Tubbs Hill, Lake Coeur d’Alene
Now that I’m back in the U.S. for the next couple months, I’m taking every opportunity to keep traveling and keep exploring. Two weeks ago, I flew to Spokane, Washington, to meet up with Matt since he was there for a work trip. I was super excited to spend more time in Washington after traveling to Seattle and a few national parks up there in the past few years! But I actually didn’t stay in Washington for long — we took a quick day trip from Spokane over to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
I’ve been to Idaho several times, which is probably several times more than most people. Like our home state of Missouri, most people probably don’t think of Idaho as much of a travel destination. But my friend Brent — whom I’m working with at Sparkcade Marketing — told me we should check out Coeur d’Alene when I told him I’d be up in the area. So Matt and I, along with two of his co-workers, packed our swimsuits and made the 30-minute drive from Spokane.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
The first thing you might notice is the city’s tricky name, so here’s what you need to know about pronouncing it: It’s like “Kor-da-LANE.” At least I think so. Some people might say “Kur-da-LANE” according to Wikipedia. You also might guess that it’s French, and you’d be right. The “Coeur d’Alene People” is what the French settlers called the Native American tribe in the area. Other than that, there’s not much French influence or culture in the city.
With a population of 51,000, it’s not a very big city, but it’s the largest in North Idaho and seventh largest in the state.
Lake Coeur d’Alene
The lake is Coeur d’Alene’s main feature and tourist attraction. When we visited the lake, we went to Tubbs Hill, a 120-acre nature preserve that is surrounded by the lake on its west, south, and east sides.
It’s got plenty of trails for hiking and spectacular views of the lake and hills. And Tubbs Beach is a great place for swimming. From where we parked near City Hall and the McEuen Dog Park, it was only about a 20-30 minute hike to the beach. Just off to the east side of Tubbs Beach is a small “cliff” that is perfect for jumping into the lake! We’d read online that you could go “cliff jumping,” and although it isn’t a very tall cliff, it was definitely the closest thing to cliff jumping that I’ve ever done.
Tubbs Beach
Lake Coeur d’Alene was once rated as one of the “Top 5 Most Beautiful Lakes in the World” by National Geographic, and I can definitely see how they came to that conclusion. Jumping into the cold, clean, blue water, I didn’t feel like I was in a lake at all. It felt more like a natural swimming pool. The water that got in my mouth didn’t taste dirty – it tasted more like tap water. And when I got out, it didn’t make me feel dirty or like I immediately needed a shower.
Even though we only experienced one small corner of the lake — it’s nearly 50 square miles — Lake Coeur d’Alene is an unmissable part of any visit to this Idaho city.
Fooooood
Since we only had a little more than an afternoon there, we didn’t have much time for anything other than the lake. But we definitely had to eat. When we first arrived, before going to the lake, we stopped in Downtown Coeur d’Alene. There were lots of little shops and restaurants, and plenty of parking for a Thursday afternoon. Crafted Tap House & Kitchen caught our eye, so we stopped to sit outside on their patio with some local beers and appetizers. With 62 rotating taps and food made from scratch, it was a good start to our CDA experience.
You know how swimming makes you hungry? After the lake, we needed to eat again. This time, we went out to a place that Matt’s co-worker had recommended from a previous visit. It was called Meltz.
If you had a feeling that Meltz is a gourmet grilled cheese restaurant, you’d be correct. I love cheese, so this idea excited me greatly. When we got there, we weren’t sure what we were supposed to be looking at – but we soon realized the restaurant is located in a gas station, just like KC Joe’s Barbecue here in Kansas City. I think that’s when I KNEW it was going to be good. My grilled cheese had huckleberries on it, and Matt chose the award-winning “Potsticker” sandwich. Really, it was super hard to choose and they all looked beautiful and delicious.
Just in case these food options weren’t enough, Brent had sent me a list of other recommended Coeur d’Alene eateries. Maybe I’ll get there next time, or maybe you’ll have to check them out and let me know!
Fire Artisan Pizza
517 Sherman Avenue
Syringa Japanese Café + Sushi Bar
1710 N. 4th Street
https://www.syringasushi.com/
Have you ever visited Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, before? Or had you ever even heard of it? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
Originally Published on August 13, 2019.
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