This town almost sounds like you’re visiting a small village in France. Coeur d’Alene (pronounced core-da-lane) is located in northwest Idaho and about 30 minutes from Spokane, Washington. My daughter goes to college in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene is such a great day trip whenever we visit her. Here are some things to do in Coeur d’Alene whether you’re here for a few hours or a few days.
History of Coeur d’Alene
So, how did this small town in Idaho acquire this French name? The British-owned Northwest Fur Trading Company established fur trading posts in the Inland Northwest area in the early 1800s.
Some French fur traders gave the Schitsu’umsh native people the nickname of “Coeur d’Alene”. “Coeur” means heart and “Alene” means awl which is a sharp pointed tool used for leather piercing.
The nickname stuck and the Schetsu’umsh people became known as the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the large lake in the middle of their territory became known as Lake Coeur d’Alene. Today, it is known as the “Playground of the Pacific Northwest.”
The current city of Coeur d’Alene was incorporated in 1887. The area is a wonderful family friendly destination. The CDA area (its shortened version and what we saw in many souvenir items) is surrounded by over 50 lakes from the melted Ice Age glaciers.
Much like the Native Americans who lived here hundreds of years ago, Lake Coeur D’Alene was the center of the area. Many recreational activities center in and around the 30-mile lake for both tourists and locals.
Recreational Water Activities in Coeur d’Alene
There is no shortage of recreational water activities on Lake Coeur d’Alene. It was a hub of various action at any given time and great for people watching too.
The most popular activities were canoeing, Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), kite surfing and kayaking. There were several vendors by the dock, near the downtown beach, that rented out various water equipment.
It’s easy to spend hours at the lake enjoying the surrounding views. If you want a bit more high speed option, there are some companies offering jet skiing and parasailing around the lake.
Rent a Boat
It was a delight to see many people enjoying the lake on various pontoon boats. Visitors can rent and choose from a fleet of pontoon boats from some companies.
They range in sizes occupying up to even 14 people. They are touted as easy to drive and spacious.
Going around the lake in these pontoon boats looked so much fun as we jealously looked on. There were only three of us but my college daughter now hopes to gather her friends together and rent one of these one of these days. Check out Coeu’r d’Alene boat rentals for more information.
Relax at the Parks
With an abundance of undeveloped land, there are many public parks in Coeur d’Alene. We’ll focus on a few parks that are within walking distance of the downtown area.
McEuen Park
If you don’t want to venture out into the water, there are a few parks overlooking the lake perfect for relaxing. McEuen Park is located along the lake.
It is very family-friendly with the CDA’s largest playground, a splash pad, basketball court, dog park, tennis court, a sea wall overlook, boat launch, free clean restrooms and the Rotary Harbor House concession stand.
We strolled around here after lunch. There is a veteran’s memorial with a calming and beautiful waterfalls, interesting public art and lots of open, green spaces including a two-third mile trail.
For those who want that social media swing with a view, there was one here too. The park was a great place to enjoy the lake and watch people get on/off the boats.
Coeur d’Alene City Park and Fort Sherman Playground
It’s hard to miss this park at the edge of the downtown area. It was well-equipped with basketball and volleyball courts, BBQ grills, picnic tables and a swim beach. There’s also a promenade for beautiful lakeside strolls.
Together with the Fort Sherman Playground, it encompasses 17 acres along the downtown waterfront. This urban park also has a carousel, public art and plenty of green spaces to explore.
Go on a Cruise
The best way to really experience the vastness of this lake is to take a cruise. Luckily, there are a variety of options offered by Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises.
The most frequent are the 90-minute daily scenic cruises. This gives a great overview of the lake’s history and offers opportunities to see wildlife and all the beautiful lakefront homes.
Plus, see the famous and world’s only floating green on the 14th hole that’s part of the Coeur d’Alene Resort’s 18-hole golf course. For dinner and cruise options, try the daily 2-hour sunset cruise or the Sunday brunch cruise that both include buffet feasts and full no-host bar.
There are also charter cruises for private events like weddings, reunions or school and business functions as well as holiday cruises. Boats are double decks with indoor and outdoor areas so there are ample spaces for everyone to enjoy the views and the lake.
Unfortunately, due to our time constraint, we didn’t get to do the daily scenic cruise. But, we will definitely plan to do it next time.
