For todays adventure I returned to one of my favorite places to kayak, Twin Lakes Idaho. Twin Lakes is about four miles north of Rathdrum and twenty minutes away from my house.
It was overcast and breezy when I arrived at the small Kootenai County launch at the end of Par 3 Road. I like to use this ramp as there is no trailer parking causing most boaters to use one of the other two ramps on the lakes. Immediately I noticed that the water level was still very high from the melt off from this spring.
I cut across Lower Twin to the western and much less developed shore line and paddled north.
The east side of Lower Twin is heavily developed mostly with vacation cabins. The west side is much more scenic.
Some of the cliffs on the west side are significant.
The few cabins on the west shore of the lake are boat in only as there is no access by road to it. Some of them are very rustic.
Like these two.
At the north end of the lake a private bridge separates it from the Narrows, a shallow body of water that connects to Upper Twin Lake. Another boat ramp with parking and a vault toilet is located just past the bridge.
Exiting the Narrows you are treated to views of Upper Twin and the mountains that surround it. By now the wind had died completely and there were no other boats on the lake. Unlike Lower Twin which is long, narrow and relatively deep, Upper Twin is almost round and much shallower.
In the center above the smaller hills you can see the top of Mount Spokane where I hiked yesterday still with some snow at the summit.
I cut across the lake towards the southwest corner and the extensive lily pad flats and marsh land. As on Lower Twin one side , the north is heavily developed while the south side has only a smattering of boat in only cabins.
Like this one.
This is one of my happy places. Sometimes I’ll stop here to eat a snack and appreciate the view.
All good things come to an end and this is the end of the lake.
Now for the return trip through the Narrows.
Three hours after I started, I arrived back at the boat ramp. By now it was starting to drizzle. I beat the weather again.
A photo of my favorite landing spot on one of the few places along the shore that is not posted. I believe this section is owned by Inland Empire Paper. Notice I have thirteen years worth of invasive weed stickers from the State of Idaho. I’ve been on this lake at least once all of those years.FYI, the stickers are required in Idaho as part of the state’s efforts to prevent invasive species from out waterways. They cost $7.00 for kayaks.
Twin Lakes is in my opinion the best of Kootenai County’s small lakes for kayaking. There are still some nice undeveloped parts of the shoreline on both lakes and both lakes provide completely different experiences.
Yesterday, I visited Mt. Spokane State Park for the first time in over a decade. This state park located about an hour from my house and forty-five minutes from downtown Spokane has three peaks over five thousand feet the tallest of which is Mt. Spokane, the the highest point in the county at 5883 feet above sea level.
I started my hike at the Selkirk Lodge and headed away from Mt. Spokane towards Quartz Mountain, the third highest summit in the park. As I left the trailhead, there were nice views of Mt. Spokane behind me complete with communication towers and snow fields.
The trail was for the most part a service road to the fire look out with several parallel Nordic ski trails for those looking for more solitude. The climate up here is close to a temperate rain forest.
Being spring, there are plenty of wild flowers to appreciate along the way.
Near the summit you will pass by evidence that miners searched the mountain for gold. Gold is often found with quartz and there is a lot of quartz near the top. I don’t think they ever found gold through. I saw a couple of shafts and tunnels on a side trail.
At the top there is an old fire look out tower that is now rented by the state park for campers. The stairs were gated and locked. The view was a little disappointing as the trees east, north and west of the top were just tall enough to block it. It would have been nice to be able to climb the ten feet or so to the balcony.
The view towards the south however were very nice towards Newman and Hauser Lakes.The prominence in the center of the horizon is Mica Peak Idaho, AKA Signal Point close to where I hiked yesterday at Cable Creek.
The quartz boulders made for a pretty foreground with the Spokane Valley far in the distance.
A better view of Newman Lake with Mica Peak Washington in the background. Spokane County has large conservation holdings both on the north end of Newman Lake and on Mica Peak.
The trip was only about four and a half miles with maybe five hundred feet of elevation gain. Not quite enough to justify the hour long drive.
So I decided to walk to the top of Mount Spokane itself. The first mile or so was on a very nice single track through some old growth forest.
