Elk River Information Anyone?? (Lewiston, American Falls: for sale, real estate, vacation home) - Idaho (ID) - City-Data Forum

shades_of_idaho · 05-12-2006, 09:47 PM

My husband and I are interested in any information about the Elk River area. Is anyone here from there or know someone living there now.

Tried to talk to real estate people with no luck. We know how closed mouthed small Idaho towns can be since we have lived in them for years now. Trying to get to a smaller town that the town we are in. Even with a population of 360 it is getting too crowded around here. Still trying to go back in time as far as we can get before we die.

Thanks Chris & Joe

shades_of_idaho · 05-17-2006, 03:37 PM

Since no one here seemed to know about Elk River my husband and I took a trip up there yesterday 400 mile + round trip for us.

What we found was disappointing. I am not going to run the town down. Maybe I expected too much. I am just going to say it is not at all what we had hoped for. We were looking at two businesses one was not even open on Mondays or Tuesdays which in my mind is not the way to try to sell a cafe. And the other business was not at all what it was advertised to be.

We also looked at housing and found only about 8 houses in town had regular foundations the rest were on??? Maybe it is too hard /far to get cement trucks to Elk River?? Did not reflect in the price. We were told by one real estate person any house in town could be bought for well under 100K. The one we did a drive by on was 40K. Cute but I am not going there. Would make a great vacation home for someone. I was told it was all redone inside.

Elk River is supposed to be a flourishing town from Memorial Day through Hunting Season. Snowmobile is OK of course depending on the snow pack each winter. No one can predict that or control it. They are proud of the many events held through the season and everyone gears up for them. Not my thing but then I am mostly an old crabby hermit type person. I like living on my hill away from every one.

Other than that there is not much else about Elk River. Take your lunch if you go on Monday or Tuesday or it will be a long drive to get something to eat. Elk River is at the end of the road so to speak other than gravel logging roads that are steep and winding and dusty. You take your chances with the logging trucks but it is THEIR roads so..................... I did not even bother to get my camera out to take pictures.

We went through Orofino, Kamiah, Deary, Kendrick, Helmer, Lenore, Julietta, NesPierce (SP?). We liked NesPierce. It was just a darling town in the middle of nowhere. Nice and clean. We did not look at anything for sale there since it is not where we were looking to move. Just mentioning how nice it looked. Like the people really cared what their town looked like.

We did not bother to drive up the hill to Weippe since it is so steep and switchbacks. UGH I do not want to live on top of a hill I can not drive off of easily with out having to change my pants at the bottom. We were up there once and even though there were some wonderful sounding houses up there when I saw the hill and remembered it I told my husband never mind.

The good side of this is it made our little town look like paradise and our home a jewel in paradise. And just maybe make my husband NOT want to move again. He was talking about planting a small forest in the back yard late last night. LOL Not all 8 acres of the back yard just the house back yard.

Chris

shades_of_idaho · 08-11-2006, 09:01 PM

Thank You native_idahoan. I sent you an email last night.

Chris

wdrintel · 12-18-2006, 01:03 PM

Chris and Joe

you should really put your fear of the hill aside and look at Pierce Idaho,

nice little community,best snowmobile area around,completely surrounded by potlatch and F/S land, not that I want more pop. but since you asked about the area,and you are certainly right about elk riv.

Luck,, Bill

wildberries61 · 12-18-2006, 02:45 PM

Chris,
That sounds like my may adventures too small towns in Idaho. I have taken my husband and kids too so many I can't get my kids back in the car to look at another town.

We wanted to see St. Maries and the real estate people pumped up the town and sent me all this cute info. when we got there I thought I was going to be sick the town is going downhill, not very clean and didn't look like much happening.
I have heard Weippie and Pierce are nice areas but, I know what you are saying about the switchbacks and windy roads. I think when it snowed you would just stay up there until it melts, I have heard there winters are shorter up there and longer summers but, I am not sure.

jinxs18 · 12-18-2006, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shades_of_idaho

My husband and I are interested in any information about the Elk River area. Is anyone here from there or know someone living there now.

Tried to talk to real estate people with no luck. We know how closed mouthed small Idaho towns can be since we have lived in them for years now. Trying to get to a smaller town that the town we are in. Even with a population of 360 it is getting too crowded around here. Still trying to go back in time as far as we can get before we die.

Thanks Chris & Joe

have you found a place yet?? We picked the American Falls area and just LOVE it.

idahohome · 06-20-2008, 03:09 PM

Elk River is a great little town that offers fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing and pretty much anything else you want to do outside. Most of the homes are owned by week-enders and therefore are not taken care of all the time. Those that do live in Elk River year round take pride in there homes, with the exceptions of the Californians that have moved into the area and have trashed some of the houses and then left.

idahohome · 06-20-2008, 03:11 PM

The reason the cafe and businesses are closed on the Monday and Tuesday is because of how busy they are during the week-end. Elk River is a week-end resort town, sorry you feel you have to put down the town.

beagle781 · 07-14-2009, 06:43 PM

[Hello Chris and Joe-I dont know when you posted your message inquiring about info about elk river,idaho area but i can tell you what i know.I LOVE IT UP THERE!!It is pretty remote.They get alot of snow in the winter and its hot in summer,but cools off at night.My grandparents lived there,they are now both deceased,but they raised my mother,and aunts and uncle there.To this day I still have cousins and uncle there.An aunt in Kendrick,which is also a nice town about an hour from Elk River.And also relatives scattered in Lewiston/Clarkston valley.If you and your husband want to go somewhere where there are no people,this would be the place to go.On the week-ends there are almost always out of towners coming up to snowmobile,hunt,etc.and then during the summer,they come up to four wheel,camp,fish,etc..It is beautiful country.Lots of bear,elk,moose.I hope this has sort of painted a picture for you guys.My dream has always been to have a summer home up there,where i could go to chill and get away from the madness here.I love to go there to visit but lodging is minimal.,so camping or r.v.ing is a better idea.Take care and god bless.Candace Day (lapine,oregon)

Toyman at Jewel Lake · 07-15-2009, 01:58 PM

Hey, perfect timing on this post coming back to life. I'm planning a multi-day ATV/camping trip for a group this summer in the Elk River area. Does anyone know if there is a gas station in town, and what towns nearby might have them? I know Clarkia and some of the other towns in the area are pretty small.