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Calendar of Events –
North Idaho has dozens of communities and groups that host
hundreds of area happenings for every season. Nearby Sandpoint is
a focal point of the county, but the Montana border is a very
short distance, so Clark Fork and Hope residents enjoy events from
Heron to Coeur d’Alene. Check out the
Calendar of Events to see a long list of things to do.
Cool Things to do within 100 miles –
This page shows many of
the things on this page. Check out some of the other cool things
to do in North Idaho in this list of over forty choices for fun
and learning more about North Idaho.
Sandpoint –
Sandpoint is the county seat, and to get to Schweitzer to do a bit
of skiing, you have to go there. But Sandpoint is also the center
of shopping for Hope and Clark Fork, and a very cool small town.
Check out this resource to find out more about Sandpoint, Idaho.
Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort –
Named to Skiing Magazine’s Top 25 Ski Resorts last season,
Schweitzer is also rated #3 for Tree Skiing. OntheSnow.com readers
voted Schweitzer the Northwest’s Favorite Ski Resort this year,
and AskMen.com named the Sandpoint/Schweitzer combo one of
America’s Top 10 Resorts. To find out what Schweitzer is all
about, visit
www.SkiSchweitzer.net
Biking & Hiking –
One can’t mention Schweitzer without talking about mountain
biking. The NORBA Nationals have been held there twice, and the
highways going into Montana and to Sandpoint are filled all summer
long with cyclers opting for pavement rather than dirt. Certainly
there are some very cool mountains to choose from for hikes, and
with so much wilderness and so many forests, virtually everyone
here gets out for the occasional nature stroll. Check out a couple
of the favorite mountains below.
For a great resource visit our
Hiking & Biking page
Lake Pend Oreille –
Hope and Sandpoint lie on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille, one of
the most beautiful lakes in North America. Clark Fork is a stone’s
throw up the Clark Fork River from the lake. Lake Pend Oreille is
so deep and quiet the U.S. Navy has a submarine research facility
located here. There are few lakes that host the scenery that Lake
Pend Oreille provides. The lakes protected coves make for great
water skiing, wakeboarding as well as an overnight camping
adventure. The prevailing winds from the southwest provide sailing
enthusiasts many days of quality boating. There are numerous
sailing regattas all summer long providing sailing as well as
social enjoyment. Because of its size, waves can approach the size
of ocean and sea waves, though, for the most part, Lake Pend
Oreille is a calm body of water. Since winds are more calm than
not, windsurfing isn’t seen as often as other great water/wind
sports areas like the Columbia River. However, parasailing is
growing in popularity.
Cruises are available, scuba diving, and with so few boaters on so
large a lake, water skiing is superlative. If you don’t have your
own boat, rentals are available everywhere. For a truly great
treat, try the jet boats from Lake Pend Oreille Cruises:
http://www.lakependoreillecruises.com/
Learn about all of North Idaho’s Lakes
Clark Fork River
–
The Clark Fork is a river in
Montana
and Idaho, approximately 360
miles long. The largest river by volume in Montana, it drains an
extensive region of the Rocky Mountains
in western Montana and northern Idaho in the watershed
of the Columbia River, flowing
northwest through a long mountain valley and emptying into
Lake Pend Oreille
in northern Idaho. The
Pend Oreille River,
which drains the lake to the Columbia, is sometimes included as
part of the Clark Fork, giving it a total length of 479 mi, with a
drainage area of 25,820 sq mi. In its upper 20 mi in Montana near
Butte, it is known as Silver Bow
Creek. Interstate 90 follows much
of the upper course of the river from Butte to northwest of
Missoula.
The Clark Fork should not be confused with the
Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River,
which is located in Montana and Wyoming.
It rises as Silver Bow Creek in southwestern Montana, less than 5
mi from the
continental divide near downtown Butte,
from the confluence of Basin and
Blacktail creeks. It flows
northwest and north through a valley in the mountains, passing
east of Anaconda, where it
changes its name to the Clark Fork, then northwest to Deer
Lodge. From Deer Lodge it flows
generally northwest across western Montana, passing south of the
Garnet Range toward Missoula.
Five miles east of Missoula, the river receives the
Blackfoot River. The confluence is
currently drowned by the reservoir behind the nearly 100-year-old
Milltown Dam. The dam is slated for removal in 2007.
Northwest of Missoula, the river continues through a long valley
along the northeast flank of the
Bitterroot Range,
through the Lolo National Forest.