Parts were steep and the trail took me out to the main park road at a campground which was closed for the season. I continued up the main park road.
So a wise guy asked me why I would walk up the mountain when they have a perfectly good motor road to the top and ski lifts as well. Well it is spring time in the Inland Northwest so ski season is over and the road is still closed to vehicles, so that was my only option. It was kind of nice to focus on the views and not worry about driving a vehicle.
Turned out parts of the road were still covered in snow above 5500 feet. Above the tree line the views kept getting better and better.
Not enough snow to cover the ski runs though. Mount Spokane is a winter sports destination with Nordic skiing, downhill skiing and snowshoe trails. The season ended a couple of months ago. Summer season begins an a couple of weeks when they open the road.
Areas where the snow has melted revealed a rocky alpine landscape with stunted trees.
The views from the summit are impressive. That’s Spirit Lake below, a place I enjoy kayaking with the snow capped Montana Cabinet Mountains on the horizon.
In this view you can see a sliver Upper Twin Lake and Mount Rathdrum where I hiked a week ago. I ended up walking about twelve miles with something close to a two thousand foot elevation gain. Tomorrow, I think I might give my legs a break and break out the kayak instead.
At the very top of the mountain you will find the Vista House. This is a nice place to linger and enjoy the views.
When the snow finally melts this will be a much more crowded place.
You get to enjoy the same views on the way down as you did going up. Once again I used my Discover Pass which has now very much more than paid for it self. Between this hike and yesterdays at Cable Creek I ended up walking for over ten hours, half of that up hill. Definitely looking at kayaking the next couple of days.
Todays hike was on a site owned and managed by the Idaho Department of Lands. IDL for short, manages thousands of acres of forest land primarily to make a profit and support public education in the state. Compatible outdoor recreation is allowed, but not the focus of this agency. Never the less, they provide public ownership of some very nice parcels of forest land which I use to my advantage.
This 640 acre parcel is located on the Washington State Line a few miles south of Interstate 90 and within fifteen minutes of my house. It has been one of my go to spots for hiking for many years. I call it Cable Creek because that is the name of the perennial stream that flows through it.
After crossing the name sake creek on what can only be described as a logging road, the trail continues up hill through a series of switch backs with views of Shasta Butte, AKA Big Rock. On todays visit I discovered a couple of new logging roads that added nothing to the experience.
Because this is a “working” forest, parts of the property have been clear cut with the pluses and minuses that come with that. Obviously the minus is no trees or shade in places. The pluses are that you do get open views across the valley. That is Rathdrum Mountain ten or so miles away. I hiked there last week.
Also full sunlight is beneficial for wild flowers including lupines.
And these guys.
Some folks hate walking on logging roads. I don’t mind them. The grade is more consistent and they’re wide enough so you can walk side by side if you have company. Obviously this is an older photo from last winter. The relatively low elevation makes for a longer hiking season.
Near the top of the property, there are nice views of nearby Liberty Lake and the Spokane Valley beyond. On a clear day you can see downtown Spokane about twenty miles away.
The ridge top trail is a single track near the high point of the property. IDL constantly battles with ATV’ers trying to close unofficial trails some of which are well sited and built. The Liberty Lake ORV Park is just across the invisible line between the properties and therefore a lot of dirt bikes find their way on to the Idaho side. I really don’t mind them. They’re always polite when they go by and I don’t mind sharing.
The high point of the hill is literally twenty feet past the property line and is well posted. I don’t generally condone trespassing, but give me a break. The view from here is amazing and you would have plenty of time to skedaddle if you hear ATV’s coming.
the high point is beautiful with views of Mica Peak Washington, Signal Point Idaho and Shasta Butte.
On the way down you are treated to more views of Liberty Lake. Spokane County has an amazing park on the south end of the lake with trails to waterfalls and Mica Peak Washington. Unfortunately they closed the park this summer for a complete overhaul. As soon as they are done, I will be returning to it.
Here is an interesting tree off of the trail. Looks like a two for one.
Due to logging operations the views are more extensive than you would expect. That is Newman Lake in the distance. Spokane County has another conservation area on the north side of the lake that I will probably post about before the summer is over.
