Upcoming CDA/North Idaho Scouting Trip — What are Must-Sees and Must-Dos? (Moscow: ski resort)

[Green Guy]

A somewhat vague question, but in your opinion, what are things that someone visiting the North Idaho area (Not just Coeur d’Alene) should definitely see and do during their visit?

[NW Crow]

If it is scouting for a possible move, visit things associated with living there. Schools if applicable, hospital (location, size), library (even if to just see & eavesdrop on people a bit or ask the librarians random questions you don't feel comfortable asking others), important stores (verify what is and is not there but probably go in the grocery stores to get a feel for selection / prices), potential employers (if applicable). Real estate agent or maybe property management firms. Builders? Drive neighborhoods, see local services, parks. Visit Spokane to get a feel how important visits to it will be for you and get a feel for the drive (length and traffic). Churches if applicable. City Halls (building / inspections, aassesor / tax, etc.), visitor centers, chambers of commerce. Possibly banks. Find a lawyer? Internet service providers? Police?

Visit downtown CDA on the weekend. Walk the beach front and nearby hiking trail. See what they feel like busy into night. Compare to more out of the way access points on the lake. Same with Sandpoint / Lake Pend'Oreille. Drive to Bonners Ferry and St. Maries. Maybe Moscow, maybe across the Canadian border if either interests.

Maybe go up Mt. Spokane or visit Schweitzer mountain resort. Moyie Falls. Priest Lake. Wallace. The smaller lakes close to the Washington border. The Rathdrum prairie. Maybe a Forest Service office if you have any questions.

Marinas and boat shops? Hunting and fishing stores / guides? ATV / Snow machine dealers / service? Auto dealer service centers? Storage centers? Furniture / antique stores?

Do the ones that you care about.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

How much time do you have? And what kind of stuff are you interested in? If you' re just visiting the area without any immediate plans of moving to NID (but beware--one visit is all it takes for you to start thinking in those term!), and have 5-6 days, I suggest spending 2 days in CdA, and then drive up to Sandpoint for another 2-3 nights. While in Sandpoint, go to City Beach. It sounds citified, but it is a wonderful, open, sandy beach with a view to tall mountains across the lake, and a great restaurant (Trinity) on the beach itself. If it's a hot day, drive up to the Schweitzer ski resort and catch the view of Lake Pend Oreille, and enjoy the mountain breeze. You should also plan on driving along the lake on Highway 200 to Hope, and have a sunset dinner at the Floating Restaurant. Pricey, but great food. If you like local history, Sandpoint has a really well organized little museum. In "normal" years, Sandpoint has a great music festival in August, but of course nothing is normal this year, so the festival has been postponed until 2021.

If you're really ambitious and have a full day to do a day trip, you can do a loop that will take you to some really spectacular places: Drive east on 200 all the way through Clark Fork and along the Clark Fork River into Montana, to the town of Heron and Highway 56 north. 56 will take you along the Bull River into the Cabinet Mountains. If you have an extra hour, do a detour to the Ross Creek Cedars, an ancient cedar grove. When you get back on 56, keep going north and enjoy the view of the rugged mountains to the east. You'll end up in Troy on the Kootenai River. If you have time, you can drive a bit further east on Highway 2 and stop at the Kootenai Falls. Head back west on Highway 2 into Idaho, through Moyie Springs and Bonners Ferry. Turn south on 95 at Bonners and head back to Sandpoint. We love to do that loop once every summer.

If you have more than a week in NID, the possibilities are literally endless.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

How about staying home until Covid is under control instead of driving all over Idaho, stopping at every available place and possibly spreading virus everywhere you go?


As far as I know, you are still required to self quarantine for 14 days when entering Idaho

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

How about staying home until Covid is under control instead of driving all over Idaho, stopping at every available place and possibly spreading virus everywhere you go?


As far as I know, you are still required to self quarantine for 14 days when entering Idaho

The self-quarantine was Phase 3, ending June 1, I believe. Idaho is in Phase 4 now, but who knows if that will be rolled back. I took the OP's question as a general inquiry.

[Green Guy]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

How much time do you have? And what kind of stuff are you interested in? If you' re just visiting the area without any immediate plans of moving to NID (but beware--one visit is all it takes for you to start thinking in those term!), and have 5-6 days, I suggest spending 2 days in CdA, and then drive up to Sandpoint for another 2-3 nights. While in Sandpoint, go to City Beach. It sounds citified, but it is a wonderful, open, sandy beach with a view to tall mountains across the lake, and a great restaurant (Trinity) on the beach itself. If it's a hot day, drive up to the Schweitzer ski resort and catch the view of Lake Pend Oreille, and enjoy the mountain breeze. You should also plan on driving along the lake on Highway 200 to Hope, and have a sunset dinner at the Floating Restaurant. Pricey, but great food. If you like local history, Sandpoint has a really well organized little museum. In "normal" years, Sandpoint has a great music festival in August, but of course nothing is normal this year, so the festival has been postponed until 2021.

If you're really ambitious and have a full day to do a day trip, you can do a loop that will take you to some really spectacular places: Drive east on 200 all the way through Clark Fork and along the Clark Fork River into Montana, to the town of Heron and Highway 56 north. 56 will take you along the Bull River into the Cabinet Mountains. If you have an extra hour, do a detour to the Ross Creek Cedars, an ancient cedar grove. When you get back on 56, keep going north and enjoy the view of the rugged mountains to the east. You'll end up in Troy on the Kootenai River. If you have time, you can drive a bit further east on Highway 2 and stop at the Kootenai Falls. Head back west on Highway 2 into Idaho, through Moyie Springs and Bonners Ferry. Turn south on 95 at Bonners and head back to Sandpoint. We love to do that loop once every summer.

If you have more than a week in NID, the possibilities are literally endless.

Thanks, a lot of great destinations in there to look into