Um, who knew it was autumn already?! I certainly didn't. Just yesterday we were having classic, gorgeous summer weather, weren't we? Below I've outlined a great weekend trip for those that have considered visiting North Idaho this Fall.
I spent a weekend in North Idaho, enjoying my favorite little mountain/lake town: Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding area. There were some humid, warmer days and COLD nights, and the leaves are already changing!
Coeur d'Alene is located on the I-90 corridor, about 30-40 minutes east of Spokane, Washington, and this town is just an hour or so from the Montana border.
If you can, do like we did and rent my favorite type of home, a rustic A-frame! This one is located in Kingston, Idaho which is just east of CDA. I love all the windows and natural light, I feel this type of home really showcases the views and all that Idaho has to offer.
This A-frame was part of a place called French Gulch Farm & Garden, which is incredibly beautiful! They host weddings here, and have several historic cabins, small touches, and this space is truly a rustic oasis.
However, if you do choose to stay in CDA, I recommend the Blackwell Hotel, or any airbnb you can find that places you close to downtown where you can walk to everything. The boardwalk next to the CDA resort is beautiful, as well as the Tubbs Hill trail nearby.
I wished I had had more time to explore the grounds at French Gulch Farm and Gardens and get a thorough tour from the owners! From afar, I spotted a cute treehouse, outdoor tub set-up, and cute "Sleepover Cabin."
Even though I consider myself to have a summertime soul, I really loved seeing all the Fall reds and yellows making their appearance, when I hadn't yet been expecting it. Western Washington is still almost entirely green!
We brought our bikes and rode downtown through CDA, and stopped at Rogers Burgers for a lettuce-wrapped burger and fries. There is lots of outdoor seating offered at the downtown location on Sherman Ave, allowing for social distancing. (I love this place because they fry their fries in rice bran oil, which works well for those of us gluten-free folks!). If you click the link for Rogers Burgers, you can read all about the efforts they make to select high quality ingredients for the food they offer visitors!
Another highlight of the restaurant scene in CDA is dinner at Wolf Lodge, just on the east end of the lake. The vibe of this restaurant is incredible and people flock here for date nights and family dinners. It is cozy, the servers are extra friendly, and the decor makes you feel like you're in a country western movie for the night. The chefs will cook your steak TO ORDER just how you like it, no exceptions!
Note: one brand new place that I have been dying to go to but haven't yet is Wine House in CDA. They offer wine, craft beer and have begun offering gluten-free pizza with crust from the local brand, Snacktivist. I had the chance to try their amazing gluten-free brownies several years ago and they were so good, so I imagine their pizza crust is just as delectable. This place is on my list of places to go next time I am in town. Local brewery Daft Badger has great beer and amazing rotating daily specials. Other notable restaurants I love if you find yourself in CDA are: Crafted, Moon Time/ The Porch, Midtown BlueBird and Thai Bamboo.
A trip to North Idaho wouldn't be complete without biking the Hiawatha Trail. We took our bikes for the last-chance, last ditch effort at getting to bike it before the end of 2020. This bike trail was originally train trestle back in the early 1900s and experienced a wild, rich history through the big fire of 1910. There are several historic markers that dot the bike trail now that the train tracks have been removed and you can learn about the local history, the fire of 1910, and the trains.
This trail is located on the Idaho/Montana border, and is approximately 15 miles of blissful trail riding DOWNHILL with mega-views, incredible bridges, and old train tunnels. The longest of the 7 tunnels you bike through is about 1 mile long! You absolutely need a good tire tread for the clay-like, wet tunnels, a headlamp, and even better, a strong headlight for your bike. Passes can be purchased online, bike rentals/passes, and bus tickets can be purchased at the top of Lookout Pass on the Idaho/Montana border.
I've biked the Hiawatha trail about 3-4 times now, and my favorite thing to do is to either bring 2 cars amongst your group and park 1 car at the bottom of the trail, and 1 at the top where you begin. For those that do not do this, there is a real-deal yellow school bus that you can pay the fee and bounce along back up to the top if you don't want to bike 15 miles back up the mountain again- no judgment here. Like I said, I prefer to park a car a the bottom so that I can leisurely meander down the mountain and stop for about 6 happy hours along the way and consume my entire bag of snacks.
Since the buses only run for a set number of hours each day, parking a car at the bottom allows you to enjoy the scenery without the steady stream of bicyclists. It's also a very scenic drive to get to the bottom of the trail, however, take note: if you choose to drive the road during the scheduled bus times, be watchful for buses on these single lane-wide dirt roads. It is difficult and nerve-wracking to pass each other unless timed right! There are several campgrounds in the area that I would love to make use of in the future.
Just like any good thing in life, the 15 miles of Hiawatha trail go quickly, be sure to savor it all!
If it is too late in the season to bike the Hiawatha trail, taking a drive east to the Montana border is scenic in itself, and you may spot a moose or some elk. The Cataldo Mission is another great historic stop east of CDA. The town of Wallace, Idaho has an interesting past and beautiful historic buildings.
Hope you enjoy my favorite mountain town!
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