mild grade except for the last couple hundred yards.

I ended up completing a seven and a half mile hike after a thirty two mile bike ride. After some challenging driving back to the pavement, I still had well over an hour on the highways until I was back in what passes for me as my base camp in Coeur d’Alene. Not a bad way to wrap up a two day trip.

North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River Road Trip Day One.

I drove over Fourth of July Pass to explore the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. My primary goal was to combine a couple of bike rides on the public roadways that follow the river with maybe a short hike or two and an overnight stay at one of the National Forest Service campgrounds along the way. On the way I stopped at the Fernan Ranger Station in Coeur d’Alene right off I-90 to pick up maps. I ended up buying my lifetime America the Beautiful pass as well. Turns out you get fifty percent off on Forest Service campgrounds too. It should more than pay for itself this year.

My first stop was near the intersection of Forest Road 209 (the Bumblebee Cutoff) and Old River Road near Kingston. I parked in a large parking area that is usually full on summer weekends as it’s used by those floating the river, a very popular past time on this stretch of water. This morning the lot was empty.

I biked a fourteen mile stretch of the road, out and back. Old River Road is across the river from Forest Road 9, which is the main route used to access all of the recreational opportunities in the region, therefore it gets much less traffic.

The first part of the road goes through a rural area and the first ten miles are paved, well kind of. There are a lot of pot holes and patch jobs on the road. I pedaled pass a couple of cattle ranches along the way and lots of private RV spots on the river. Most of the riverside property is flood plain and can only be used for recreational lots.

I rode past some pretty cool abandoned builds along the way and enjoyed a surprise appearance from the wild kingdom.

Turns out there’s a herd of elk that live in the area and they put on a show. While I was taking these photos several motorist stopped to admire them as well.

The elk didn’t seem to be too concerned with folks staying in their automobiles, but a man on a bicycle was another story altogether. They seemed much more concerned about me. I guess they’re used to cars and don’t have any idea what’s inside of them.

After a few miles, the scenery changed to more woods and cliffs than fields and cabins. They’re some pretty dramatic rock formations along this stretch.

The almost continuous views of the river are very beautiful with a different perspective around every bend.

Traffic on this road is very light and for the most part low speed. The road on this side of the river is mostly used by locals. I encountered one other cyclist. Lots of folks parked in pull outs along the road to try their luck at fly fishing and I did see a couple of drift boats floating the river.

After ten miles, the road turns in to a gravel road for a four mile stretch. Even though it is one of the best maintained gravel roads I’ve ever ridden a bike on, you still need to watch out for larger rocks. I rode my hybrid with skinnier tires and had no problems.

About half way through the unpaved section I came across this oopsy. As the son of a friend of mine once said, “it’s okay dad, we all make mistakes”. Hopefully they got help and got their car unstuck without dropping it into the river later that day.

Right next to the road there were a couple of the largest Western Red Cedars I’ve ever seen. The first was along the paved section at the entrance to a drive way. This monster was along the wilder unpaved section.

Here’s my bike next to it for perspective. I wonder how these giants managed to avoid getting cut or burned down all these years. They’re easily accessible. Now that they’re this large they are probably too big to be harvested since all of the lumber mills have retooled over the decades to process much smaller logs. I hope they stay here a long time to be appreciated by future generations.

I didn’t know what to expect out of this ride other than knowing it followed the river and it seemed ridable based on the traffic I saw. The whole ride was a pleasant experience.

The final mile of the road before it ends on heavily traveled Forest Road 9 is paved. This section seemed to be a popular spot for the locals to swim and was my place to turn around and enjoy the scenery from a new direction.

On the way back I stopped at the other giant cedar and posed my bike next to it also. It was hard to say which was bigger.

I rode through the farm area again and again saw one of the elk. Twenty eight miles and almost three hours later I was back at my trailhead.

I imagine that on summer weekends even this road across the river from the “busy” one gets enough traffic to make cycling it more of a challenge, but on weekdays and on the shoulder season when it’s too cool to float the river, I would give this ride two thumbs up. It felt like I found another bike trail with the low traffic, awesome scenery and ridable surfaces.

Now it was time to load the bike up and find a campsite. I headed to the Kit Price campground about twelve miles north of Pritchard. It’s the first of three formal campgrounds heading north towards the end of the paved road.

I selected and paid for my site and thanks to the America the Beautiful Pass it was half price. I got one that backed up to the river and this view. Before I set up camp I had just enough time for a side trip.

It had been well over a decade since I visited Shadow and Fern Falls. These waterfalls are a four and a half mile drive up a very challenging forest road gets you to a small parking area. A very short hike and you’re at Fern Falls, the smaller of the two.

