Do not visit Coeur d'Alene without taking a walk up Tubbs Hill, beautiful view. It's a very…read moreintermediate hike that's very doable for most visitors. Lace up your sneakers and enjoy your walk up Tubbs Hill; I highly recommend!

If you are new to the Coeur D'Alene area and are looking for a fun little hike that explores a…read moresmall portion of the lake's picturesque shoreline, I recommend visiting the Tubbs Hill Trailhead. There is parking either at McEuen Park or over by the Trailhead marker by Sanders Beach. Hiked during the week and it wasn't too crowded though some of the beach areas scattered along the way are not huge so you may want to get there earlier on weekends. The hike itself is fairly easy to moderate. The main trail is easy, however, if you go off path and down to the shoreline you just have to watch your step. Definitely not for walking around in flip flops.

Great area with a huge grass area and covered picnic tables (being used for a birthday party when…read morewe visited). From the parking lot you can walk down to access the river and a rocky beach. Great place to float and swim and get some relief from the summer heat. It was busy with families and quite a few dogs when we went. The river was calm and the water was beautiful-a few eagle sightings completed our day! Definitely recommend taking a beach day and bringing a cooler to enjoy this spot during the summer!

This is a great place to stop with kids or to take a romantic walk with your partner. It's right…read morealong the River and there's lots to view. And it's a nice place to spend a few minutes communing with nature.

Very good trail Flat and not clogged path. And it is not…read morevery difficult. Quite a beautiful for, just right for walks

I hiked Stevens Creek Trail on a hot, weekday evening. Who knew that Spokane could get so hot. It…read moreseemed to be in the 90s for multiple weeks in a row. My theory is that the desert plains of central WA allows hot air to flow north unobstructed by mountain ranges. The heat didn't stop me, it only shortened my hikes. Stevens Creek Trail is another collection of trails that would give an experienced hiker new trails for a full day of hiking. I only hiked to the top, for a view of the protected forest and hay farms below, but the trails headed deeper in the forest along the top of a ridge. I never saw any deer or bears on my hikes in these forest ranges, but this hike in particular had many signs posted to watch out for bears. I think the sign would be more relevant for evening or morning hikes. All the bears are lying down in the shade when it's 95 degrees and sunny, waiting for cooler temperatures before they return to foraging. That doesn't mean that there weren't many animals in the forest. It was a turkey bonanza everywhere around Spokane. There were more turkeys than I'd ever seen in my life. There were turkey packs in the forest, meadow, in front yards, and even at the bus stop across from the grocery store. It was if they knew that the closer they were to civilization, the safer they would be from hunters.

Beautiful multi-use park and recreation area in Post Falls…read more The park planners did a great job integrating spaces with the landscape. The park has various unique areas, and is well shaded and serene. There's a lot of twists and turns, hidden areas, and elevation changes that make the park feel bigger than it is. There's a restroom, playground, open area for events, fishing pond, and some historic areas/signage, as well as great views of a dam and falls.

Not much to look at right now as much of the park area is under construction and the water isn't in…read morefull flow. So I would probably give this a miss until the construction is done. Otherwise, it would be a pretty cool little spot to visit while in the area.

A beautiful and fairly popular hike! Since you're hiking up a mountain, there is definitely some…read moreuphill climbing. I'd describe it as a gradual incline, so you'll still get a workout, but it's nothing too difficult. One thing I really appreciated was that there are benches all along the trail... almost like they knew people would need a few breaks! The view from the top is absolutely worth it. There are a few shortcuts you can take, but be aware they're much steeper than the main trail, both going up and coming back down. We did this hike with our teens, a toddler and a baby. Our toddler walked a surprisingly large portion before needing a ride (we came prepared with a carrier) and we also had grandparents in their 60s with us who completed the hike without much trouble. Overall, we saw people of all ages enjoying the trail, which says a lot about how accessible it is. The only downsides were that parking is pretty limited when it's busy and the bathrooms were unfortunately dirty and smelled bad. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this hike. The beautiful views, well maintained trail, and frequent benches make it a great outing for families and hikers of all ages.

Really fun and not too challenging hike. Go early, gets really busy. Went early and were the only…read moreones on the trail.

We found this state park while driving to Canada. Excellent little campground with trails. The…read moretrail was easy not steep at all. Not gravely either. I am glad we found this place. Very few people were on site when we visited.

We stayed this last weekend at round lake with some friends and family. We rented three sites next…read moreto each other. As soon as we arrived the people in front of us quickly got stuck because of the boulders that are placed everywhere. The people that work there sat in the golf cart and proceeded to watch them for thirty minutes. My spouse had to help with 3 others to jiggle a boulder so they can gain an inch of room. The area where they ask you to put up tents on are white rock filled area next to our fire pit and picnic table. We were asked to not use the "ground" dirt to camp but did point out many tents using this. The rules are ridiculous, no hammocks , and if you are disabled and use a cane like I do good luck maneuvering around the unnecessary costly boulders that are not an improvement but a waste of cost. Never again will I or seventeen others visit again. Enjoy your boulders.

