Hidden Waterfalls, Historic Downtown, and Outdoor Adventure in Spirit Lake Idaho
North Idaho is known for its vast outdoors and numerous gorgeous lakes, but the town of Spirit Lake took me by surprise with it’s quaint historic downtown and amazing food! Located 25 miles north of Coeur D’Alene, Spirit Lake was like stepping into a time machine of American history; think Deadwood without the tourists! Throw in a brand new hiking and biking trail system and hidden waterfalls that are only accessible at certain times of the year, and this outdoor-loving travel host was in paradise!
With only one day to explore the area, we checked out the Brickel Creek trail. This 5-mile out and back trail is open from Memorial Day through mid-October. In the springtime, the water levels are too high to cross, so it’s best to check out this hike July-October.
To get to the trailhead, take highway 41 and head west onto Maine Street. Stay on the paved road which turns into West Spirit Lake Rd. About 4 miles in, the road turns into gravel and after an additional mile, you’ll reach a gate and the host site. A day pass is required from here, and is $15.00 per car. You can purchase a pass from the host and they’ll give you additional directions to reach the trailhead from here.
I love that this is sort of a “secret trail” with hidden waterfalls. At the same time, the trail is wide and really well maintained so you can’t get lost easily. The trail is full of a variety of views. As you start out on the hike, there are wide open vistas with mountain landscapes and towering pine trees. After a short distance, the trail winds into the woods full of giant boulders and the sound of rushing creek waters. Eventually the trail opens up a bit and a series of waterfalls can be seen.
The Brickel Creek trail is an easy hike, close to town, with very little elevation gain and can easily be done in a few hours. If you’re looking for something a bit longer and more challenging, the Empire Trails are the new hiking and biking system that winds 6.5 miles through this scenic region. Between the hiking trails and the water adventures on the lake, Spirit Lake is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts.
The best part about this region is the combination of activities as well as the history and food. The historic downtown is full of cute shops and restaurants and they hold multiple events throughout the year. The town of Spirit Lake is over 100 years old, and has a rich logging and mining history that you can feel everywhere you look.
We headed to the White Horse Saloon, the oldest operating saloon in all of Idaho, for some dinner and live music on the patio. The chef prepared us an AMAZING meal from scratch. From the house-made appetizer dipping sauces, to the smoked barbecue ribs, this was by far my favorite meal that I had in Idaho. Finishing off the day with some live music from Trout Pond Sammy and crashing at our gorgeous apartment above the Fresh Air E-Bike shop was the best way to wrap up our time in Spirit Lake.
To learn more about Spirit Lake click here and watch the full episode from our hiking adventure below. If you’re looking for even more North Idaho adventure, check out what it’s like to go rock climbing in Post Falls and hit the trails at Q’emiln Park. Now I’d love to hear from you! Have you been to Idaho? What are your favorite areas?
This blog and video were sponsored in part by a grant from Idaho Tourism.