Lake Coeur d'AleneLake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Area Activities ~ Exploring Beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene

• We are so blessed to live just a stone-throw from such a beautiful lake that abounds with wildlife, great fishing opportunities, endless shores to explore, phenomenal paddling and the like. Lake Coeur d'Alene has become one of the premier lake destinations in the Rocky Mountains and the West in general.

  Lake Coeur d'Alene: A brief overview

  Lake Coeur d'Alene was formed over 12,000 years ago by what was termed the "Missoula floods" whereas a combination of glacial ice dams and resulting flooding scoured the landscape. The lake is nearly 30,000 acres in size. The topography of Lake Coeur d'Alene is a testament to these past events. The lake is fed by the Coeur d'Alene river and the St. Joe River on the eastern shore, while the Spokane River represents the lake's major outflow to the West. Some of the best examples of the varied topography can be viewed from the Tubbs Hill trails system right in downtown Coeur d'Alene. We always recommend the Tubbs Hill hike to anyone visiting the area.

  Fishing Lake Coeur d'Alene

  The Coeur d'Alene lake fishery provides an excellent quality and diversified experience for novice and professional fishermen alike. The lake remains open water nearly year-round and there is seldom a time that you cannot target specific species effectively. Popular sport fish species in Lake Coeur d'Alene include the following: Bluegill, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Chinook Salmon, Kokanee, Cutthroat Trout, Crappie, Yellow Perch and Northern Pike.

  Boating and Boat Landings

  The summer season sees many fishermen and recreational boaters, water skiers and paddlers enjoying the lake. One nice feature of Lake Coeur d'Alene is that you have expansive open water areas for larger boat traffic and water skiers, while there are numerous sheltered bays and coves where you can fish and paddle in solitude. For anyone looking to kayak or stand-up paddle board, we suggest launching at a boat landing near one of these sheltered bays, which also tend to be more out of the wind. Such places include Mica Bay, Wolf Lodge Bay, Beauty Bay, and/or the chain lakes near Harrison and Medimont. Here is a great link to the many Lake Coeur d'Alene public boat launches

  Hiking at Mountain Light Retreast

  We have our very own 1/2 mile nature trail circling our 40 acre forested mountain property. We are in the process of building various rest stations, scenic view points, picnic areas and nature education points along our private trail system. The trail is gently rolling to marginally steep and we would classify the loop as an intermediate trail for regular hikers. The loop trail system is graded and well-market.. A good hiking staff is suggested for your safety.

  Lake Coeur d'Alene Parks and Recreation Sites

  Whether you're hiking, biking, camping, paddling, seeking wildlife or seeking the most spectacular photo-ops, the many parks and recreation sites around the lake are a good place to start your adventures. Every season brings new great opportunities, activities and adventures. We highly recommending calling park offices before you visit to get an update on hours of operation, wildlife viewing, trail conditions, lake conditions, etc. For example, we love to view the incredible bald eagle migration in Wolf Lodge and Beauty Bay, which is just 10 minutes from our vacation rental home. Also, Heyburn State Park has a phenomenal swan migration each spring. It's worth the research to assure you hit the peak experience! Here is a great link to many park and recreational sites on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

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