Find your new favorite park this
summer in North Idaho
Did you know Coeur d’Alene has more than 64 miles of bike paths and 200+ acres of park space? Bill Greenwood knows. He’s the director of Coeur d’Alene Parks and Recreation and likes to bike downtown from his home in Hayden — where his grandkids enjoy the splash pad at nearby Landings Park.
Landings, which features volleyball, horseshoes, tennis courts, a playground for smallest to largest-sized kiddos, and restrooms, is just one of nearly 40 Coeur d’Alene parks.
There’s CHERRY HILL, great in any weather: sledding in winter, BMX racing and 18-hole disc golf in warmer months. Located on 30-acres bordered by undeveloped forested areas, it’s a lovely spot to view elk, deer, even turkeys.
Your fur-family members will appreciate the dog park at both Cherry Hill and the iconic waterfront park and public use area known as TUBBS HILL, which is 160-acres rich with town history. Tubbs is home to all kinds of critters, and offers easy to rigorous lakefront hiking with one-of-a-kind lake views. Portions of it are even ADA-accessible, notes Greenwood.
Nearby is MCEUEN PARK, which Greenwood likes for Wednesday events like Live After Five, a live music festival-like event, and the farmers market.
A few streets away is CITY PARK, where people gather around the bandshell for summer concerts and Free Movies in the Park atop a grassy carpet and beneath old-growth pine trees. It’s where kids play, big and small: pickup basketball, Fort Sherman Playground, and Ironman competitors (June 29). It’s where people go to celebrate living local, from family reunio
ns to local culture like the Taste of Coeur d’Alene (Aug. 1-3).
Just across from City Park is MEMORIAL PARK, including the baseball field, popular pickleball courts, carousel and a rad new skate park.
Looking for a little more elbow room? Head north to FARRAGUT STATE PARK, once home to World War II naval base, that now offers 4,000 acres of camping, hiking and outdoor activities. To get to Farragut, you’ll pass through the charming town of Bayview. Stop for ice cream at Ralph’s Coffee House or head to Athol for an overnight at nearby Cedar Mountain Farm Bed & Breakfast.
South of Coeur d’Alene is OLD MISSION STATE PARK, home of the oldest building in Idaho: The Mission of the Sacred Heart, whose origins are narrated in the Sacred Encounters exhibit, which explores the confluence of Coeur d’Alene Tribal members and Jesuit missionaries during the late-1850s. The park is also an excellent resting place for the amazing trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, a 72-mile bike path through beautiful North Idaho.
Special Events
From the Ashes
JUNE 21-22
From the Ashes welcomes nationally recognized pitmasters from all over the United States to showcase the best American barbecue. Friday is the Light the Fires dinner, 5-9 pm, Saturday is the Smoked and Fired Food Showcase, 11 am-4 pm; $29-$35 adults, $15 youth; Settler’s Creek.
Gathering of the Bands
JUNE 22
It might feel like St. Patrick’s Day at Coeur d’Alene’s City Park when regional pipe bands gather for an enjoyable afternoon of bagpiping, hosted by the Coeur d’Alene Firefighters Pipes and Drums. Free; 12:30-4 pm; City Park.
Beauty and the Beast
JUNE 20-30
Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre presents “the tale as old as time” based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film. $49 adults, $42 senior, $27 children; Thursday-Saturday 7:30 pm; Saturday-Sunday 2 pm; Salvation Army Kroc Center.
The Longest Day
JUNE 21
Take advantage of the longest day of the year on the links at Circling Raven, a Golf Digest Top 100 course. Your second round of golf is only $40 a person and a third round that day is free.
