Just about everyone who's lived in North Idaho for a few decades has enjoyed floating the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. It's river rafting without the rapids or need for a guide. On a hot summer day you can find literally thousands of people in all manner of devices that inflate and later in the season you can enjoy the solitude of far fewer floaters. An informal survey of license plates on the cars and trucks parked alongside the Old River Road tells the tale ... it's a local favorite pastime. Not something that's on the usual tourist radar, an insider's getaway from lakes that are filled with boats and jetskis this time of year.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Quintessential North Idaho summer
Just about everyone who's lived in North Idaho for a few decades has enjoyed floating the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River. It's river rafting without the rapids or need for a guide. On a hot summer day you can find literally thousands of people in all manner of devices that inflate and later in the season you can enjoy the solitude of far fewer floaters. An informal survey of license plates on the cars and trucks parked alongside the Old River Road tells the tale ... it's a local favorite pastime. Not something that's on the usual tourist radar, an insider's getaway from lakes that are filled with boats and jetskis this time of year.
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3 comments:
Hi Kerri:
You have a wonderful blog! As a Kellogg girl, I spent many wonderful Summer afternoons on the North Fork. Now I live in Montana and have my own kids and want to introduce them to the North Fork but since I have been gone so long, I have no idea where we should float. It will be August so the river may be low, but I would still like to try it on inner tubes. Can you give me some ideas of where we can put in and where we should pull out on this float? I would appreciate any links to maps and directions! I imagine some of it will be familiar once I am up there, but it has been a REALLY long time!
Shari (Lennon) Gianarelli
Shari, I float even in August when the water's lower and a few of the "rapids" are actually walked with the raft.
We usually put in at Bumblebee Bridge and float down to Albert's Landing (used to be Fat Alberts) It's a nice 3 hour or so float in the late season. Would recommend putting in by noon since the last mile or so can get chilly in the shade if it's late afternoon at the end of your float.
Have fun!
The Kingston Exit off of I-90, past The Snake Pit then north up to the Bumblebee Bridge.
Thanks, Kerri! I remember those two locations! Glad to know about how long it will take.
Looking forward to my trip out there in August!
Shari
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