For my first visit to the northern peninsula of Idaho, I decided to make a stop in the town of…read moreCoeur d'Alene. Coeur d'Alene has a charming downtown waterfront and it's here where you'll find this Tubbs Hill Trail. I believe hiking along Tubbs Hill represents the city of Coeur d'Alene well. It's an easy 2 mile round trip loop that oversees the harbor from a distance. Basically, it's a perfectly fine nature trail. There are 26 or 27 posted marker signs along the trail to guide you (including a halfway point). It's absolutely impossible to get lost, lol. To be specific on where Tubbs Hill Trail officially begins, you can find the starting point right next to the Rotary Harbor House (which looked like a relaxing spot to grab some fish tacos and catch views from the pier). Since the hike is a loop, if you begin by going off to the right hand side, there are spots along the way to descend down the rockside and go swimming in Lake Coeur d'Alene. I noticed a lot of people were relaxing and lounging out on the rocks while taking refreshing breaks in the water. If this sounds enticing, then remember to bring your bathing suit and a towel, lol. The first part of the hike offers panoramic lookouts of not only the boats docked beside the waterfront, but also the historical landmark - Hotel Coeur d'Alene. Eventually you wrap your way around in a circle getting to enjoy the great outdoors. It's a chance to breathe in fresh air from the lake without having to work hard. There's barely any incline/decline along the 2 mile path. It took me one hour to complete the hike. Lastly, parking can be difficult in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Independence Point is a popular area to park, but they do charge by the hour and every spot was occupied when I arrived in the middle of the day. I resorted to parking on a sidestreet next to the Coeur d'Alene shopping district. Though, cars on side streets are only permitted for 2 hour intervals at a time. Overall, Tubbs Hill Trail was a pleasant hiking activity. Pair it with maybe taking a cruise out on the lake or walking around the Boardwalk Marina (the "world's longest floating boardwalk" if you can believe) and you'll discover the best of what Coeur d'Alene has to offer.

Beautiful place to hike near the lake with plenty of scenic views and places to rest.read more

Excellent trail for your family to walk on foot or to ride bicycles on. The whole trail is flat. Be…read moreprepared for some uphill and downhill paths, but .... They're easy! We could have gone all the way, but we have a toddler and also 2 pre-teens who were complaining they were hungry. So we had to turn back. Next time, we will come back for more adventure.

One of the best tips friends who live in Coeur d'Alene (CDA) gave us during a recent visit was to…read morebe sure to spend some time on the Centennial Trail. (Also called the North Idaho Centennial Trail.) This was remarkably uncrowded - a few pedestrians, including folks using wheelchairs thanks to the fact this trail is paved and level, and a handfull of cyclists - on the beautiful summer morning we used it. In spite of the fact that summer is peak tourist season for CDA and the the "joint was jumping". Wonderful views, peaceful setting and a chance to really enjoy the serenity of the lake The following is from the friends of Centennial Trail website. We highly recommend this trail if you're visiting CDA. " The 24 mile long North Idaho Centennial Trail is a non-motorized paved trail that extends from Higgens Point on beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene to the Idaho/Washington border, where it continues another 37 miles into Washington following the Spokane River. Along the trail are numerous rest areas, scenic overlooks and interpretive signs." More info at: http://friendsofcdatrails.org/Centennial/index.html http://www.northidahocentennialtrail.org/

Is there any better way to start off your Saturday than at the beach?…read moreNOPE! Located just north of the city of Coeur D'Alene sits Hayden Lake, perfectly nestled in a quaint neighborhood with hillside homes and shady trees. Although a little small, the beach features plenty of areas to camp out near the shore or up the beach in the shade, and a dock to the right allowing for small watercrafts to launch into the water. We spotted the perfect spot for our party of 7 and set up camp. Docks surround the swimming area which allows for plenty of water depths to swim/float/dive/ect in! It was a beautiful day and the cold water felt amazing. The kids made sandcastles while the adults swam, floated and soaked up the sun. The snack shack features a wide variety of food and cold drinks ranging from sodas, and popsicles to pizzas, corndogs and more. Sure, prices are a little steep for the generic food, when I came back to the umbrella boasting cold popsicles, the kiddos loved it! The only major downside is parking. There isn't a designated lot, but spots line the road for at least a mile, so if you can't snag a spot up close (like we did!) be prepared to walk and schlep all your jazz to the beach. However, when back visiting family, I'd easily return to this quaint slice of paradise!

This little city beach is such a gem! The perfect balance of a small town attraction…read more The floating dock is perfect to dive , fish or just walk around. It enclosed an area for kids to swim around without having to worry about boats. The sandy beach area backs up to a grass. So play or lay in the sand or relax on the grass. Partly shady gives you options to take cover if it's too hot outside. Has a snack bar that is only seasonal. A volleyball area with a few picnic tables. A boat launch area and Bathrooms too. There's also a section with kids life jackets to use at not cost. The place is absolutely gorgeous. It's almost unreal The downside - it can get packed pretty quickly. So not a lot of elbow room on the those summer days when everyone wants to get out. There's not many options for parking. So if you're not lucky enough to snag a spot up close. You could end up parking 1/4 mile away. Still an amazing place to relax and have fun ! A must do !

