Things to do on a 2 day visit to Coeur D'Alene (Sandpoint: rental car, rental)

[scottcolby]

Hey friends!

I'm flying into Spokane for a visit (Fri May 18 - Mon May 21) and will be staying 1 night in Spokane and 2 nights in Couer D'Alene.

Was looking for some recommendations on must do activities or places to see in Coeur D'Alene

Things I like:
coffee shops and good food.
Farmers Markets and other types of markets
Outdoors activities - hiking, biking, kayaking, etc
Scenic drives
Getting to know the community as best as possible
Live music
Peaceful places to think about life / good sunrises

If I rent a bike or kayak, any recommended outfitters to use? Any specific hikes to do?

This will be my first time in the area. I will have a rental car and staying in an Airbnb in downtown Coeur D'Alene for my final 2 nights.

Thanks!

[Willamette City]

Drive to Sandpoint. It's about an hour north of Couer D'Alene. It is a much nicer town then Couer D'Alene with a ton of stuff to do, good shops, lots of touristy stuff, and it is right along side lake Pend Oreille. Reading through your criteria, I think it really fits the bill.

Enjoy!

[Willamette City]

If nothing else, eat at the Hydra Steakhouse in Sandpoint if you get a chance!

[Cnynrat]

The Farmer's Market in Sandpoint is Saturday AM at Farmin Park in downtown Sandpoint. There is usually live music there, so that hits two of the items on your list.

Tubbs Hill is the standard short hike recommendation near CdA. It's immediately adjacent to downtown, and right on the lake. There are a variety of trails, but generally speaking these are going to be shorter hikes. I'd guess most people will do something in the 2-4 mile range there.

Garnet Cafe in CdA has about the best breakfasts in CdA IMO. Don't miss the lemon curd. I know, sounds a little weird for breakfast, but don't miss it.

Hydra in Sandpoint is good if you are in the mood for beef, but there are other good restaurants in town. Baxter's, Beet & Basil, Ivano's would be three I'd recommend. MickDuffs is a local brewpub with good food. A little further afield there is Messy's in Spirit Lake, which recently won an award for "North Idaho's Best Burger." Penny's Pit in Rathdrum was a very close second. I've had both and they are indeed excellent.

As far as scenic drives, you might think about a loop around Lake CdA. Head east on US 90, then south on ID 3. You might take a detour up to Harrison, which is a quaint little town on the eastern shore of the lake. Continue on ID 3 to St Maries, then pick up ID 5 west to US 95 which will take you back to CdA. The drive up to Priest Lake is also very nice.

Dave

[Dmmhc]

I think you will find all you are looking for in cda. I disagree that Sandpoint is a nicer town. There are a handful of downtown coffee shops. Try them all! My family likes The Vault. You should definitely hike Tubbs Hill for some beautiful vistas. (Easy) You could bike Centennial Trail. (Easy) Kayak or paddle board the lake. (Easy). If you want more challenging outdoor pursuits, the rental agencies could steer you to spots close by. Outdoor dining at Crafted is fun if the weather is nice. There is a fun farmers market Saturday at Hwy. 95 and Prairie. Yelp will provide you the best reviewed restaurants and they are pretty accurate.

[volosong]

For cycling, it is difficult to bypass the "Trails of the Coeur d'Alenes". If you start at the western terminus in Plummer, you'll enjoy a nice 8-mile -3% grade at the start, then flat along the lake to Harrison, then east to the eastern terminus in Mullen. The full route is 78-something miles. If you don't want that climb up to Plummer at the end, you can start at Heyburn State Park at the bottom of the grade and before the Chatcolet Bridge. The "Trails of the Coeur d'Alenes" is considered by some to be the crown jewel of the raild-to-trails program. You can use any type of bike on the Trails of the Coeur d'Alenes. Road bikes are best.

Almost equal as a cycling "must do" is the "Route of the Hiawatha". You'll need at least a cross bike for this trail, but a suspended MTB is much better. You can rent bikes at Lookout Pass, where you can also purchase an access pass. (No fees on the Trails of the Coeur d'Alenes.) The Route of the Hiawatha follows a rail-to-trails route through the forest, through tunnels and over trestles. Only 18 miles at a -2% grade. You can ride back up, or take the bus. (I'll be getting a season pass this year. It's an awesome trail!)

[Clark Fork Fantast]

On the 2nd night, while you're waiting for your dinner at one of the great restaurants in CdA or Sandpoint, take out your cellphone, click on the Memo app, and start planning your next trip. Might as well get started!

I agree that you should take a drive to Sandpoint; it isn't "nicer" than CdA per se, but it is much smaller and less citified. I like it better than CdA, but that's because our place is in the area. I know you want a good sunrise spot, but my favorite summer sunset spot in the whole world, maybe with the exception of the Pacific Ocean, is the footbridge across the Clark Fork River in Clark Fork, looking west toward the river delta with the Selkirk mountains in the horizon...

But 2 days go by quickly, and there's plenty to do around CdA, so there's no harm done in saving Sandpoint for your next trip.

[Cnynrat]

ScottColby, what is the purpose of your trip?

If it's purely vacation since you happen to be in the northwest then you might want to keep things simple and stay in the CdA area.

OTOH, if the trip is partially scouting for a potential move in the future, then I'd recommend you do take the time to at least visit Sandpoint, and perhaps Bonners Ferry as well. As CFF notes above, Sandpoint is very different than CdA. Just a quick look at the respective populations of the three counties that these cities are in tells you a lot:

Kootenai (CdA is the county seat) - 150,000
Bonner - (Sandpoint is the county seat) - 42,000
Boundary (Bonners Ferry is the county seat) - 11,000

So as you move north from one county to the next you basically divide the population by 4 or so.

Whatever you decide to do I hope you have a great visit.

Dave

[scottcolby]

Originally Posted by Willamette City

Drive to Sandpoint. It's about an hour north of Couer D'Alene. It is a much nicer town then Couer D'Alene with a ton of stuff to do, good shops, lots of touristy stuff, and it is right along side lake Pend Oreille. Reading through your criteria, I think it really fits the bill.

Enjoy!

Thanks so much! I might have to take trip to Sandpoint. I've heard great things!

[scottcolby]

Originally Posted by Cnynrat

The Farmer's Market in Sandpoint is Saturday AM at Farmin Park in downtown Sandpoint. There is usually live music there, so that hits two of the items on your list.

Tubbs Hill is the standard short hike recommendation near CdA. It's immediately adjacent to downtown, and right on the lake. There are a variety of trails, but generally speaking these are going to be shorter hikes. I'd guess most people will do something in the 2-4 mile range there.

Garnet Cafe in CdA has about the best breakfasts in CdA IMO. Don't miss the lemon curd. I know, sounds a little weird for breakfast, but don't miss it.

Hydra in Sandpoint is good if you are in the mood for beef, but there are other good restaurants in town. Baxter's, Beet & Basil, Ivano's would be three I'd recommend. MickDuffs is a local brewpub with good food. A little further afield there is Messy's in Spirit Lake, which recently won an award for "North Idaho's Best Burger." Penny's Pit in Rathdrum was a very close second. I've had both and they are indeed excellent.

As far as scenic drives, you might think about a loop around Lake CdA. Head east on US 90, then south on ID 3. You might take a detour up to Harrison, which is a quaint little town on the eastern shore of the lake. Continue on ID 3 to St Maries, then pick up ID 5 west to US 95 which will take you back to CdA. The drive up to Priest Lake is also very nice.

Dave

Awesome suggestions. Thanks Dave. How long does it take to drive around CDA?