Another short hike up a gentle switchback brings you to Shadow Falls with it’s twenty five foot drop. The falls are small but very scenic. The drive not so much. The road was in terrible shape. Recent gully washers created as you would expect, gully’s in the road bed and one of the mudholes was as deep as my running boards. My other rig is a Subaru which I highly recommend, usually. I’m glad I brought the truck this time. I don’t think the Forester would have made it. It doesn’t have the clearance.

A closer view of Shadow Falls. Since I spent the effort to get there, I wanted to enjoy the view for a bit. At least I knew how far I had to travel to get back down to get back to the pavement and I did get to test out the 4 wheel drive on my truck.

Now it was time to set up camp while enjoying the sunset. I spent a little time planning the next days adventure before I called it an evening.

I was a successful day. I did find a worthy bike ride for the future as I’m starting to get redundant with my rides on the local paved bike trails and now that I’ve seen Shadow and Fern Falls again, I think I’m good. I was looking forward to what tomorrow had in store.

Qemilin Park Revisited, in to the Burn Zone.

I headed out to one of my go to local places to stretch my legs. I have posted about this gem of a hike recently and just wanted to visit again. When I got there, I discovered that all of the barricades and signs around the area that was effected by a wildfire last summer had been removed. I had to check out the “burn zone”.

Last summer a wildfire driven by extreme southwest winds exploded into a stand replacement event and expanded to about eighty acres in Qemilin Park before it was contained. The smoke plum dominated the sky on my way home from work that day to the point that I called one of my kids who lives south of the river to make sure it wasn’t close to her.

Heroic efforts by local wildland fire fighters contained the inferno almost completely within the boundaries of the Post Falls Community Forest saving numerous private residences located just outside.

That came at a cost. Resources had to be pulled from a major wildfire in the Hayden Creek and Chilco Mountains area where no one lives. That is why I can’t hike North Chilco Mountain this year. My hiking verses someone’s entire life is a small price to pay. Dozens if not over a hundred houses are just outside the “burn zone”.

This is what’s left of the Avatar Tree. This giant ponderosa pine has been on the ground as long as I have hiked Qemilin Park. It had it’s own tag on Google Maps. I measured it out to be over one hundred and twenty feet tall before it fell many years ago. The trail passed right by it and it was a place lots of folks snapped photos.

The grasses and forbs are already coming back. A few trees in the middle of the “burn zone” due to tiny variations in the topography survived. It will be interesting to see if some day they will grow in to forest giants due to the lack of competition.

I hiked up to the “hanging ponds” to see how they were effected. Obviously water bodies aren’t “killed” or burned down by wildfire, but the views have definitely changed.

The staff of the City of Post Falls has been very busy cutting down and bucking up hazard trees along the trail so that the public can safely access the site. Based on what I saw, they probably cut down over a hundred trees, mostly those directly over the trail. Thanks guys.

It started to rain on me while I was checking out the “hanging ponds”. I came across this place about fifteen years ago while hiking with my oldest daughter. At the time we were technically trespassing. I was delighted when years later my home town acquired the site and opened it up to the public.

These isolated wetlands/ponds sit at the top of a bluff over a hundred feet above the canyon right next to them. They are a true local hidden gem. The trail is just far enough away that most people walk right by them without ever knowing they’re there.

The view may have changed but it is still beautiful. I’ve always hated the term “the land was destroyed” when news outlets describe the results of a wildfire in the woods. The land has not been destroyed, only changed. Just because we don’t like the results doesn’t mean it is lost forever.

On my hike, I noticed that the City of Post Falls had very recently completed significant fuel reduction projects to mitigate the possibility of catastrophic wildfires in the future. This involves thinning the forest and getting rid of ladder fuels that that can turn a minor ground fire in to one that endangers people and property. This will pay dividends in the future.

Some plants benefit from the fire. In places there was an explosion of wildflowers.

It will be interesting to check in over the years to see how the “burn zone” recovers. This is a rock formation just outside of it that I have photographed before. Today I discovered that the granite column on the left had fractured and much of it had collapsed. Nothing, even granite last forever.

No matter what, Qemilin Park/the Post Falls Community Forest will always be a special place. It is an amazing place to explore and it’s only ten minutes from my house. God bless North Idaho and Post Falls.

Camas Prairie Road Trip, Day One, Camas Railroad from Ruben to Lapawi Canyon and Winchester State Park.

I took a two day trip to explore the Camas Prairie and specifically the old route of the Camas Prairie Railroad. The Camas Prairie is south of Lewiston Idaho.

I originally planned to start my first hike at one of the two bridges that cross US-95 on the way up Lapawi Canyon but was unable to find a safe place to park off the side of the busy highway so I drove up to the small community of Rubens.