BEAUTIFUL PARK! Recommend it for littles or all ages! Walking Trails for everyone, park for littles…read moreand a sandy beach to put your toes in! And a beautiful lake to view or to swim in even fishing just don't forget to bring your fishing gear! or beach kit so your little could enjoy it the beach!

This place is absolutely gorgeous! We needed a pass to park but were able to get one at the rangers…read morestation.

Beautiful hiking area. the Falls were awesome. This site is a gem only a short hike in to the Fallsread more

I have renamed this favorite spot of mine Paranoia Falls. Lean closer and let me tell you the…read morestory of the time me and my sister decided to explore here... Upon researching a map of the area around Kingston Idaho I came upon some interesting waterfalls and decided to further investigate using Google. The photographs although very few were very pleasing and my interest was piqued when someone commented that there was a case behind one of the waterfalls thus the trip was born. I called up my sister and told Maggie that we were going to go on a trip to see some waterfalls so we packed our cameras and set up for this wonderful adventure. After a 50 minute drive down Route 90 we came upon Forest Road nine and proceeded to take that approximately 25 miles until we sold yet another tiny sign which we almost passed that said Shadow Falls. We proceeded up this treacherous array of mountain switchbacks so tiny that at times the tires touched the side of the cliff which was not protected by a guard rail. Clutching the dashboard with eyes wide with terror I watched her every move as we slowly climbed the steep grade and were greeted with logs across a river water was running across the logs so she had to go on it to get across and then the went skiing for about 10 feet and we landed on the other side of this treacherous muddy pass. Several heart pounding moments later we arrived at a vacant car pull off and it was beginning to get dark. A large mousse with a massive horns walked right by us and disappeared into the forest. We proceeded to walk up a path which was promised only 200 yards away and was greeted with waterfall number one the name was fern falls. We enjoyed this first waterfall thoroughly. There is a small foot bridge over it and I got to take many fabulous photographs. Then we proceeded to shadow falls which was promised to be nearby however we got maybe about 50 steps into the darkening forest and were stopped in our tracks by a low rumbling growl which seemed to be coming from all directions. Now here we were alone in the forest. The sounds of much larger mammals was present as we heard the ever growing presence of crackling underbrush and snapping forest floor twigs. It was then that we had a come to Jesus meeting about if we should continue up the hill and yes we did continue and were within eyeshot of shadow falls when all of a sudden a distinct growl not far from us came thundering from the trees and we were instantly paranoid. With no other human being inside and the sun setting unusually fast we tore off running down the hill after a failed test of the bear spray which I had a death grip on. My 250 pounds sister was so scared she blew right by me and like an Olympic runner left me in the dust the only thing I remember at that point was seeing her britches falling off of her and if you have ever dropped a pan of fresh baked bread and dropped it on the floor you will understand what I was now looking at!!!! With my heart pounding at least 180 bpm I caught up with her near the small dark parking spot and I recall slamming open the doors throwing in everything and the next thing I knew the jeep was in reverse. We were gone. Recommendation - do not go alone. Do not go in a small car with low clearance. Go early the sun sets very fast way up in that mountain. Take bear spray and possibly a baseball bat.

It's ok. Not a destination trip by any means, but if you live in and around Spokane it can be a…read moreconvenient and reliable pop-off for hiking or skiing I've heard the skiing is not as great as the nearby competing mountains, and I believe that to be true from my few cross-country experiences this past winter. Winter access means buying a special "Snow Pass" which is something like $80. If you thought your Annual Discover pass would cover you, you're SOL. For someone looking for unfettered access year-round, that's about $115.

Mount Spokane State Park is a 12,000 acre state park with over 100 miles of trails. It takes about…read more45 minutes to get to the trails from downtown Spokane, but it's a picturesque drive that takes you through farms, before transitioning to farm with forest then ending with thick forest. The trees grow denser the farther up the mountain you go. The climate on Mount Spokane is very humid and is cooler that downtown Spokane. The maintains the green vegetation and provides a more comfortable hiking environment when the rest of Spokane is in the high 80s and 90s. Based on our afternoon at Mount Spokane, I could see how the cool, wet climate would make for a great cross country skiing venue. We only hiked on about 4% of the trails but they were very well maintained and had maps at multiple intersections to assist hikers. The maps took a few minutes to decipher but at least they were there. I've been on many hiking and biking trails where you are forced to use instinct and hope that you did some rudimentary maps research before the hike. One side effect of the dense forest is that there are not many vistas available to hikers because you have to look through the dense pine. I suppose this is a drawback to hiking in wet environments rather than in the desert. On the plus side, the dense pine trees mean that there is always enough shade. My wife showed appreciation for this fact. Many runners passed us on the trail. At first I thought it was a trail running club. It was not until the 4th or 5th hiker until we noticed their bibs. I asked one of the next runners about their race and he said that they were running a 50k. That would be an extraordinary distance to run on such a hilly trail. Maybe one day I can reach that distance but I'm still trying to progress beyond my 5k trail runs.

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 !