Wildflowers spring up

Despite the on again - off again Spring in North Idaho, fields of wildflowers color the walking trails at Q'emiln Park on the Spokane River in Post Falls.

Bigger than Life!

The historical mural wall in the rotunda of Post Falls City Hall dwarfs visitors like Emily Park of Blackfoot. Town founder Frederick Post is immortalized on the mural.

I Heart North Idaho!

This view from the patio at the Coeur d'Alene Visitor Center sums up how North Idahoans feel when the sun comes out. This week the temperature reached 80 degrees, a preview of what's just down the road for summer!

Coming Attractions

It's springtime in North Idaho!

Tea Party

North Idaho joined communities around the country with a tax day Tea Party at Independence Point on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Home Sweet North Idaho Home

April showers don't always mean rain in North Idaho. We awoke to snow but no worries ... the forecast for the weekend is sun and 70s!

Tank view

Two friends enjoy a visit atop the tank in front of American Legion Post 143 in Post Falls. The post is the largest in Idaho and hosted a free Easter dinner for the community on Saturday evening.

Whitewater

This view at Falls Park is one most people don't get to see. Avista's Dave Ayres provided an above-the-dam tour from the spillway, where this morning the Spokane River was flowing at about 11,000 cubic inches per second. I don't know how he managed a rainbow for my OnLocation North Idaho photo shoot, though! *Falls Park is just off of Spokane Street on 4th Avenue in Post Falls and includes a public viewing platform at the dam. This time of year is when the falls are at their most spectacular.

Bunny Buddies

These bunnies share a drink in their Post Falls hutch, readying for Easter egg hunt duties.

Your roots are showing

A rooted tree stump is caught in the piling remnants in Sand Creek behind the Sandpoint Visitor Center. The creek will rise in the coming weeks as the mountain snow melts, sending the tree down river to Lake Pend Oreille.

Ski Free

Although the sun has come out and the patio weather gauge is expected to hit the 70 degree mark for the first time this year, North Idahoans know that there's nothing like hitting the slopes for the last runs of the season. Pack the sunscreen and sweatshirt and head to Lookout Ski and Recreation area at the Idaho/Montana state line where the skiing is free on Saturday!

Tee Time

With snow-covered Rathdrum Mountain as a backdrop, golfers turned out in droves on the first sunny Sunday in April. Most North Idaho golf courses opened this week, a sure sign of Spring.

Cracked Ice

Ten miles south of Sandpoint, Cocolalla Lake is an accessible, 800-acre year-round fishery fed by Cocolalla Creek. It's also popular for ice fishing in winter ... although the ice is beginning to break up as April arrives, creating a jagged design from the eastern shoreline to the west. Cocolalla Creek provides spawning habitat for brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout. Opportunities for warm water fish really sets this lake apart from other north Idaho lakes, especially the chance to catch channel catfish.

The winter that was

Contrary to assumptions, North Idaho's record snowfall from the winter of 2007-08 has not been bested this year. The confusion comes from neighboring Spokane setting a new record. Spokane's International Airport (30 miles west of the Idaho stateline) broke its seasonal snowfall record set back in 1949-50 of 93.5 inches by reaching 93.6 inches in the early morning hours of Monday, March 30.
In Coeur d'Alene, our seasonal snowfall is currently second only to last winter's total of 172.9 inches at 137.9 inches. Our combined two-season total back-to-back winters of 2007-08 and 2008-09 is now an incredible 310.8 inches, easily topping the 222.6 inches of 1915-16 and 1916-17. More light snows are likely between now and April 10 when warmer temperatures should arrive.
Bottom line: we'd need another 3 feet of snowfall to break last year's record in North Idaho!
*thanks to Cliff Harris for the data!