Rubens is a tiny collection of houses and a grain elevator about eight miles north of the highway. One my way in to “town” I came across this amazing piece of art. Sometimes the works of man and nature combine to create true beauty.

I parked off of a gravel road that crosses the old railroad easement near the grain elevator and started walking north.

Immediately I was walking through beautiful Idaho farmland. The Camas Prairie is some of the most productive grain growing land in the country.

Much of the old rail bed was covered in wild flowers. I imagine in the late summer that the growth would be thick enough to make walking the easement a challenge.

About a mile in the railroad bed turns towards the west and goes through a couple of low cuts in the landscape.

After emerging from one of the cuts I was treated to my first view of the side canyon that ends up joining Lapawi Canyon. Piles of old railroad ties were scattered along the route.

Soon, I came to the first of four tunnels I ended up passing through.

This tunnel was in very good shape considering that it has been twenty four years since the line was abandoned. This one also was curved so that you had to go in about halfway before you saw light from the other side.

Soon I came to the second tunnel. Here is where I saw my first Black Bear in several years. I was not able to get even a fleeting photo of he or she before the bear bailed down the slope. This tunnel was much shorter and as you can see nice and straight.

After the second tunnel, I came across the first of nine bridges I ended up walking across. The metal plates were intended to protect the bridge from fire caused by sparks from the trail wheels.

The third tunnel looked a little more worse for the wear. After getting past this obstruction I discovered the rest of the easement had not had the rails removed.

It was a long way down and each bridge seemed to have a different layout of the metal plates. The rails seemed to add strength to the bridges but were also tripping hazards for the unwary.

At some point I got too close to a nest so I was “attacked ” by a very angry grouse. I did almost step on one of the fleeing chicks so I guess I deserved it. A hasty retreat seemed to satisfy the mad fowl.

In places the rail bed was filled with lupines and other wild flowers. They added a lot of color to the walk. One more tunnel was around the corner.

After this curved tunnel, I was no longer following the side canyon. Now I was above Lapawi Canyon and the big views that came with it.

The old rail bed from here on alternated between rock cuts and trestle bridges. The line at one time had the nickname of the “railroad on stilts” because so much of it was elevated.

At the bottom of the canyon I could see the highway I had so recently drove up in my search for an access to the lower section of the easement. I think I got lucky. The views looked much better up here.

Some of the rock cuts turned out to be a challenge to negotiate. I guess after decades of exposure to the elements, it is to be expected that the line would slowly revert to nature.

The views from the bridges were outstanding. I was somewhat surprised at well the bridges had weathered the years of neglect. Later on my trip I would discover that this is not always the case.

Finally I came across this beauty, a bridge with an S curve and much bigger than any of the others. I thought about calling it good but just had to see what was on the other side.

Too bad I forgot to bring a lawn chair. Imagine sitting on this platform and soaking up the sun.

So this is the view from almost the other side. It looked like the easement was going to go through another tunnel next.

The entrance to the next tunnel was right around the corner. This was where I saw my first warning sign of any kind. The portal was almost blocked by rockfall. I figured if someone went to the trouble of warning me that I should heed the warning. I was already well over two hours out so this is where I turned around.

On the way back I enjoyed the view of the first railroad bridge from this post behind me. Again, I was glad I did the upper hike. I understand that the lower you go in the canyon, the better your chance of crossing paths with a rattlesnake.

I enjoyed the views on the way back as much as I did on the way in.

Now it was time to find my camping spot. I had reserved a site at Winchester State Park only a few miles back near the top of the grade up Lapawi Canyon and at the edge of the Camas Prairie.

Winchester State Park is a small state park with a primitive campground on a small manmade lake. There wasn’t much to do there but it was a place to stay. The ride back home was well over two hours and I wanted to explore the area more the next day.

They did have a nice foot bridge accessing the short trail system.

Before I called it an evening, I made a short side trip to check out my goal for the next day, the Lawyer Creek Canyon bridge. There is a pull out with interpretive signage on US-95 with a great view of the trestle, the only metal one on the line above Lapawi Canyon. This is the view from the other side on from a one lane gravel farm road.

My original plan was to hike up Lapawi Canyon from USD-95 the first day and then explore around the Lawyer Creek trestle the next day. I think modifying the hike to start in Rubens and work my way down turned out much better.

The Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s, along the Coeur d’Alene River.

On two rides over a three day period, I bicycled a thirty mile section of the trail out and back from Bull Run Lake to Springston and then from Pine Creek to Bull Run Lake. This middle section of Idaho’s best rail trail is by far the most scenic part. East of Pine Creek, the trail travels through the Silver Valley and all the small towns in it. West of Springston, the trail enters the Coeur d’Alene Reservation and follows the lakeshore and Plummer Creek to Plummer.