It receives the Bitterroot River
from the south-southwest approximately 5 1/2 mi west of downtown
Missoula, and receives the Flathead River
from the north near Paradise. It
receives the Thompson River from
the west near Thompson Falls in
southern Sanders County.
At
Noxon, Montana, along the north end of
the Bitterroots near the Idaho border, the river is impounded by
the Noxon Rapids Dam to form a 20
mi long reservoir. It crosses into western Bonner County
in northern Idaho near the town of Cabinet, Idaho.
Approximately 5 mi west of the Idaho-Montana state line, the river
enters the eastern end of Lake Pend Oreille, near the town of
Clark Fork.
Learn about all of North Idaho’s Rivers
Fishing
–
In a region of many, many rivers and lakes, sports fishing is a
natural. On Lake Pend Oreille, once fish were so plentiful that a
commercial fishing fleet once brought in tons of fish every day.
The size of the trophy catches back in the day were legendary.
However, with the introduction by the federal government of tiny
shrimp to northern lakes some fifty years ago, the populations
declined. Originally intended to increase fish populations, the
experiment has the opposite effect. That, coupled with the
introduction of non-native species nearly wiped out some of the
types of fish in our lakes and rivers. The fish hatcheries closed,
and things looked dim for fishing in our area. Conservation and
proper management has helped our fish populations grow in recent
years, and sports fishing has made a substantial comeback, though
the numbers that supported dozens and even hundreds of commercial
fishermen will probably not be seen in our lifetimes. Still, big
Kamloops and trout can be hooked and cooked.
Visit this
Fishing Resource for more information, rules, pdfs, and more.
Hunting
–
While the state of Idaho has more wilderness acreage than any
other state, the Idaho Panhandle has more game, and better hunting
than any other region of Idaho. With so many acres in the wild, no
other state in the lower 48 has as much big game hunting variety
and quality as Idaho. Idaho is sparsely populated with huge areas
of forests, canyons, and mountain wildernesses. Idaho seasons
generally run from 20-65 days. Hunter congestion remains rare. An
amazing amount of land remains in the hands of the federal and
state governments: 21,621,000 acres of the state’s total acreage
remains forested. The Federal Government holds 65.2% of all land,
with estimates of 78 percent of all of Idaho belonging either to
state or federal forests, etc.
Hunting around the mountains and waterways near Hope and Clark
Fork are exceptional, and there are many guides that make their
living trekking the trails. There are several entrances to the
vast National Forests, and it is said there is more game in this
area than any other place in the United States with the exception
of Alaska.
Visit this
Hunting Resource for more information, rules, pdfs, and more.
Observe the Ample Wildlife
–
You don’t have to be a hunter to enjoy the wildlife and nascently
beautiful wilderness surrounding Clark Fork and Hope, Idaho. There
are numerous trails, waterfalls, and quiet Alpine lakes. The
following choices are just a few of the things to do and places to
see if you want to be with nature in our neck of North Idaho.
Watch the
Trains
–
One place to do this, as
well as watching the moose, elk, and deer cross the expanse, is at
the mouth of the Pack River, on the way to Hope from Sandpoint
where the train trestles cross. Killer views, and tres romantic on
moonlit nights.
Montana Rockies Rail
Tours
operates the Montana Daylight, a tour train on MRL, between
Sandpoint, ID and Livingston, MT. This a excursion/tour train that
operates in the summer on MRL. It operates 3 levels of service
utilizing coaches, domes and deluxe cars. Train includes a night
in Gardiner with the Montana Blues Chuck Wagon Dinner Theater and
a tour of the restored Livingston Depot Museum. 2660 West Ontario,
Sandpoint, ID 83864, Phone: (800) 519-7245, Email:
mtrail@netw.com This is a
great way to see from the rails the lake and region.
Lakeside
Park at the Old Litehouse Restaurant
–
Not far after the city of
Hope and the Hope Peninsula on Lake Pend Oreille there is an
octagonal building that once was the Litehouse Restaurant. This is
where the famous Litehouse Salad dressings began. Now it is a
manicured lawn park with fantastic views of the lake.
The National
Forest
–
Entrance at Trestle Creek for great hiking and hunting.
 Denton
Slough –
There are two things that make a trip out to Denton Slough, on the
southern side of the Hope Peninsula,
Denton Slough Waterfowl Area is an elongated shallow slough,
forming a bay near the Clark Fork River. This area is a favorite
for migrating waterfowl, and is visited each fall by Tundra Swans
and each spring by a nesting colony of Western Grebes. This inlet
provides habitat to waterfowl,
songbirds, and spiny ray fish. The second thing that makes a trip
out to this area is just a bit farther down the road. There is the
driftwood collection area for Lake Pend Oreille, and outstanding
pieces of driftwood can be found any time of year. Many artists
get pieces there for works that sell for up to hundreds of
dollars, but you can get yours for free.
