Bench with a view, Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

National Geographic called Lake Coeur d’Alene one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.  I might be a little biased since I live right next to it, but I’d certainly have to agree.  Located in the panhandle of Idaho, far from the state’s population center of Boise, the alpine beauty of Lake Coeur d’Alene offers a wide variety of fun family activities, whether you’re on a budget or you have money to burn.

To me, it’s just about the ideal place to spend a few carefree summer days on the water.  With a length of over 25 miles and a shoreline measuring over 109 miles, the lake is big enough that it never feels crowded, even on the busiest Saturday in August.

The obvious place to begin your family vacation is in the city of Coeur d’Alene, which sits on the north shore of the lake and is your best bet for lodging.  Your hotel options range from the luxurious Coeur d’Alene Resort, which juts out over the water near downtown, to a Holiday Inn Express less than a mile from the city beach.

Summer fun in the water

During the summer months, mainly July and August, the water temperature of the lake is perfect for any activity you can imagine.  My kids and I swim at least two or three times a week during these warm days.  Coeur d’Alene’s city facilities stretch out across the north shore, so you don’t have to go looking for a spot to set up your beach chairs.  City Beach offers the safety of lifeguards, but if you want to get away from the crowds there, simply stroll down to the adjacent beach in front of North Idaho College.  You’ll feel like you have the lake to yourself.

If you want to do more than just sit on the beach and take in the beautiful view, you don’t have to go very far for a refreshing hike.  Right smack dab in the middle of downtown Coeur d’Alene is what can only be described as the jewel of the town.  Tubbs Hill is a 135-acred forested peninsula with a 2-mile loop trail that takes you all along the shoreline, where you can find secluded beaches, scenic overlooks, rocky coves, and woodland habitats.  My family hikes Tubbs Hill regularly, and I’m always amazed at the beauty of the place, not to mention the fact that the city was able to save this urban wilderness from development.  We pack a picnic lunch, hike out to the tip of the peninsula, and find a quiet spot for the afternoon.

Tubbs Hill

If you want to get out onto the water, there are several options.  At Independence Point, next to City Beach, you can rent jet skis, kayaks, and paddle boats.  Many different businesses in town offer reasonable rentals on everything from jet boats to luxury yachts.  Well, I’m not so sure if the words “reasonable” and “luxury yacht” go together.  The Resort also offers daily lake cruises, ranging from 90 minutes to 6 hours.  There’s even a parasail boat and a float plane if you want to see things from a different perspective.

If your kids are waterlogged and tired of hiking, you can rent some bikes and head down any number of paved bike trails that hug the lake shore.  The Centennial Trail runs right through downtown, heading east all the way to Higgens Point and west along the Spokane River, across the border into Washington, all the way into the city of Spokane.  Or, you can explore the prairie north of the lake on the new Prairie Trail, which connects with all the other bike trails.  Come to think of it, there are so many miles of trails around here, you might actually get lost.  But a good kind of lost.  If a park is what the kids are hoping for, there’s the City Park which, naturally, sits right next to City Beach, and contains a huge castle-like play structure for the kids to run wild on.

Hiking, biking, boating, and swimming.  What more could you ask for in a relatively inexpensive family vacation?  You’ll find it all here, in one extremely centralized location at the north end of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Like I said, though, it’s a big lake and there’s certainly more to explore.  But I’ll save that for another post.  I could talk about “my lake” endlessly.  I’m sure that if you bring your family to this part of Idaho, you’ll also be talking about one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Kayaking on Lake Coeur d'Alene

Scenic overlook on Tubbs Hill

Cliff diving in Idaho

All photos by Phil Corless

Spectacular Double Arch, at Arches National Park

It’s a dream of mine to take my kids to every National Park in the United States.  Obviously, I’ll never be able to do that, as there are just too many of them and too little time.

But at least we can visit the parks close to us in the west, like Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Olympic, and Arches.  Last spring, we planned a family vcation to see that last one, Arches National Park, in Utah.  The place surprised me with its uniqueness, beauty, and kid-friendliness.

The best part of the park, especially for families with young children, is that most of the major features are in a relatively small area, and none of them are too far from the road.  That means short hikes that won’t wear anybody out.  The park contains over 2,000 arches, but you’ll probably only see a dozen or so unless you take longer hikes into the backcountry.  Highlights include Double Arch, which is an awesome place for the kids to climb on sandstone formations.  Yes, they let you climb just about everywhere except on top of the arches themselves.

Through sandstone fins to Sand Dune Arch.

Our hikes were mostly a half-mile to just under two miles, on trails that were easy to traverse and, in some cases, paved.  There was one exception, which I’ll get to in a minute.  There’s such a wide variety of arches and formations in the park that at no time are you going to hear, “Oh, it’s just another arch,” from your kids.  They were excited to get out of the car and explore at every stop.  One of my favorites was the half-mile trek through sandstone fins and deep sand to the isolated Sand Dune Arch.  It felt like we were in another world.

At the end of the main road through the park is one of the longest trails, The Devils Garden.  You’ll see ten impressive arches on this 7-mile loop.  Or, you can do like we did and walk as far as Landscape Arch, about a mile in.  Landscape Arch is the longest span in the park at more than a football field in length.  Parts of it collapsed in 1991, so you might want to hurry before the whole thing comes down.  In fact, another arch a few hundred yards down the trail collapsed completely last August.

Running to Delicate Arch

We didn’t walk the entire Devils Garden loop because we were saving our energy for what I think is the must-do hike in the entire park, the 3-mile round-trip trek to the iconic Delicate Arch.  This is the arch you see on Utah license plates.  It’s a free-standing sandstone arch that reminded my son of a giant pair of pants.  You can’t see the arch while you’re on the somewhat strenuous trail, which includes some steep sections of slickrock.  Because it’s out of view the whole way, it’s something of a treat to have it come into view as you round the final corner of the trail.  My tired kids found a burst of energy when they saw it and took off running to the other side of the “bowl” so they could walk underneath the arch.

It’s an absolutely stunning scene, with the La Sal Mountains in the background, and plunging cliffs on either side of the arch.  There are plenty of nooks and crannies along the cliffs above Delicate Arch where you can lay out a blanket and enjoy some snacks before heading back down.  It took us about three hours for the entire hike, so you’ll want to start it in the morning or early afternoon.  Of all the arches you see in the park, this is the one that you’ll remember best.

We stayed in nearby Moab, Utah, where there are plenty of inexpensive hotels to choose from.  If you’re looking for a great place to eat after a day of hiking, seek out some carbs at Pasta Jay’s, an Italian restaurant that made every member of my family happy.  Best Chicken Parmigiana I’ve ever had!

If you want to start visiting our incredible National Parks with your young kids, Arches is the perfect place to begin with them.  They’ll see and experience nature at its most weird and wonderful.

Winding trail through Park Avenue Canyon.

Arches National Park

Climbing near Double Arch

All photos by Phil Corless