Friday, June 7, 2024 Bull Run to Springston.

The Bull Run Trailhead is just off of State Road 3 in Rose Lake about four miles south of the I-90 exit. It is close to mile marker 33. West of the Bull Run Trailhead, the trail passes through nice forested areas along the river.

Extensive wetlands are found on both sides of the trail between the State Road 3 underpass and Harrison.

The marshlands support a lot of wild life such as Great Blue Herons. Over the seventeen years I’ve ridden the trail, the State of Idaho has acquired much of what was once farm and ranchland in this area and is restoring the wetlands while mitigating heavy metal contamination which used to decimate bird life.

Around Medimont the trail passes along the shore of Medicine and Cave Lakes, part of a chain of shallow lakes connected to and on both sides of the Coeur d’Alene River.

Near mile marker 18 you come to the Springston Trailhead. Another three miles would put you in Harrison.

The old bridge at the Springston Trailhead has been condemned and is now closed to all traffic. Springston was once the site of a small town. No trace of it remains.

Sunday, June 9, 2024 Pine Creek to Bull Run Lake.

Right off of the Interstate there is a trailhead just outside of Pinehurst, the second largest town in the valley. A short spur goes right in to downtown and there is more parking there. The Pine Creek Trailhead is near mile marker 48.

About halfway between Pine Creek and the Kingston Trailhead an old railroad bridge carries the trail over the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

Just past Kingston another bridge crosses the North Fork. You will usually see lots of folks floating this section of the river.

The next five miles into Cataldo is the most scenic section of the trail. In the background is Frost Peak. Some years it has snow on top until July.

There are several rock cuts along the trail.

Just before the Cataldo Trailhead you cross one more big railroad bridge, this time over the river after the south and north forks combine.

Cataldo Mission is not on the trail, but is close by. If one has time I highly recommend dropping by this little Idaho State Park and visit the oldest building in the state on your way back to Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.

Between Cataldo and Bull Run, the trail continues along the Coeur d’Alene River and its adjacent wetlands.

Another view of Frost Peak and the river.

You can’t go wrong with this trail. I usually try to start my out and back rides heading west into the prevailing wing so if it picks up later in the day it will be at my back.

And of course they’re moose. I saw one each day. My record is seven on one ride. I’ve seen them pretty much everywhere between Kingston and Springston.

The thirty miles between Pine Creek and Springston is in my opinion the nicest bike trail in the country and I have rode on the Mickelson, the Elroy Sparta and the C&O.

Kayaking Wolf Lodge Creek

Just east of the City of Coeur d’Alene on the far east end of Lake Coeur d’Alene is Wolf Lodge Bay. A large creek ‘Wolf Lodge Creek’ feeds the bay. Interstate 90 is routed through the small valley after it descends from Fourth of July Pass on its way in to Coeur d’Alene. Most travelers never notice the small creek to the south.

I began today’s trip at the Mineral Ridge boat ramp off State Road 97 about one mile from it’s intersection with Interstate 90. Just east of the ramp was the staging area for one of the local dock builders. One of their tugs was named Super Triumph. Someone had removed the R,I and H from Triumph in the name. Wonder if we’ll see it in an upcoming boat parade.

The view from Wolf Lodge Bay looking back to the west. You have to cross less than a half mile of open water before you enter the creek.

The creek empties in to the lake right at the State Road 97 bridge.

The other side of the bridge is a different world. Extensive marsh lands with sizable areas of open water predominate. At first the route can be a little confusing, but if you hit shallow water (less than three feet deep) you’re on the wrong path.

As you move upstream away from the lake , the creek slowly gets narrower.

About a mile or so in you come to this little challenge. Believe me it’s no problem. It looks like there was an old foot bridge here and maybe a shed shelter.

As the creek narrows more it becomes very serpentine and passes under another private ranch bridge.

A little less than three miles in you come to the end of your paddle. If you’re gung ho, you can maybe make it past the Interstate bridge and struggle another couple of hundred yards to a private campground. Some folks launch there and float down.

This is what the creek looks like above the Interstate bridge.

After a pleasant paddle upstream you are rewarded with an even more relaxing trip back to the lake. There is a lot of bird life along the creek. On this trip I got to see Bald Eagles, redwing blackbirds and the first wood stork I’ve even seen in Idaho.

This little kayak spot is truly a hidden gem. Because it shares the valley with an Interstate Highway, most folks don’t even consider kayaking this fun little stream. The entire trip was just under six miles and over two hours long. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.