Lake Coeur d'Alene is one of 60 lakes within an
hour's drive of the town which bears the lake's name. The
other major lakes in the area are Hayden, Pend Oreille
and Spirit and all are reached by traveling along the
scenic drive north of the city. The town of Coeur d'Alene
and neighboring Post Falls are the gateways to the forest
and lake region of North Idaho, fast becoming a magnet
for vacationers from across the nation.
The longtime home of the Kootenai Indians, mining
first opened the area to Europeans in the 1860s. By 1890,
almost 5 million dollars in metals had been taken out of
the area, mostly from the towns of Wallace and Kellogg --
to the east. Idaho's vast timberlands now provide the
basis for the regional economy.
What to See & Do
With so many lakes in the Idaho Panhandle, it is no
wonder that anglers, hunters, canoeists and other
outdoors seekers flock to this area. And in recent years,
Coeur d'Alene has become a sophisticated resort town,
since the opening in 1986 of the Coeur d'Alene
Resort, a large, world-class resort operation which
occupies a prominent piece of the town's shoreline. The
resort boasts large deluxe rooms and penthouse suites and
two dining rooms (one for fine dining, the other less
formal at dockside). The resort's golf course features
the world's first (and only) floating green. A floating
boardwalk encircles the hotel and marina. It's a good
example of how a single resort operation can put a
community into a new tourism league.
There are plenty of other things to see and do while
visiting Coeur d'Alene. Post Falls, west of town
and located on the Spokane River, is famous for the
Kentucky bluegrass which is grown here for its seed. The
whole community of Wallace, 60 miles east of Coeur
d'Alene, is on the National Historic Register. This was
the hub of the mining boom in North Idaho and its turn of
the century architecture is delightful. Wallace has its
own Destinations Page.
Farragut & Heyburn State Parks are north
and south of Coeur d'Alene, respectively, offering
camping and water sports. Farragut was a naval training
(submarine) station during World War II, has a park
museum and a huge (60,000 person) amphitheater. Heyburn's
chief attraction is wildlife viewing, particularly heron
and osprey. This is a wonderful canoeing park with the
shadowy St. Joe River leading between several
small lakes. Silverwood -- a theme park -- is on Hwy. 95,
fifteen miles north of town. What really is an amusement
park is tarted up in a pioneer mining town fashion -- to
good effect. Old-time movies are shown in the theater,
there are old fashioned carnival rides, and there's a
narrow gauge steam train. A large RV park is located
across the highway. Walkers will enjoy the Tubbs Hill
Nature Trail, a two mile loop beginning in the
parking lot between the Coeur d'Alene Resort and McEuen
Park. There are historic points along the two-hour walk,
with several scenic viewpoints.
Camping
Coeur d'Alene North KOA, (208) 772-4557
Located on Hayden Lake, north of town with full hookups,
tent sites, boating, dump station & laundry. 3 miles
east of Hwy. 95 on Garwood Road.
Silverwood RV Park, (208) 772-0515
Across Hwy. 95 from the family amusement park of the same
name. Restaurant nearby, full hookups. 15 miles north of
Coeur d'Alene.
Wolf Lodge Campground, (208) 664-2812
Hookups and tent sites east of town on I-90 (exit 22).