Finally here is a photo I took last winter while hiking here. Again that is Shasta Butte, AKA Big Rock. I used to hike to the top of that prominence, but in recent years the new owners have decided to confront visitors. You would think they would be okay with sharing the views but whatever. Thankfully there’s still a lot of public property to explore.
My oldest daughter discovered this hidden gem over a decade ago and then dragged me out there for a hike. Since then I probably walked this site five or six times a year. It’s close by and the views are awesome. IDL has several other sites in the area some of which are well worth exploring as well.
Today I launched my kayak at the Fernan boat ramp on the west end of the lake which is managed by Kootenai County Parks and Waterways. The ramp is about four blocks off of the Interstate 90 exit with East Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene. Fernan Lake is connected to much larger Lake Coeur d’Alene by a short stream which unfortunately is blocked off by a privately owned dam making it impossible to kayak from one to the other.
Lake Fernan is a very popular fishing lake. Due to water quality issues it is not often visited by water skiers or wake boarders. Kayakers and fishermen get along well together.
The lake is long and narrow. The south shore opposite the boat ramp is entirely undeveloped due to the extremely steep topography. Also a city natural area and a section of state owned forest land protect parts of the south shore.
This lake should be visited in May or June. Later in the summer it suffers from extreme blue/green algae blooms every year. Because of this, many people discount this body of water not realizing that the water quality in spring is actually pretty good. A group called the Fernan Lake Recreation and Conservation Association works to increase public awareness of the problem and find solutions.
At the east end of the lake a small creek feeds in to the lake and there is another launch area for kayaks and small boats.
The east end of the lake contains some extensive lilly pad flats. Sometimes there is interesting wildlife to see.
Like this guy. I got to watch this moose walk around the marsh land and swim in the lake. Saw Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons today as well, but didn’t get a decent photo of any of the birds. Paddling against the wind and while taking pictures of wildlife that refuses to stay still is a challenge.
On the way back, I stuck to the north shore which has a well maintained paved forest service road along it. There are numerous pull outs for people to park that are well used by fishermen. It is nice to see families enjoying the outdoors together.
Kayaking Lake Fernan is a nice little adventure because of it’s proximity to downtown Coeur d’Alene and the surprising variety of scenery for such a small lake. The lake is less than two miles long and maybe a quarter of a mile wide. I try to hit this little gem at least once a year and as I said it needs to be in the spring to avoid the unpleasant algae blooms when the water heats up.
I hiked on Rathdrum Mountain last weekend. This local favorite is twenty minutes from my house and is one of the trifecta of awesome natural areas owed and managed by local cities in Kootenai County along with Coeur d’Alene’s Tubbs Hill and Post Fall’s Qemilin Park. Rathdrum Mountain Park is owned and maintained by the City of Rathdrum, Kootenai County’s fourth largest city.
The trailhead is surrounded by a lush cedar forest with some very large trees. A perennial creek flows through this forest.
There are several small creeks along the hike and in the spring time parts of the trail can be muddy.
The main trail is named Storm King Parkway. It is an old service road that winds through an impressive forest with many extremely large trees. This cedar is the largest I have found and it’s difficult to appreciate the size of it by taking a picture.
Further up the trail, more open ponderosa pine forest provide a drier contrast to the damp cedar woods usually found along the streams.
The more open forest has an abundance of wild flowers at different times of the year.
Most of the first three miles of the hike are heavily wooded, but occasionally openings in the canopy provide glimpses of the open slopes higher on the mountain.
On the way up there are a couple of views out over the town of Rathdrum and of the prairie beyond it.
After about an hour and a half, I made it to the open slopes on the east side of the mountain. This is where the views really open up.
In the far background, you can see part of Lake Coeur d’Alene. The tiny bump right in front of the lake is Tubbs Hill.
Across the valley is Mica Peak, a prominent mountain just past Post Falls. Qemilin Park is near the base of those distant mountains.
The rocky slopes are beyond the city owned property. Most of the land up here is owned either by the Idaho Department of Lands or timber companies like Inland Empire Paper. You can buy day use and seasonal passes to hike Inland Empire Paper lands from various vendors in the area or on line here.
