Things to Do in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Planning your next West Coast road trip? The Pacific Northwest should be high on your list given its access to unparalleled nature. And believe it or not, but Idaho is part of the northwest. In fact, getting to the Washington-Idaho border from Seattle takes just 4-5 hours. One of the first cities you’ll encounter in Northern Idaho is Coeur d’Alene. In this post, you’ll get an overview of this outdoorsy resort town plus ideas for a day trip or multi-day road trip.
We visited Coeur d’Alene as a day trip from Spokane, Washington as part of the 3-day Memorial Day weekend.
Getting to Coeur d’Alene
If you want to take full advantage of the nature surrounding Coeur d’Alene, you definitely need a car. Consider driving to Coeur d’Alene so that you will have a vehicle readily available. From Seattle, it’s roughly a 5-hour drive on I-90E. For those who prefer to fly, there are two options: the Coeur d’Alene Airport, and the Spokane International Airport. There are daily flights into both airports from Seattle (it’s a 1-hour flight). Just bear in the mind the need to rent a car when you land.
3 Facts about Coeur d’Alene
It’s pronounced “kor-de-layn,” but you can also call it “CDA.”
Silverwood Theme Park is the largest theme and park in the Pacific Northwest it is located 20 miles north.
There are 3 ski resorts within driving distance: Silver Mountain Resort, Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area, and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort.
Things to Do in Downtown Coeur d’Alene
Eat and Drink
Downtown Coeur d’Alene was founded in 1888. There are over 125 retail shops, restaurants, and businesses. We stopped for delicious lattes at Vault Coffee, a locally owned cafe serving locally roasted coffee. Their avocado toast was tempting, but we opted for breakfast at nearby Rustic. Their breakfast menu sounded delicious, especially the Breakfast Panini. But we each opted for their New-York inspired bagels baked fresh in-house. I had the avocado and cucumber, while Martin went for the smoked salmon. We each went for a tomato bagel — they were delicious and very photogenic.
The restaurant scene in Coeur d’Alene is fairly diverse. You can find pizza, a grill, American gastropubs, farm-to-table restaurants, and even Japanese sushi. For dinner, we went German at Bier Haus, enjoying the lagers on tap, jagerschnitzel and Bavarian wursts or sausages.
Visit the Coeur d’Alene Resort
The crown jewel of downtown CDA is the 17-story Coeur d’Alene Resort. One of the perks of staying at this 4.5-star upscale resort is being right on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene. It also has access to an exclusive golf course with a floating green.
Even if you’re not a guest at the resort, swing by for happy hour at Beverly’s on the 7th floor. It’s a higher-end restaurant specializing in Pacific Northwest fare, open for lunch and dinner. This is where you can sample regional cuisine such as the Alaskan halibut. It can be a bit pricey, but happy hour offers nice discounts. Best of all, you get panoramic views of Lake Coeur d’Alene.
P.S. One of our travel hacks for getting photos of scenic views is seeking out rooftop bars or restaurants within hotels.
Stroll on the World’s Longest Floating Boardwalk
That’s right, there’s a record-setting boardwalk in Idaho. It’s 3,000 feet long and great for getting stunning vistas of the lake. There’s even an area with picnic tables for hanging out and enjoying the view.
Hike around Tubbs Hill
Just minutes away from Lake Coeur d’Alene, in the heart of downtown, you’ll find Tubbs Hill. It consists of 120 acres and has several miles of hiking trails. The two-mile loop is easy with plenty of photo opportunities.
Spend some time on the water in Lake Coeur d’Alene
There’s a large marina filled with boats right in front of the resort. If you don’t have the means to get on a private boat, you can still get on the water via a boat rental, kayak rental, or a lake cruise. Several 90-minute cruises take you to some of the most scenic spots on the lake. There are all-day and partial day cruises taking you all around the lake. You could even opt for a scenic seaplane ride.
Day Trips and Drives from Coeur d’Alene
Lake Pend Oreille / Farragut State Park
Drive north on Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, state highway 200 to a lake that is even bigger than Lake Coeur d’Alene. In fact, Lake Pend Oreille is the largest lake in the state of Idaho. There are lots of access points to this lake. The one we recommend is via Farragut Park for a quick stop is Bayview. Here you’ll find The Lake House Bar & Grill, a unique floating restaurant with incredible views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Sandpoint
Drive farther north to the most northern point of Lake Pend Oreille to Sandpoint. This gorgeous small town sandwiches between the Cabinet and Selkirk mountain ranges. There’s a commercial strip plus City Beach, a lake beach with six-acres of yellow sand, grassy lawns, and snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Schweitzer Mountain
Idaho is a paradise for skiers. Sandpoint in particular is a great winter base as it is just 11 miles away from Schweitzer Mountain Resort. There’s a winter shuttle that will take you up the mountain, or you can drive yourself. It’s a steep and windy road that leads to stunning views of Lake Pend Oreille and the Bitterroot and Cabinet mountain ranges. It’s worth the drive up just for the views.
Falls Park in Post Falls
Drive 30 miles west of Coeur d’Alene on I-90 across the Idaho border into Washington state. On the way, stop at Post Falls. It’s the tenth-largest city in Idaho and is home to Falls Park. The overlook trail is paved and very short at 0.3 miles. You’ll find wildflowers and a stunning waterfall.
Riverfront Park and Spokane Falls
After crossing out of Idaho, the first big city in Washington you’ll hit is Spokane, the second-largest city in the state after Seattle. Downtown Spokane is dotted with buildings in the Romanesque Revival style, for architecture lovers.
One of the best parts of Spokane is Riverfront Park. Covering 100-acres, this park includes many attractions, from an oversized red wagon, hard-carved carousel, and an enormous waterfall, Spokane Falls. You can easily spend a whole day in downtown Spokane. If you crave more nature, check out nearby Manito Park and botanical gardens, Palisades Park, or Riverside Park.
Colville National Forest
About 2.5 hours north of both Spokane and Coeur d’Alene is the mountainous Colville National Forest. It’s full of old growth forest, lots of hiking trails and wildlife including bears, wolves, bald eagles, moose, beavers, and caribou. There are also campgrounds if you want to make it an overnight trip.
In Conclusion
This just skims the surface of all there is to do in Northern Idaho. Hopefully this post gives you a nice itinerary of photo spots to hit in a day or two of driving through Idaho.
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