Caribou Ridge

This hike sits just over the Idaho border near the town of Coeur d’Alene. Although it’s in Idaho, the trailhead can be reached in under an hour from downtown Spokane.

Start out from the Beauty Creek Campground and start climbing quickly with the aid of a few switchbacks. After a short traverse, some more switchbacks take you onto the ridge at about the 3-mile mark. From here the trail continues at a more gradual grade for another 2.1 miles to the Mount Coeur d’Alene summit.

The entirety of the hike is forested, with some sneak peek views of Lake Coeur d’Alene along the way. At the summit the views are their best. This is the end of the Caribou Ridge Trail, but hikers can connect to several other trails in the area to form a loop, most of which will require some road walking.

Instead of taking the spur to the summit, stay straight and you’ll be on Trail 227, or at 2.8 miles from the trailhead head left at the junction for Trail 258, which connects to Trail 257. A map will be helpful if you plan to explore the area further.