This was my turnaround point after two and a half hours of hiking and pausing to admire the views and gaining about 1500 feet of elevation. You are still miles and a thousand feet short of the summit and through previous experience, I found there is no practical way to get to the top from this direction.
After five hours of walking it was good to be back down among the giant cedars near the trailhead.
No hike to the Rathdrum Mountain Park would be complete without saying goodbye to fellow that runs the place.
I love this hike. It’s long enough to really stretch your legs on and very easy to get to. On the way back, check out Westwood Brewing Company in the town of Rathdrum if you have a chance.
The Centennial Trail is really two trails that join together at the Washington and Idaho state line. The trail on the Washington side of the state line is officially known as the Spokane River Centennial Trail as it pretty much follows the river through the entire county. A couple of weeks ago, I posted a ride from the Idaho state line to Millwood. That is my favorite stretch, however it will be closed for the near future for a much needed rebuilding. Today I opted to ride the ten miles or so through the City of Spokane. It had been a few years since I had ridden this section.
I started my adventure at the John Shields Trailhead near the base of Beacon Hill. This Spokane County park site is very popular with rock climbers and mountain bikers. For me it was just convenient.
Immediately the rider is rewarded with views of Upriver Dam, a hydro-electric facility owned and operated by Avista Utilities, the main power provider for the Inland Northwest. Avista has some competition from Kootenai Electric and Inland Power, But they are the big dogs on the block and their footprint along this trail is extensive.
The first couple of miles are underwhelming to say the least. Mostly bike lanes on relatively busy Upriver Drive. At least it’s a way to get from Point A to B.
Three to four miles in, I was treated to this curveball. The Spokane North-South Freeway is under construction and the detour was poorly marked. That being said, this is a much needed improvement to the local highway system. At least they installed a signalized light so I could cross Greene Street.
Since my last trip on this section a major improvement was made. Avista paid to remove a road and create a short parkway on what used to be one of the least pleasant sections of the trail.
This short section passes an old power substation and the kind of cool International style administration building for Avista.
I took a brief detour here over the old Iron Bridge that is now a bike/pedestrian trail in an attempt to go to Liberty Park and the Ben Burr Trail. I got discouraged by the maze of dead ends in an old industrial area so gave up.
Then I rode over the Gateway Bridge on the Washington State University Spokane campus.
After returning to the Centennial Trail you get to ride through the campus for Gonzaga University home to a noted law school and the best basketball in the west.
Next is Riverfront Park, Spokane’s signature public space full of amazing views and interesting artwork.
In 1974 this park was built specifically to host a worlds fair. Here is the site of what was the United States pavilion. The cable skeleton that supported the roof of the building is now an iconic landmark.
This used to be the location of railroad yards and other industrial buildings. They saved the clock tower from the old train station and it is now a landmark.
To be honest, I was prepared to write a negative review of this wonderful park based on my last visit there half a year ago. At that time homeless drug addicts were camping in the park and graffiti defaced many of the art pieces. Kuddos to the Spokane Parks Department and all others who cleaned up this mess.
Heading west out of Riverfront Park, the trail passes beneath the beautiful Monroe Street Bridge and enters Kendall Yards, a new urbanist mixed use development. As part of the development they preserved almost all of the river bank as public space and built a bike trail above it with amazing views.
The further you head west the better the views are.
At the 26 mile marker I turned around. I was getting close to Doomsday Hill and didn’t want to climb back up it. At that point there is still a short on road section before the trail enters Riverside State Park. I will have to explore that section soon.
The eastern twenty miles or so of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s is often over shadowed by the more rural and extremely scenic eastern two thirds of the trail. However this is a favorite ride of mine because of all the small towns it passes through and for the challenge of climbing the grade from Wallace to Mullan.
I started todays ride in Kellogg at the base of Silver Mountain. One of the worlds longest single stage gondolas hauls skiers to the top in the winter and is open in the summer on weekends for tourist. The top of the mountain is over three thousand feet above the town and the Silver Mountain Resort.
Kellogg is the largest town and the economic center of the Silver Valley. Unfortunately it has not been very successful in remaking its image from a center of the mining industry to that of a true winter sports destination. The bare bones are there with an easily accessible nice ski resort, tons of old historic buildings and a good infrastructure but old downtown (uptown) is kind of depressing.
