Even A Day Is Vacation In Boundary County

Having lived in north Idaho nearly 40 years, and being the outdoor enthusiast I am, I’ve hunted every mountain, fished in every stream. I know this country like the back of my hand. I figured I’d been to just about every nook and cranny in the region.

Boy was I wrong.

My wife and I love to explore the county with our girls; love to take day-vacations on the weekends, enjoying the beauty of the place we call home. We find ourselves exploring roads leading high into the mountains, hiking trails cross-country to the most beautiful, natural waterfalls and streams, taking a picnic lunch to a mountain lake. I, of course, always bring along my camera to capture not only the memories of the day, but the beauty of this place we all call home.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve discovered roads in Boundary County that I never even knew existed… or at least, never thought extended much beyond the bounds of where we have been. The majority of us who have lived in this county for any period, knows there is a road called The Westside Road, which runs up the west side of the Kootenai Valley all the way to the Canadian border. How many of us knew there was also a road to the east? (I’ll call it Eastside Road.) Eastside Road leads up the valley, giving many great photo opportunities of the valley itself from a perspective I’ve never seen before. The entire valley spread out to the south, giving a panoramic view of the Paradise Valley bench across, across the farmlands, past the Kootenai Tribal lands and beyond. The road does end up above Three-Mile, but wow what a drive. (Make sure in the spring that you have a good four-wheel drive vehicle though.)

Another interesting view of the valley can be seen from the far side of Piney Island. All I wanted to do on this day was get a picture of the backside of the island. The wind was blowing that day and across the fields, it felt as if it could have picked my Chevy Silverado right up off the road. A pair of Red-tailed Hawks led us along the path until we reached the other side of the island. I had always figured this road led to a dead-end at someone’s house, but discovered this day that the road continues on until you curve around the south side of the Kootenai Valley. This trip only took about an hour or so, including time to stop to take pictures.

The point of my describing these two ventures is simply to express how lucky we all are to live in Beautiful Boundary County. Whether it’s a leisurely hour drive through the wheat fields to view unknown areas, or a day trip through the mountains on a backcountry road, there is always a good option for a chance to get back to nature. Maybe that’s one reason we choose to live here. Whether it’s a walk in your neighborhood or a day trip to the back country now is a great time to take the family and enjoy a vacation in our beautiful Boundary County.

There’s no time like the present.