Diamond T Ranch –
On the beautiful
valley floor of the Cabinet Gorge, surrounded by forest covered
mountains and majestic snow capped peaks, just a few hundred yards
through a wildlife refuge from the spectacular Clark Fork of the
Columbia River, lies the Diamond T Ranch. Amidst a mixture of
woods, pastures, ponds, wildlife and our animals, our seven,
non-smoking, log cabins serve as comfortable lodging for our
guests. To learn more, go to
www.diamondtranch.com
Scotchman Peak
–
There are three famous mountain peaks in our area: Schweitzer
Mountain where we have a world-famous ski resort, the Roman Nose
with its two strikingly beautiful Alpine lakes near Naples, Idaho,
and the Scotchman Peaks which are famous for the fantastic views
of Lake Pend Oreille and the Clark Fork River, plus incredibly
friendly long white haired mountain goats.
The
Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness describes them on their
website:
Looming above Lake Pend Oreille and the Clark Fork River in the
Cabinet Mountains, Scotchman Peak is the highest point in Bonner
County, Idaho, at 7009 feet. Straddling the Idaho/Montana border,
the Scotchman Peaks offer a place of quite refuge. Nearby are the
communities of Troy, Noxon and Heron, Montana, as well as Clark
Fork, Hope and Sandpoint, Idaho. To learn more about preserving
and hiking the Scotchman Peaks, visit
www.scotchmanpeaks.org
 For a great resource visit our
Hiking & Biking page
Hike
the Green Monarchs
–
This undulating ridge
hike leads to a breathtaking view down an almost vertical cliff
3,000 feet above scenic Lake Pend Oreille. Big sailboats and cabin
cruisers look like specks below. The town of Hope is a smudge in
the distance surrounded by peaks in the Selkirk and Cabinet
Mountains. Beware: cumulative elevation gain for this hike is
1,650 feet.
For a great resource visit our
Hiking & Biking page
Waterfalls, like Cabinet Gorge and Char Falls
–
Visit this website to learn about all the waterfalls in North
Idaho:
http://www.sandpointid.net/N.Idaho-Waterfalls.htm
 International Selkirk Loop
–
Biking it, hiking it, or driving it, one of the coolest things you
can do in the Pacific Northwest.
Friday night concerts at the Old Icehouse Pizzeria
–
In
Hope, they have cool concerts on hot summer nights.
Idaho
Club Golf Community
–
This
was Hidden Lake Golf Course and community, then a few years ago
Jack Nicklaus bought it, and the course should be open in 2009.
Nice digs if you can afford them. Can't wait to check out the new
course. Visit
http://www.theidahoclub.com/
Cabinet Gorge Fish Hatchery
–
Constructed in 1985,
this fish hatchery operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and
Game is designed to raise up to 16 million Kokanee salmon
annually. They also raise westslope cutthroat trout, fall chinook
salmon and rainbow trout. All of the Kokanee are released into
Lake Pend Oreille each June. The hatchery is empty of fish from
July to October for maintenance. Daily tours are available and
open from 8am - 4pm with free admission.
Cabinet Gorge Dam
–
The
Cabinet Gorge Dam is
located outside of Clark Fork, Idaho
on the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, Idaho Highway 200. Clark Fork is
about a fifteen-minute drive from the Idaho-Montana border. While
the dam itself is beautiful, the surrounding are breathtaking. The
hike down to the water is worth it, and the entire area around the
gorge deserves to be explored
According to Idaho Public Television, the Cabinet Gorge Dam
was built by Morrison Knudsen Corporation, a worldwide
construction firm headquartered in Boise, Idaho. The dam was a
project sponsored by the Defense Program. The designer and
supervisor of the project, Ebasco Services, Inc., contracted with
Morrison-Knudsen. Construction began in 1951 and ended in April of
1952. Total cost of the dam was $47 million.
The dam had to be constructed in one season so spring floods would
not wash away the temporary cofferdams. The dam was actually
completed in half the time estimated by the Defense Program. The
construction company claims that it was also completed at half the
cost. It takes a lot of force to keep a dam standing against the
incredible force of the water. The strength of the Cabinet Gorge
Dam lies in the outward forces the arch design places on the
canyon walls.
The dam is a true arch dam, which is 208 ft high and 600 ft long.