There is a nice park and trailhead along the abandoned railroad through the city and the old depot is now a visitor center. Within a mile or so, you’re outside of town and the trail runs along the south bank of the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.
The area has a rural look.
The South Fork is pretty to look at, but isn’t really used recreationally. It was heavily polluted by the mining industry decades ago and all of the major towns in the valley are on it as is their storm water runoff. The North Fork and Little North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River are a different story and are extremely popular with fishermen, tubers and all outdoor enthusiasts.
Interstate 90 parallels the trail through out the Silver Valley. It is almost always within ear shot and often visible from Kellogg to Wallace, but for the most part is separated by the river and/or the small towns themselves from the trail. It does however provide easy access for the public.
The next town is Osburn. Unlike Kellogg which is an aspiring ski resort and Wallace with it’s amazing historic district, Osburn is simply a place were working class folks live and raise families. It has a small business district north of the trail and residential areas south of it. A large local park greets you as you enter the town limits.
The small downtown and laid back feeling of the place reminds me of a Midwest farm town, but hardrock mining is what made this town.
Between Kellogg and Osburn and just north of the trail on Big Creek Road you will find a somber memorial to one of the worst industrial disasters in American history. The Sunshine Mine Fire still resonates in the valley. I remember hearing about it in the news when I was a kid. Most everyone who grew up here lost a loved one or had friends who did.
An interpretive sign gives a brief explanation of what happened. I highly recommend those who are interested to do some research on this event.
After riding through Osburn, the trail passes through more rural areas before the next town.
The next town is more like a small community. It isn’t incorporated and is across the interstate from the trail requiring a side trip. Silverton is however fascinating. It has some legitimate historic buildings and as it’s some of the only flat ground around, Wallace High School few couple of miles to the east uses it as the location for their sports fields.
I don’t know what the building in the upper picture is currently used for. The lower picture is of Silverton Mountain Manor, a boutique hotel and restaurant.
Continuing into Wallace, you cross the South Fork on this old railroad bridge. There is a business that makes industrial fiberglass duct work next to it and they installed their own interpretive sign to explain what they do. Very cool.
In Wallace the trail is located under the viaduct for Interstate 90. Wallace was the last place the interstate was completed and original plans called for leveling much of the downtown historic district. Opposition was so intense that the powers that be decided to build the highway over an active railroad line instead. Fun fact, a model of this viaduct was used in the eruption scenes from the movie Dante’s Peak which was largely filmed in and around Wallace.
This is some of what they saved by building the highway over the railroad. Wallace is amazing. In addition to being the county seat, the place has some most excellent shopping and dining. More on that later.
So only a few years later the railroad was abandoned and we ended up with a “covered” bike trail, at least for half a mile or so. I found refuge here years ago during a rare summer thunder storm.
From Wallace to Mullan, the trail begins a steep ascent. Even though this is still an old railroad grade, it is a six mile grind up the hill. Soon after Wallace you will pass the Restless Waters rest stop with restrooms and picnic tables.
The last six miles of the trail in addition to being very steep, is also located much closer to Interstate 90. That’s the highway bridge in the background and an old abandoned local road bridge I’m taking the photo from with the bike trail bridge in the middle.
Even then mostly the highway is buffered by the creek or a band of forest, giving a respite from the traffic noise.
Well not always. Sometimes the road is right next to the trail. The good news is you’re either working so hard to climb the grade or flying so fast down it that you don’t have time to think about it.
Finally you get the the last town on the trail. M is for Mullan. Mullan is a real mining town. One of the last big silver mines in the valley is the main employer. All along the trail you see evidence of the mining industry’s past, here you can see the present.
Mullan is the real deal. Nothing fake or made up about this place. It is where the miners live and raise their families.
The trail officially ends where you enter Mullan but you can continue to ride on the Northern Pacific trail through town. The bike trail does end at the football field for the Mullan High School Tigers, complete with paw prints. Just beyond is the Lucky Friday Mine.
Now it’s time to fly or coast depending on what motivates you the six miles or so to Wallace and then the rest of the way to Kellogg.
