Hiking
While the recommendations to minimize spread of the coronavirus are to avoid close contact with people, we can revel in the luxury of living in a place with so much public land and water access. The hiking trails, mountains, rivers, and lakes are still open and an excellent way to stay healthy over these next inevitably challenging weeks or months.
Where should you go? The CDA area has miles of close-to-home hiking trails. Here are five low elevation (no snow) hikes to get you started.
Local Favorites
Blue Creek Bay - A personal favorite, this area has a few loops with views of the lake and forests.
Cougar Bay Preserve - Only a couple minutes from NIC, these hiking trails loop along the wetlands at the head of cougar bay and the coniferous hillside above the lake. It is a short loop, but in a beautiful location.
Canfield Mountain - Holy smokes are there a lot of trails here. You can find paper maps of Canfield at the Forest Service Ranger Station at the east end of Sherman Ave, but my favorite tool to navigate this trail network is trailforks.com.
Tubbs Hill - Our trails list would be incomplete without mentioning Tubbs Hill. Challenge yourself with a jog around the 1.5 mile shoreline trail and up and over the top. Brave souls will take a self-guided polar plunge in the lake on Sanders Beach at the end. It's refreshing and you'll never regret it.
Mineral Ridge - Another Kootenai County classic. This one can get crowded (mainly the small parking lot) but is worth the drive. There is some elevation gain so plan to get a good walk.
Mount Coeur d'Alene Drive, 50 min ~ Difficulty, Moderate ~ Distance, 11 miles
Stevens Lake Drive, 1 hr ~ Difficulty, Hard ~ Distance, 5 miles
Lone Lake Drive, 1 hr ~ Difficulty, Moderate ~ Distance, 4.6 miles
Blossom Lake Drive, 1 hr 20 min ~ Difficulty, Moderate ~ Distance, 5.5 miles
Revett Lake Drive, 1 hr 20 min ~ Difficulty, Easy ~ Distance, 3.3 miles
Harrison Lake Drive, 2 hr ~ Difficulty, Moderate ~ Distance, 4.6 miles
Scotchman Peak Drive, 2hr ~ Difficulty, Hard ~ Distance, 7.6 miles
Jerry Johnson Hot Springs Drive, 3 hr 30 min ~ Difficulty, Easy ~ Distance, 2.6 miles
Weir Creek Hot Springs Drive, 3 hr 40 min ~ Difficulty, Moderate ~ Distance, 0.7 miles
Goldbug Hot Springs Drive, 6 hr ~ Difficulty, Moderate ~ Distance, 3.5 miles
Rock Canyon Hot Springs Drive, 6 hr 40 min ~ Difficulty, Easy ~ Distance, 0.5 miles
Stack Rock Drive, 7 hr ~ Difficulty, Moderate ~ Distance, 8.2 miles
Kirham Hot Springs Drive, 7 hr ~ Difficulty, Easy ~ Distance, 0.2 miles
Sawtooth Lake Drive, 7hr 40 min ~ Difficulty, Hard ~ Distance, 10 miles
Resources
Once you've had your fill of the local spots, challenge yourself to find new hikes. Google can be a great starting point, but sometimes the information is overwhelming. Outdoor Pursuits staff are eager to chat about other options, or you can check out our favorite tools:
100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest - Some of these hikes don't open until the snow melts, but there are plenty of low elevation options here.
Trailforks.com - While not entirely comprehensive, there is a lot of information here. Trail distances, elevation gain, and other tidbits to help plan your outing. You can download for offline use too.
Alltrails.com - Another free resource for hiking trails. Alltrails adds filters that can help you find a hike to match your goals.
Onxmaps.com - This one costs money, but it turns your smartphone into a GPS resource with trail elevation, distances, and land ownership. We use this app for all our personal as well as Outdoor Pursuits trip planning. There are many other free or cheaper options with similar functions.
Hillmap.com and Caltopo.com - For all you map nerds out there (I love maps!) these are two great web tools for scouting new trips and locations. Tinker with the overlays to see some fascinating information: archived maps from the 1800s, fire history, slope angle shading, and all kinds of fun map-nerd delights.
Safety
Snow - As mentioned above, a tricky thing about getting into popular mountain lakes and other mountain destinations in the spring is the low snow level. If you choose to attempt a snow hike, plan ahead and know that there are considerably higher risks associated with winter travel. Your Outdoor Pursuits staff are glad to talk you through those considerations if you are interested.
Water Temperature - Remember that the water temperatures are still chilly out on the lake and rivers, so if you're tempted to kayak or paddleboard, please wear a personal flotation device (life jacket) and be aware of these cold water safety tips.
Consultation - Jacob and Terry absolutely love sharing new places with folks. We may not be able to offer NIC trips right now, but we can certainly talk with you over the phone or email to answer questions about getting outside. Please email or call us and we'll gladly offer our two cents.
Lastly, in an effort to give the ER's and urgent care facilities enough space to care for folks ill with the COVID-19 and other ailments, please exercise caution in your recreation pursuits. Biking, running, skiing, etc. within your limits is important, particularly right now.
Contacts
Jacob Rothrock
Outdoor Pursuits Coordinator
208-769-7809
jacob.rothrock@nic.edu
Terry Brinton
Outdoor Pursuits Assistant Coordinator
208-769-5941
terry.brinton@nic.edu