Throughout the whole dam its thickness never exceeds 40 ft. The
first step in construction was the diversion of the Clark Fork
River to clear a construction site. 32 tons of dynamite blasted
50,000 cubic yards of rock down the canyon walls of the river. The
blast was felt 32 miles away in Sandpoint. Water was then shunted
through a pair of tunnels each 1000-ft. long. Cofferdams were
built above and below the site to divert the water. Half a million
cubic yards of rock were excavated.
The Floating Restaurant
–
In
Hope, at Hope Marine there is a house boat that has been a literal
floating restaurant for twenty years. Can't beat the location, but
only open during warmer months. A must to experience. One of the
best things about it, you can boat up to the marina for lunch.
Hope Hotel
–
The
original hotel was named the Hotel Jeannot and it became a busy
success because it was able to capitalize on its location right
above the major division point for the region's railroad. Though
up the cliffside face of Lake Pend Oreille, it provided easy
access for passenger to the hotel. Many say the tunnels were used
to entertain Chinese
"Coolees," who were normally not allowed in the establishments
that served the locals and travelers.
When the
division point moved to Sandpoint, Hope started to become the draw
it is today. The hotel continued to attract people until the
1960s, partly because the picturesque setting of the town beside
Lake Pend Oreille was such a magnet for tourists. Some of them
quite prominent, such as J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, Gary
Cooper, and Bing Crosby.
Today the Hotel
is closed, though it does open from time to time, depending on the
current owner's mood that year. The hotel has a fine restaurant,
the Wily Widgeon Cafe, and a great saloon, called the Soiled Dove
Saloon, both of which afford outstanding lake views. The saloon is
in a decor definitely out of the turn of the century, and both are
a treat to take advantage of, imagining years gone by, from
another era.
Hope
Peninsula
–
The
Hope Peninsula is the home to Sam Owen Park and Wildlife
Sanctuary, as well as Island View RV Resort and Beyond Hope
Resort, with its RV park and renowned restaurant. It is also the
home of Idaho's first white trading post called the Kullyspell
House named after the Kalispel Indian Tribe (See
Hope/Clark Fork History), a structure that is still standing.
It was the home of famed artist Ed Kienholz, and much of his
tableau art is on the Groenk Estate. The old entrance to the
Groenke Estate also has an unusual edifice in the plexiglas
encased full section of the Berlin Wall. Kienholz had quite a
following in Berlin, and another well-known German family has a
compound of cabins on the peninsula. On Kullyspell Drive you can
see the name Factor on the mailboxes, belonging to the Max Factor
family. On that same road are a couple of works of art in a
whimsical airplane and other pieces, and the views are inspiring.
One of the coolest things about the peninsula is that it is a
protected wildlife sanctuary, so tame deer, turkeys, and tiny
bunnies are everywhere. Take the family for a day, or have lunch
or dinner at the Beyond Hope Restaurant. Beyond Hope is slated to
be developed into something else, probably as soon as the economy
turns around, so it might not be there next year.
Sam
Owen Park and Wildlife Sanctuary
–
One
can hardly help notice that our Hope Peninsula is a protected
wildlife area. The signs prohibiting feeding the deer abound. The
deer abound. An exact number is hard to put a finger on, with
estimated of less than 100 to several hundred. Still, there are
plenty of them. There are fewer turkeys, but there are still more
than most people have ever seen, plus many tiny bunny rabbits,
called Lops, miniature Lops, or Hoobly Lops. There are many other
kinds of wildlife, so stick around and you will see.
Located 21 miles east of the town of Sandpoint, Idaho, the
campground is situated along the banks of Lake Pend Oreille in a
heavily wooded pines area. Restrooms are provided. Popular
activities include skiing, hiking, boating, photography, wildlife
watching in the Game Preserve, and fishing on the lake. Campground
host is on site. Firewood is available. Some campground roads and
spurs are paved. Boat launch and dump station are provided at no
charge to campground users; others will be charged a fee for use.
In
addition to the state park there are two RV parks, attesting to
the popularity of the peninsula. There is also Red Fir Resort. One
of the RV parks – Beyond Hope Resort – has one of North Idaho’s
most popular restaurants. In fact, there are many great eateries
in the area, including the Floating Restaurant, Dock of the Bay,
Icehouse Pizzeria, and Hope Market Café. Around the area from
Clark Fork to Hope and East Hope, there are a number of fine
places to dine or have a casual meal. And one of our most famous
landmarks is Hotel Hope, where writers and scholars, presidents
and actors have stayed and played for over 100 years
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