Well with one stop at one of my favorite places to indulge in a well deserved beer. After all they brew their own and if you’re hungry the food is amazing too. The City Limits Brew Pub one block north of the trail. More photos can be found at the website for the Friends of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s.
The Post Falls Community Forest is according to the city’s website, a 500 acre natural area with miles of hiking trails. This gem of a hike is just across the river from my house and the two trailheads are less than ten minutes away by car. Today I took a three hour walk to many of my favorite places in this amazing place.
Currently the forest is accessed either through Qemilin Park, a popular recreation site just across the river from downtown Post Falls or the upper trailhead located a short drive up the hill on West Riverview Drive. Long term plans call for a connection via a pedestrian suspension bridge from Corbin Park which is within walking distance. It would be great to see this happen in my lifetime.
The main trail from both trailheads starts with a steep descent. I call the entrance to the forest from Qemilin Park the Stairway to Heaven because that’s how I felt about it the first time I found it in February of 2006.
The main trail passes by the base of several shear cliffs that make up one of the most popular rock climbing places in North Idaho. Sometimes I stop to watch those daredevils’. Some of the walls are over one hundred feet high.
Several trails connect to the river by climbing over large granite rock out croppings.
It’s a long way down to the river and in the spring time when the flood gates are open, the flow is impressive.
One of the great things about Qemilin Park is that even after years of exploring it occasionally I find a new hidden place for the first time.
An island in the river is the site of one of the oldest hydro electric plants in the west. It was originally built to provide power to the mine shafts in the Silver Valley and is still in use today.
Fifth Canyon is one of my favorite places to explore. These are some of the largest walls in the park.
The view from the bottom of Lower Fifth Canyon.
In August 2023, a wild fire burned about 80 acres of the forest. The section of the loop trail through the burned area is still closed. Hopefully it will reopen by the end of summer. This is about as close as you can get to the burned area before the signs tell you to turn around.
Near the west end of the property I stop at one of my favorite views. The top photo was from today and the bottom from a couple of months ago. It is a nice place to appreciate the change of season.
Spring is the best time of year to appreciate wild flowers.
Near the top of the trail on the way to the upper trailhead on Riverview Drive there is an open view across the valley to Rathdrum Mountain, a place I will post about soon.
Overall the variety of landscapes and all the hidden places begging to be explores makes this one of my favorite places to enjoy nature. It also helps that it’s so close to home.
Today I hiked a section of a abandoned spur of the St. Maries River Railroad south of Santa to the old tunnel about halfway back to the town of St. Maries Idaho, about an hour south of Coeur d’Alene.
I started my hike at a pullout just south of the State Road 3 bridge over the old line about 30 minutes south of St. Maries Idaho.
If you go south under the bridge, the rail line parallels the river into Santa about three miles away. The old line at one time continued all the way to Boville east of Moscow Idaho. I headed north in to the wilderness.
I immediately crossed a small creek on this bridge. The bluffs in the background looked worth exploring.
Within half a mile, it became evident that no trains had passed this way in a long time. My understanding is that the line was last used about a decade ago.
Large basalt bluffs border much of the route on the inland side of the old rail bed. The St. Maries River is usually right next to it as well.
Old railroad lines can be a little creepy. It is always a good idea to turn around occasionally to make sure nothing is following you. It is North Idah0 after all.
Looking up is advisable too. You never know what’s watching you from above. Also, I’d hate to get hit by a falling rock.
About an hour and a half in, I came across this small bridge over Flat Creek right where it empties into the river.
It was higher than it looked at first.
Walking on an abandoned, but still intact railroad is a little more difficult than it sounds. In some stretches the lack of ballast forces you to walk on the ties and they’re never spaced for a normal stride. The round trip ended up being just over twelve miles, about as long as I want to go in one day.
The old pieces of railroad history scattered along the line and the extreme isolation of this section created a kind of haunted atmosphere. The old telegraph post looked almost like the entrance to a graveyard.
Here it appeared the railroad used old rail cars filled with boulders to create a barrier to protect the line from the river at this outside bend.
Finally I arrived at the first bridge over the St. Maries River. I originally planned to hike to this bridge, the tunnel just after it and then the second bridge but it took longer to get here than I expected so I cancelled the half mile or so each way to the second bridge.
