Coeur d’Alene: A view of the downtown area of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is seen from the cruise boat while touring Lake Coeur d’Alene. The quaint Main Street of the city begins near the lake shore and boast a variety of restaurants, shops, and other tourists related enterprises. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Lake and Marina: A view of Lake Coeur d’Alene from the shore showing a small corner of the marina and a view of the lake and surrounding areas. Also seen is a floating boardwalk which rises several feet above the water level to allow boats to enter the marina area. The floating boardwalk is .75 miles long and surrounds the marina and the nearby lake shore. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
When planning our RV trips we try to keep our travel schedule as open and flexible as possible. However, on our recent trip to the northwest region of the country we did not allow near enough time for our stop in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We scheduled a day in the city but that was just enough to make us want more. We decided to move on and make this a destination stop on a future trip.
Coeur d’Alene sits on the northern end of Lake Coeur d’Alene in the panhandle of Idaho and is surrounded by forest covered mountains. Since our stay was short, this post will feature the lake and related activities.
Lake Coeur d’Alene and many other lakes in northern Idaho were formed by glaciers during the Ice Age thousands of years ago. The lake is 25 miles long and averages 120 feet deep. Today Lake Coeur d’Alene is fed from the St. Joe River and the Coeur d’Alene River. Waters flow out of the lake via the Spokane River.
Tourism is a major source of income and economic development in Coeur d’Alene today. Outdoor sports are very popular with much of the activity centered around the lake and related outdoor opportunities.
Boating and fishing are the most obvious lake sports but kayaking, sailing, and parasailing are also popular activities. There are several beach areas for visitors to enjoy and swimming is a favorite summer activity. Cruise boats offer various cruises around the lake and visitors can even enjoy the lake from an aerial viewpoint by taking a tour on a sea plane. The sea planes depart from the same pier that the cruise boats use.
Other activities around the lake are golfing at one of several highly rated golf courses, cliff diving or jumping, hiking, and just enjoying a family outing and a picnic in one of the city parks. The outdoor recreation activities are endless in and around Lake Coeur d’Alene.
During our visit we decided to take the cruise around the lake. The cruise boats are just over 100 feet long and can carry hundreds of passengers. The cruise we took was midweek and probably had about 100 passengers which made it easy to walk around and enjoy the views from the lower deck and the upper deck where you got a grand view of the surroundings.
The 90 minute cruise allowed us to get a glimpse of the area from a different viewpoint. Views of the city, the different marinas, hotels, restaurants and other businesses on the lake shore, the multi-million dollar houses lining the shore across from the city, various water sports and a great view of life around this beautiful lake. Hopefully, when we return to Coeur d’Alene, a tour of the area from the air will be on our list of things to do!
These are just some of the outdoor opportunities around Coeur d’Alene during the summer months. The winter brings a completely different variety of outdoor activities to enjoy in this lake side playground of the Northwest.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Cruise Boat: Visitors prepare to exit on a cruise boat at Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Various cruises are offered daily and as well as special cruises such as the sunset dinner cruise. Also seen beyond the boat is a portion of one of the public beaches on the lake and the city park beyond the beach. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Tubbs Hill: Tubbs Hill is a city park which begins downtown and stretches to the lakeshore. The park covers 120 acres and offers a variety of trails for hiking and biking. Along the shoreline a popular activity is jumping and diving from the rocky shore. Several participants can be seen at various levels as they prepare to jump. There is a public beach at the park as well. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Kayakers: Several kayakers are seen as they venture out from the shore on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Kayakers may bring their own rigs or rent a kayak from the vendor at the pier. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Ocean Kayaks: Colorful Ocean Kayaks are lined up along the pier at the city park in Coeur d’Alene. Kayaking, boating and various other water sports are popular throughout the summer on Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. It is no wonder that the city is known as the lake side playground of the Northwest. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
