Idaho--Lake Couer d'Alene to Potlatch

This 101-mile, two-hour drive is only accessible spring through fall, and winds through forested mountains in Idaho's panhandle, skirting the shoreline of Lake Coeur d'Alene and over the hills to Potlatch. East of Coeur d'Alene, get off I-90 at the Route 97 Exit and head south. The road hugs Wolf Lodge Bay, an arm of Lake Coeur d'Alene. Here, fall salmon runs draw about 60 Bald Eagles to the Bay daily.

The road soon makes a switchback as you drive up a cliff to a rest area. There is a platform overlooking Wolf Lodge Bay and Beauty Bay, which affords the most commanding view of the lake on the trip. Just 23 miles past Harrison is a fascinating exhibit explaining geologists' theory about how the lake was formed by glaciers damming the St. Joe River Valley some 70,000-130,000 years ago. Turn at the junction of Route 97 and Route 3, and travel along the St. Joe River to St. Maries, heading south on SR 3 and make a right on SR 6. Beyond Emida your drive takes you through dense forest to the Giant White Pine Campground, where the namesake tree, at 200-feet tall with a trunk diameter of more than six feet, soars overhead. From here the road heads west, dropping out of the forest to the farmland surrounding Potlatch, a company town established in 1905 by Potlatch Lumber.

Starting Point:
Coeur d'Alene, ID

Distance of Drive:
101 miles

Must Eat:
Cedars Floating Restaurant
Blackwell Island, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
Phone:  208-664-2922
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
Good Stop For:  Local Seafood

Best Time of Year for Drive:
Spring to fall

Points of Interest on Drive:
Lake Coeur d'Alene Giant White Pine Campground

UsedCars.biz Road Trip in the Same State:
Idaho--Salmon River Scenic Route

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