The bridge was an impressive structure with nice views of the river both upstream and downstream.
Immediately after the bridge was the entrance to the tunnel. You could see daylight through it and I would guess it to be less than four hundred feet long. No problem, right?
Actually it was creepy as hell inside. You could see that large chunks of rocks had been falling off the ceiling.
And I thought the north end was creepy. I almost didn’t want to go back through it but my hike out was at an end and it was time to turn around and head back.
The railroad bed on the south side of the tunnel seemed completely different, like it had been abandoned for much longer. The vegetation was much thicker, even on the old rail bed and it was much wetter. The ties had algae on them making walking a little more treacherous. Because the tunnel cut off a long bend of the river, the railroad on the south side was much higher above it than at the other side of the tunnel only a few hundred feet away.
On the return hike a cold drizzle made me curse my luck. Five minutes after I got in my car, a downpour of rain and small hail made me reassess my luck. I guess it was good after all. Six hours from when I started I made it back to my rig and then drove another hour and a half back home. I plan to explore more of the Pacific Northwest’ old rail lines in the future either by foot or bike.
On a cool and cloudy late April day, I took a walk on Tubbs Hill for at least the hundredth time since my first visit in September 2001. Probably more like three hundred times. This well known and visited local treasure is located right next to downtown.
From an open ridge just below the summit, there are nice views of the city. This is looking northwest along the Spokane River, the outlet to Lake Coeur d’Alene.As you see, the hill is only three blocks from Sherman Avenue, the heart of downtown. Through the overcast sky you can see Rathdrum Mountain in the far background. It will be the subject of another post in the near future.
Tubbs Hill is a 160 acre nature preserve owned and maintained by the City of Coeur d’Alene’s Parks and Recreation Department. The hill forms a peninsula in to the lake and the summit is about 400 feet above the water. Although Tubbs Hill is about a quarter of a square mile, because of the rugged terrain it is possible to spend half a day exploring all of the trails.
I started todays walk in McEuen Park, an extremely nice public space at the base of the hill with all the amenities one could ask for including parking, clean restrooms, picnic areas, playgrounds and a concession building.
Starting at the trailhead by the mooring docks and concession building one walks counter clockwise along the lake. Below you is the breakwater that protects the Coeur d’Alene Resort marina and what I call First Beach.
Further down the trail you pass above Second Beach, my favorite place to hang out with the kids when they were little.
The third beach is the largest and most popular at Corbin Point. This is also a favorite place for boaters to anchor off shore and enjoy the day.
Additional trails connect with the so called Fire Road higher on the slopes offering commanding views of the lake to the south. Up here the crowds thin and sometimes one can find solitude.
Across the lake is Kidd Island and Kidd Island Bay. I’ve seen it spelled with both one and two D’s.
Interesting rock formations and beautiful open woodlands beg to be explored. Those looking for more exercise can traverse the summit trail.
This is graffiti not ancient art, but sometimes someone’s creative expression is so good that it becomes part of the attraction. This has been here for over a decade and the good folks that remove obnoxious defacements like it so much it has been allowed to stay.
Completing the lakeshore loop you will see a couple of small beaches through the mist on the east side of the hill before you reach the East Tubbs Hill Trailhead.
East Tubbs Park or the East Tubbs Hill Trailhead has additional parking and a port-a-potty on the east side of the hill in the Sanders Beach neighborhood.
In addition to originally being the site of the pumphouse that provided the city with it’s water supply before they switched to deep wells, East Tubbs Hill Park was at one time the location of a fish hatchery.
The return to McEuen Park features a crossing over a sketchy looking suspension bridge and a walk up some elaborate steps before crossing an open meadow. A non-profit organization, The Friends of Tubbs Hill works with the city on projects to improve trails and natural resource management.
Finally here’s a picture from a bright sunny day for contrast.
The first time I walked this hill, I was instantly in love with it. Although it is a very easy hike and easily accessible the views and variety are incredible. It can be crowded in the summer especially close to the shoreline but the off season is heaven and the relatively low elevation makes hiking the hill practical year round. Tubbs Hill may be a North Idaho gem but it isn’t hidden or secret.
