Did you know the majority of Idaho’s land is public? With over 60 percent public land, Idaho is a respite for outdoor adventures and nature lovers. While southern Idaho has towering waterfalls and an entire City of Rocks, the Panhandle in Northern Idaho is famous for its bounty of crystalline lakes and lush evergreen forests. Whether you’re looking to camp in the summer or snowshoe in the winter, here are four incredible state parks in northern Idaho you’ll want to add to your Idaho adventure list.
Farragut State Park | Athol
Located on the southern tip of the largest lake in Idaho, Lake Pend Oreille, Farragut State Park is a pristine park with a surplus of activities for every type of visitor. Before it became a popular 4,000-acre state park, it was a naval training station during World War II. You’ll want to be sure to stop by the Museum at the Brig to learn more about the park’s naval history. The museum showcases war memorabilia, photography, and a tour of the prison.
Beyond its maritime history, Farragut has over 260 campsites making it an ideal spot for summertime camping. The spacious sites are particularly fantastic for RV campers. The park offers a boat ramp, fishing, hiking trails, a shallow swimming bay for families, mountain biking paths, and several ranger-led activities.
In addition to the park’s numerous outdoor recreation, the park boasts Tree To Tree Adventure Park, an aerial adventure course with Tarzan-style swings, rope ladders, and zip lines. Kids and the young at heart will love trying out the course! After climbing through the trees, head to any one of the five disc golf courses available in the park. Bring your own disc, and you can play to your heart’s content at any of the courses ranging from the beginners Little Black Bear course to the professional level A.W.O.L course. You can also buy discs at the visitor center.
Farragut is a popular spot in the summer, so you’ll need to reserve a campsite well in advance.
Must-Do Activity: Walk the Shoreline Trail to see why Lake Pend Oreille is considered one of the best lakes in Idaho.
Priest Lake State Park | Coolin
Located just south of the Canadian border, Priest Lake State Park is northern Idaho at its best-wild, isolated, and unabashedly rugged. With little development, Priest Lake is where you go to connect with nature. The state park sits on the eastern shore of the 19-mile Priest Lake, with the glacially-carved Selkirk Mountains looming over every bend. Renowned for its crystal clear clarity, you’ll want to rent or bring a kayak, SUP, or boat to truly experience the park’s beauty.
Indian Creek Unit is the more developed of the two park units, with a visitor center, an excellent campground, a boat ramp, a swimming beach, and numerous hiking trails. Anyone with a sweet tooth will delight in the ice cream offered at the camp store. Further north is the more remote Lionshead Unit with a beach, boat launch, and tent camping.
Within the park is the family-friendly Viewpoint Trail that starts at Indian Creek Campground. Outside of the park are excellent day hike opportunities like the moderately challenging Mount Roothann Trail. While the park is most often visited in the idyllic summer months, it’s also a prime spot for snowmobiling, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. You can also head to the nearby Elkins Resort for a fabulous steak dinner overlooking the lake.
Must Do Activity: In the summertime, when the water is low and calm, kayak the 2.5-mile Thorofare that connects Priest Lake to Upper Priest Lake, a remote part of the lake that can only be accessed by foot, boat, or mountain bike. You’ll put in at Lionshead Campground, but you’ll need to bring your own kayaks or rent some at Indian Creek Campground or Elkins Resort.
Round Lake State Park | Sagle
Located 15 minutes from downtown Sandpoint is the charming Round Lake State Park, a 142-acre park situated around a serene forest green hued lake. It’s a small park best enjoyed with a fishing pole, a kayak, or on a beach blanket with friends and family.
While there, walk the Trapper Trail, a wonderful family-friendly 1.8-mile loop trail that takes you around the perimeter of the lake and through Cocolala Creek. The trail has engaging informational plaques that tell you about the history of Round Lake and the ecosystem within the park. Along the way, you’ll meander through cedar groves and lush wetland marshes that are particularly scenic in late spring.
The park also offers a small campground, a calm beach, fishing docks, and an additional hiking trail that loops around the lake. In winter, the park is popular for cross-country skiing, fat tire biking, and ice fishing.
Must Do Activity: Bring your own paddle boards or rent some in Sandpoint from Outdoor Experience or Action Watersports and paddle board across the gentle 58-acre lake while listening to a symphony of bullfrogs and geese.
Coeur d’ Alene’s Old Mission State Park | Cataldo
For a different type of state park, head south of Coeur d’Alene to visit the oldest known building in Idaho. Built between 1850 and 1853, The Mission of the Sacred Heart was constructed by the Coeur d’Alene tribe and Jesuit missionaries. The church is a fascinating glimpse into early building practices, including the use of local huckleberries to create a blue paint for the ceiling and ornate hand-carved artwork. While there, look up and take notice that not a single nail was used to assemble the building.
In addition to the church, there is a restored parish house, a historic cemetery, and a visitors center. While the mission is the park’s main draw, its location on a steep ridge makes it a beautiful spot for taking a leisurely stroll through the various walking trails spread across the mission. You’ll pass informational plaques, artifacts from the mission, and hopefully spot bald eagles and moose that graze along the banks of the Coeur d’Alene River.
Must Do Activity: Pay the extra fee to visit the excellent museum exhibit, “Sacred Encounters: Father De Smet and the Indians of the Rocky Mountain West.” The museum gives a historical context to the mission and outlines the complex relationship between the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Catholic missionaries.
Feature image credited to Live a Wilder Life.
Christina Grance and Brad Benoit are the wife/husband duo behind the adventure travel blog, Live A Wilder Life. Former full time travelers turned part time nomads, they live with their wild son and an ornery cat in North Idaho where they spend every second they can dreaming up their next big trip. They specialize in outdoor travel for the everyday adventurer and love helping people to plan or discover their next trip. You can read their travel guides and tips at their travel website or follow along @liveawilderlife.
Published on March 21, 2023
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