Exploring within 4 hours of Kalispell: Sandpoint, Idaho
Whenever the adventurer inside of us raises his or her head, it’s time to set out on an adventure. We recently answered the urge, and left the town of Kalispell behind. This time we headed west to Sandpoint, Idaho – a town of about 8,500 which is nestled between three mountain ranges. The town sits on the edge of Lake Pend Oreille. In the summer, activities include fishing, boating, kayaking, hiking, performing arts theater, camping, enjoying the beach, biking, and more. In the winter, the Schweitzer ski resort takes center stage. And in the Autumn? There are even things to do then!
Fall is a fantastic time to enjoy Sandpoint. There are fewer visitors, and it’s easy to do whatever looks interesting. In addition to walking around town and shopping, enjoying some delicious dinners, sightseeing for fall foliage both south and north of town is a must!
So here’s what we did on our mini-vacation to Sandpoint Idaho.
Around town:
We wandered around town to see what was in the area. Besides enjoying dinner at Trinity at City Beach (I gave it 5 stars – so good) and Jalapenos (also tasty!), we did a bit of shopping. I even wound up purchasing a very nice and cozy sweater jacket from Azalea Handpicked Style on First Avenue North. And I hate shopping, so that tells you something about how enjoyable the area was!
But what did we do with most of our time?
Hiking
We hiked! On the first day, we hiked up to the top of Schweitzer Mountain, which is the Sandpoint Ski Resort. We started our trek at the ski village, and wound up at the top near the ski lodge. Going up the mountain, we were the only people on the trail and we were the only people people when we reached the top. Autumn is an amazing time to take this hike! On the way up, there was a lot of open area, so we were able to keep an eye on the views the entire way up. Once we got to the top, we found a few inches of snow which was gone the next afternoon. It was a fun hike, and not too difficult.
For an insight into what the area looks like, check out this video taken from the top of Schweitzer Mountain: (PS, it was windy..)
On the following day, we tried a trail on the opposite side of town, Gold Hill Trail 3. This trail was busier than the one on Schweitzer mountain and we passed other people as we went up and came back down again. The trail traversed forested hills, and as we walked up (and up and up), we were not able to enjoy views. That being said, the woods were still peaceful and it was a great walk. And the view at the top was totally worth the trek – we were able to see the town of Sandpoint, as well as the surrounding area. Check it out for yourself (below!)
So if you are looking for a wonderful trip within a four hour drive from Kalispell, Montana, you have got to check out Sandpoint, Idaho. If you go in the summer, you’ll be able to enjoy all the fishing and water sports, and in the winter, it’s time for skiing. Sandpoint works anytime of year!
If you’d like to read about Kalispell, check out this website.