My son and I were driving through Couer d'Alene and waiting for a lunch spot to open so checked out…read morethis park next to the library. What an amazing and diverse park! There were very clean basketball courts, a vast open field for walking your pets or playing in, a walking trail, playground area and a fun simple hiking trail up the hillside (not sure if it's part of the same park) It was a great hour exploring the park and the surrounding area!

We came here on a super hot day so luckily there was a lot of shade. It was nice to let the dog out…read moreand there were some picnic tables and a few swinging benches for seating. There were lots of people walking and riding their bikes and you can get a good view of the water depending on where you are. I also noticed a food area near the restrooms when I used them and it was pretty packed so people must enjoy what they have on offer. I didn't love that you have to pay for parking anywhere near here, so we didn't end up staying too long but we enjoyed a chat in the shade and some play time with our pup.

We decided to start our bachelor party off with SUPing in the Spokane area. We parked at the…read moreSpokane Convention Center in the parking garage and walked east on the centennial trail towards the division street bridge, where we had already reserved and rented SUP's for 2-hrs of fun. No need to pack anything but your sunscreen, wanted beverage, and water proofed bag for keys/credit cards/ID/electronics etc. bc they have all the necessary equipment ready to go once you sign the appropriate waver. We paddled up to No-Li brewery and back in that 2-hr time frame and thoroughly enjoyed our jaunt. I'd recommend this Fun Unlimited activity to anyone desiring to paddle on SUP's.

So much fun using the kayaks, the staff are friendly and extremely helpful. We took out paddle…read moreboards (our first time to try them) Keith gave us a lesson and got out on the water with us. I did eventually fall in and my prescription glasses went flying and sank to the bottom of the river. One of the staff guys found them! He is my hero! There is loads of parking then just a short walk down the driveway to the marina. There are restrooms available as well as a sandy swim beach to launch kayaks from. Great memories were made here.

We booked pretty last minute for a half-day guided tour of the CDL River. Our guide, Elijah did all…read morethe work for us. Quite an interesting fellow with lots of stories to share. He'll ensure your safety and gives plenty of opportunities for you to take a dive into the river. And if you really want he'll let you paddle as well. We encountered a bull moose, a cow and her calf which was pretty cool. Elijah also brought his German Shepard, Annie along for the ride too. She was the highlight. Such a beautiful, gentle, and intelligent dog.

Stole my money. I pre-paid for a horseback ride, but it ended up raining that day. Due to traffic…read morecaused by the rain we ran late and since it was heavily raining we wanted to reschedule. We spoke to both the horse people and the owner of CDA adventures about getting a "rain check" and rescheduling. Both CDA Adventures and the horse people denied us. They wouldn't reschedule, refund nor partial refund. They gave no solutions, they just took our money. This was the supposed to be the first of many adventures we planned with CDA Adventures. But now we won't have any. Instead we've now removed "the middleman" and will be scheduling with these "adventure" companies directly.

Beautiful place to talk a walk near the lake. Plenty of place to relax and enjoy the scenery while…read morebeing near shopping and dining.

Stopped by the City Park to enjoy the great view of the Lake. Completely blown away by the beauty…read moreof it. This is a very clean park with a good number of parking spots. It's a very clean park with a lot of places to walk around. We relaxed and took a proper break while enjoying the sunshine. Such a great park!

Had a wonderful time kayaking the Spokane River with Kayak Coeur d' Alene. Dakota was fantastic…read moregetting us set up and making sure we were comfortable on our adventure. The weather was a bit iffy the day we went out. Dakota let us know way before we set out that the lake was calm. All in all it was a great time. I highly recommend them.

I flew to CDA just for this peaceful kayak trip. It was so wonderful! Paul met me right on time and…read morewent over all the tips and suggestions for my route. I was solo and it was fabulous! Very quiet and breathtaking. I explored several different areas and even paddled across the lake to Tubbs Hill and back. The four hour half day was perfect. I am a beginner and loved every minute. The boats were very respectful and patiently waited for me to pass. Be sure to book with Paul while visiting. It will be the best part of your trip!

ROW took us down the Salmon River Canyons and the end of Hell's Canyon on the Snake for 4 days at…read morethe end of the 2016 season on what was one of the best raft trips I've ever experienced or could even imagine experiencing. The first thing you should think about when planning such a trip is the skill and reputation of the guiding service. ROW totally rocks! Everything is considered and planned for and if surprises come up (which they always do) ROW gets top marks for handling everything in a professional and incredibly fun manner. The guides were mega-stars; the food and drinks were superlative at every meal, and the equipment was first class. As importantly, it was a great learning experience that ranged from rafting and kayaking technique to Native American history and riverine ecology as well as environmental education about the plant and animal life. Bottom line is that I can't remember a better time on any river anywhere. They made such an impression on all of us that we've already started planning for next year's trip and we can't wait to see them all again. Below is a picture at our first night's wondrous camp showing my athletic honey (who begged them to let her carry her own equipment to our luxury campsite so she could get more exercise). There were so many stars and the Milky Way shown so bright you could almost read by starlight!

Our group had the most incredible time rafting the main Salmon River near Riggins for 3 days with…read moreour wonderful guides Maxim and Ashna. We were so well fed (and all the meals were the best), learned so much about the plants, wildlife, and history of the area, and got to camp in the most beautiful spots on the river. This was our groups first multi-day rafting trip and our guides truly went above and beyond to make it our best river trip yet. We'll definitely be booking with ROW again and 100% recommend the company and our guides!