Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Coeur d’Alene is the hub of a Rocky Mountain water wonderland. Surrounded by lakes and rivers, it shares the northern shore of one of the world’s most beautiful lakes with a luxuriant pine forest that extends to nearby mountains and beyond. Originally a military outpost after the Indian Wars during the late 19th century, the town prospered with the coming of the transcontinental railroad and the lumber industry, and a brief, colorful steamboating era.

Coeur d’Alene is now one of the largest and liveliest vacation destinations in the northern Rocky Mountains. One of America’s best resorts connects a picturesque downtown to a superb lakefront park with colorful gardens, tree-shaded picnic sites, a scenic promenade by a long sandy beach, swimming areas, a handsome museum, and a municipal pier for a variety of lake cruises. An increasing number of distinctive restaurants, specialty shops and lodgings serve visitors here to enjoy the lake and surrounding rivers, forests and mountains.

For more information, check with the local Chamber of Commerce.