Take a Hike
The Centennial Trail is a paved, multi-use recreational trail for walkers, joggers and bikers that starts in Nine Mile Falls, Washington and stretches for over 60 miles to Higgins Point State Park. The North Idaho Centennial Trail passes through Coeur d’Alene and is 23 miles long starting from the state line.
The trail offers many resting areas and beautiful views along the way. You can access the trail from many places and is a great way to enjoy the outdoors.
Tubbs Hill
One of the most popular hiking areas is the two-mile loop around Tubbs Hill. This is considered an easy hike and would take about an hour to do the loop. You can get on the trail from McEuen Park. It’s a mostly flat trail on a dirt road and meanders along the lake. Just be aware that you will encounter more people here than the other nearby trails.
Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail
This three-mile loop is another popular one in the CDA area. It’s a bit more challenging and can take over 1.5 hour to do the loop but with plenty of benches along he way for resting. The trail goes up to the Mineral Ridge summit that offers great panoramic views of the lake.
For more trails around the CDA area, check out this list from Trail and Summit.
Spend a Day at the Beach
Coeur d’Alene may not be an image that first comes to mind when having a beach day. With over 100 miles of shoreline, there are some noteworthy beaches to hang out for the day or a few hours.
My daughter and her friends (some of whom also hail from San Diego) went to the CDA area for the closest thing they could get to the beach this past summer.
As a San Diego native, she was very happy hiking Tubbs Hill and then spending a few hours at Sanders Beach. This area offers beautiful views all around too.
There is also the popular City Beach right in the downtown area. Though, it can get quite crowded especially during summer weekends.
Explore Riverstone Community area
We stumbled on this beautiful community while looking for places to eat outside of the downtown area. Riverstone is a masterplanned community with a beautiful park adjacent to a lake with some geese and ducks roaming around. The parks were perfect for young families.
There were several pathways for biking, jogging and walking including some along the lake. For dog owners and lovers, they have the best dog park right by the water.
This community had everything one could ask for living next to the Spokane River and great amenities for outdoor enthusiasts and the Village at Riverstone with shops and restaurants nearby.
Visit Museums and Galleries
If you want to know more about the area and its history, the Museum of North Idaho is a great place to visit. Located next to the CDA City Park, the museum features the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s artifacts and various multimedia and permanent exhibits about the region’s interesting history. The museum is closed on Sunday and Monday.
The downtown CDA district has a variety of galleries that feature local artists using various mediums. Pop into any one of them when you’re strolling around. See the special exhibitions and join the ArtWalk if you’re here during the second Friday of each month. Check out these galleries:
- The Art Spirit Gallery of Fine Arts
- Studio 107 Art Gallery (this is also a wine bar)
- Blackwell Gallery
- Coeuer d’Alene Galleries
Tour via a Seaplane
We saw several seaplanes taking off and landing near the Coeur d’Alene resort. This looks like such a fun and unique way to see the whole region with some very impressive views from above. It’s also a great way to spot wildlife.
The seaplane tours usually require at least two people to take off. The scenic flights usually last about 45 minutes. For the ultimate romantic adventure, there is also a sunset flight.
I can just imagine how spectacular those views look. Check out Brooke’s Seaplane Service for more information.
Eat/Shop in Downtown Coeur d’Alene
Downtown Coeur d’Alene was founded in 1888 with an enviable lakeside location. Today, it is a haven of over 125 eclectic mix of stores, businesses and restaurants.
It had a wonderful small town atmosphere. During our summer visit, there were plenty of hanging colorful floral baskets along the main street. We enjoyed strolling through the streets and finding some fantastic boutiques and local restaurants.
We were here during lunch time on our visit. There were so many options but summer weekends mean some popular ones were a quite crowded and had longer wait times. We ended up at Fire Artisan Pizza for some great food.
Since my daughter has visited on several occasions, she also recommends the following places:
- Hudson’s Hamburgers
- Pita Pit
- Collective Kitchen
- Meltz Extreme Grilled Cheese
For an afternoon caffeine break, we had coffee and pastries at Evans Brothers (a family-owned business founded in Idaho). It was a great space and coffee was great and reasonably priced. Plus, they have a partnership with the local Bean & Pie bakery shop for some delicious hand pies.
Check for any CDA downtown events that may be happening during your visit. There is a Farmer’s Market every Wednesday during the warmer months.
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