1. Harrison, Idaho, via Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes: Start your ride from the Lake Chatcolet trailhead at Heyburn State Park (Idaho State Park Pass required) for a flat, 9-mile journey (one-way). Pack your own water and Leave No Trace supplies (e.g., toilet paper, digging trowel)—there is no water access or restrooms along this rustic, paved trail. Once you reach the town of Harrison on Lake Coeur d’Alene, take the kids to the Harrison Creamery and Fudge Factory Ice Cream Parlor, famous for its creative flavors. Visit the city’s park, playground, and beach before returning to the trail. For the creamery’s seasonal opening date and daily hours, visit facebook.com/HarrisonCreamery.

• Kellogg & Wallace, Idaho, via Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes: Ride between these small towns on the paved trail and explore family-friendly stops in Wallace such as the Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum (open April-October), Sierra Silver Mine Tour (season opening May 1), and Wallace District Mining Museum (open May-October). In Kellogg, visit the Shoshone County Mining & Smelting Museum (season opening May 2) or do the Crystal Gold Mine Underground Tour, and eat at Hill Street Depot—a bistro pub with a great kids’ menu.

• Riverstone & Ramsey Parks via Prairie Trail in Coeur d’Alene: This 4-mile paved spur trail off the North Idaho Centennial Trail is family-friendly bike path with restrooms and playgrounds at each access point.

• Liberty & Underhill Parks via Ben Burr Trail: This 1-mile paved community trail connects these two City of Spokane parks. At Liberty Park, in the East Central neighborhood, there is a playground, restrooms, and aquatic center (open during summer), while there’s a splash pad, playground, and wooded hillside at Underhill Park.

• Cheney and Fish Lake via Columbia Plateau Trail: Starting from the trailhead near Fish Lake Regional Park (Discover Pass required), ride the paved trail 3.75 miles to Cheney, where the trail intersects with Cheney-Spangle Road. At this trailhead, turn right and pedal into Cheney or continue riding the trail, which now converts to crushed gravel, to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Family-friendly stops in Cheney include The Mason Jar, a café with a healthy kids’ menu; Get the Scoop, a locally-owned ice cream parlor; and Sutton Park by the EWU campus. You can also start your ride at the Cheney trailhead and pedal out-and-back to either Fish Lake or Turnbull. Visit wta.org for more trail details.

• Sand Creek & Serenity Lee Trails, Sandpoint, Idaho: Accessible from downtown Sandpoint, at Bridge Street, on the west side of the Hwy 2 and 95 overpasses, Sand Creek Trail heads north along the creek, which is popular with paddlers. Along the way, you’ll find benches and wetland viewing areas. (Note: On Google maps, Sand Creek Trail is labeled as Sandpoint Byway Trail.) The trailhead for Serenity Lee Trail, another paved multi-use trail, begins behind the Bonner County Courthouse (1^st Ave/Lake Street), near the overpasses for Hwy 2 and 95—parking and restrooms are available. It travels along the highway peninsula’s eastern shore, passing Dog Beach Park and crossing the 2-mile Long Bridge, using a wide pedestrian/bike lane. The trail continues on the other side of the lake, traveling into Sagle, Idaho.

• Kendall Yards via Centennial Trail: Start east of downtown Spokane, even if it’s simply Riverfront Park and bike with your kids to Kendall Yards where you can get ice cream from Brain Freeze, visit Spark Central (during drop-in hours), or eat lunch at Veraci Pizza. Ride further west on the trail to Olmsted Brothers Green, a neighborhood park at Nettleton Street, with a playground and grassy field. Hello Sugar donut shop is across the street.

• Mission Park via Centennial Trail: This 13-acre park along the river in Spokane’s Logan neighborhood, east of downtown, has a playground and, when seasonally open, a splash pad and city aquatic center. //

Plan Your Family Ride

For trail map and park information, visit these websites.

• Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes: Friendsofcdatrails.org or Parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/trail-coeur-d-alenes.
• Coeur d’Alene City Parks & Prairie Trail: Cdaid.org
• Spokane City Parks: My.spokanecity.org/parks
• Columbia Plateau Trail: Wta.org
• Centennial Trail (Spokane County): Spokanecentennialtrail.org

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• Visit Palouse Falls State Park. Your kids will be amazed at the 200-foot waterfall, as it thunders down and churns through a basalt gorge, especially during spring run-off. At 13,000-years-old, it’s one of the “last active waterfalls on the Ice Age floods path,” according to Washington State Parks’ website. Enjoy the picnic area or camp overnight (first-come, first-serve). Walk the interpretative path that leads to the Fryxell Overlook. Stay behind the fence-barriers at all times, and do not attempt to swim beneath the waterfall or hike on dirt trails above the Palouse River Canyon. Park rangers have blocked unofficial trails as every year there have been fatalities from drowning or falling from cliffs.

• Seek treetop high-adventure. Take your family (ages 7+) through an aerial obstacle course among the treetops at Mica Moon Zip Tours & Aerial Park in Liberty Lake, Wash. In Athol, Idaho, within Farragut State Park, Tree to Tree Adventure Park has courses closer to the ground for kids age 9 and younger and higher courses for youth and adults (season opens April 13).

• Go dock fishing. Round Lake State Park, south of Sandpoint, Idaho, has some of the best trout fishing in the region, with two long docks bordering the swimming area (fishing allowed year-round here). Klink’s Resort at Williams Lake, near Cheney, Wash., charges a nominal fee for day-use of their docks, and hosts an annual fishing derby every May (third Sunday). Visit state fish and wildlife agency websites for complete details about regulations and licenses.

• Hike the Pulaski Tunnel Trail. Learn about the Great Fire of 1910 with a 4-mile round-trip hike along this historic trail near Wallace, Idaho. Wildfire burned more than 3 million acres of forest across the region. Interpretive signs along the route to the Pulaski Tunnel overlook tell the story about how Forest Ranger “Big Ed” Pulaski ordered his fire crew to hunker down in an old mine as the wildfire raged around them; all but 6 of the 43-man crew survived. The trailhead is a 5-minute drive from downtown Wallace on Forest Service Road 456. No one is allowed inside the tunnel. Learn more at visitnorthidaho.com or fs.usda.gov.

• Visit an island. Whether you get there by paddling or powerboating, kids will enjoy being daytime “pirates” or overnight campers. Options include Maiden Rock at Lake Pend Oreille; Popcorn Island at Killarney Lake; Kalispell, Bartoo, Fourmile, or Eightmile Islands at Priest Lake; sand dune islands at Potholes Reservoir; and Wild Horse Island State Park at Flathead Lake, in western Montana.

• Camp at Priest Lake. This quintessential Inland NW pastime provides relaxing fun for all ages. With nine rustic U.S. Forest Service campgrounds on the west side and Priest Lake State Park’s three campground units on the east side of this 19-mile long lake, you can stay for a week and do it all: swimming, fishing, paddling, boating, waterskiing/tubing, hiking, and mountain biking. In lieu of camping, stay in a resort cabin at Hill’s or Elkin’s. Paddle the Thoroughfare to Upper Priest Lake, or hike the Navigation Trail, to explore this wilderness.

• Forage for wild huckleberries. While commonly found in the forests surrounding Priest Lake, bushes full of these beloved tart berries are also on the slopes of Mt. Spokane and other trails in the Selkirk and Bitterroot Mountains. Be bear aware, especially in remote locations, and bring bear spray.  

• Visit Steptoe Butte State Park. This day-use park near Colfax, Wash., offers spectacular views of the surrounding Palouse farmland.

• Float the Coeur d’Alene River. Locals frequently tube sections of the river, but for those new to the Coeur d’Alene, Joe Roope’s Castaway Fly Fishing Shop provides guided rafting trips. The 3-4 hour trip begins in Enaville and finishes in Cataldo. Raft rental, guide, shuttle transportation, and beverages are provided, according to castawayflyfishingshop.com. Afterwards, dine nearby at the historic Snake Pit restaurant.

• Go sailing on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Spend the day at NIC Beach at Lake Coeur d’Alene (the public beach at North Idaho College, officially named Yap-Keehn-Um Beach), where you can rent a 14-foot Hobie Wave sailboat, by the hour or for a full day. There are also canoe, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard rentals here—available June 1 through Labor Day.

For more ideas, visit OutThereOutdoors.com and search “family summertime adventures.” //

Amy McCaffree is Out There’s special section editor and Out There Kids columnist. She enjoys camping, kayaking, biking, and hiking with her husband, two children, and their family dog.

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