Sandpoint, ID

I got up early on a Saturday morning and met my dad for a hike up to Caribou Lake. My dad had been there once before and this would be my first visit. When I got into my dad’s truck he informed me that he had forgotten the guide book and we would have to rely on his memory on how to get there. Fortunately his memory is better than mine, since you can often find me asking him “have I been there before”?, and the majority of the time I have been to where I am asking, but have forgotten.

We arrived at the trailhead and I got out to look around as my dad got his water bottle, camera and changed into his hiking shoes. I found that the trailhead was a little peculiar since the wooden bridge that took you across the creek at the start of the trail looked to have been cut with a chainsaw. You could still get across the bridge by walking along a log that had not been cut, which made me feel more like we were walking a tightrope, than across a bridge.

Once we had crossed the “bridge”we headed up the trail, that was wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It made for a great trail to converse on. The trail was very rocky and had a few steep inclines but other than that the trail was an easy hike. The path is lined with alder trees and bear grass and huckleberry bushes as we got to higher elevations. The hike is about 1.5 miles, and if I was not such a lazy bones should have only taken about an hour. I am not much of a hiker, so when I saw the huge rock walls that surrounded the lake, I let out a sign of relief. We spent a few moments taking photos only to be joined by another family of hikers. They had fishing poles with them and asked if we had seen any fish in the crystal clear water. I told them we had seen several fish jump out of the water while we were there, so they may be in luck. We decided not to stay to see if they caught any fish and started our descent down the mountain. We returned back to the parking lot about an hour after we left the lake. It was a lot of fun for my dad and I to get out and enjoy the day. We went early in the morning to beat the heat, which was a great idea because it kept us cool and we pretty much had the trail to ourselves.

If you would like to go to Caribou Lake head north on Highway 95/2 towards Bonners Ferry. You will turn left on Upper Pack River Road, about 13 miles from Sandpoint. A gas station will be located just after where you turn. Follow Upper Pack River Road, passing a sign on the right, Edna and Buck’s (or Buck and Edna’s as the locals call it), take the next left on Forest Service road 2684, the road sign says Caribou Creek Road. Follow the 2684 road, which will come to a Y intersection. Take road 58 on the left that dead ends at a gravel parking lot (11.3 miles from the highway). You will know you are there when you see the broken bridge and the trailhead sign 58. There are also no trailhead fees.