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Stuff to do/places to eat in Coeur d'Alene

NR_Hunter

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So I’m gonna spending a long weekend in Coeur d'Alene at the end of this month. I’m probably gonna be fishing the majority of the time I’m out there but is there stuff I should try to see when I’m not fishing?

Also, I’m a pretty miserable fly fisherman if anyone has any tips for me that would be greatly appreciated. I’ve caught some bass and blue gills on my fly rod but I’ve yet to catch a trout on fly tackle.
 
I love that area, I lived in Post Falls/Liberty Lake for a while. Priest, Pend Oreille, or Coeur d'Alene lakes are all a blast, but it sounds like you have all that covered already. I would call the marinas and ask for fishing tips. They are usually very helpful.
 
Wolf Lodge is a great place to eat. Best steaks in the area and servings large enough provide you with a nice lunch the next day. For an experience like no other rent a bike and go down the Hiawatha trail. It will take you an hour and a half drive to get to the trail head, but is worth the drive.
 
So I'm usually in CDA for work once a year and as such, I eat in places nicer than you may be looking for. Because when other people are buying.....

So the restaurant on the 6th? floor of the Resort is a very nice place to eat. Beverly's. https://www.cdaresort.com/dining/beverlys Good food. Menu of barrel-aged beers. It's a nicer place. Also, the resort owns the floating restaurant, which is a nicer place too. You drive to it and then walk across the walk to get out there. It is not at the resort. https://www.cdaresort.com/dining/cedars

If you want a little night life....Iron Horse. That is all you need to know. They usually have a band on Fridays. The place hops. You might have girls dressed to the nines you don't have a shot with and people that don't care how they're dressed that you have a great conversation with while you drool over the dolled up girls from a distance. And the range in between the two.

For breakfast, we usually eat at this mom and pop place on the way back to MT about a half hour out of CDA back towards MT right at the Rose lake exit.

I'm sure there's a lot more in CDA but that's what I got.
 
I live and work in CDA, been here two years. I have not been to some of the more spendy spots like Wolf Lodge or Beverlys yet but hear good things. If you spend some time downtown walk around Tubbs Hill and the Boardwalk by the resort. Mineral Ridge is a nice scenic hike close to town. Depending on where you are fishing drive up to Moon Pass south of Wallace. Could even fish your way down to Avery depending on your plans. Neat areas through there.

A few of the many food/drink spots that are good:
Daft Badger Brewery - Pulled pork nachos are great.
Post Falls Brewery - Usually has a food truck outside later in the day. Patio with good mountain view.
Crafted taphouse - food and beer
Mexican food trucks off 4th and Best, and 4th and Hattie are both good. Much better than the sit down mexican places around town
Capones - local chain, standard american food and pizza. More taps than tables
Seasons - Downtown. Beer and burger for $10 on Thursdays. Long wait but really good 1/2 lb burger
Breakfast Nook - Good breakfast spot, get there early on the weekends or the wait is long
Hudsons - Local fast food burger joint


If you go fishing up the North Fork of the CDA the Snake Pit, Prichard Tavern and Bedroom Goldmine bar are good spots for food and a cold drink. Trout should be congregating a bit more as water levels drop this month. I don't fly fish, but catching cutthroats on spinning tackle is easier than I thought it would be. Local fly shops put out a lot of good reports as well. Some cool hikes out there if you want to break up your time.
 
If you want a little night life....Iron Horse. That is all you need to know. They usually have a band on Fridays. The place hops. You might have girls dressed to the nines you don't have a shot with and people that don't care how they're dressed that you have a great conversation with while you drool over the dolled up girls from a distance. And the range in between the two.

Definitely good to know haha
 
CDA golf course is also a really fun/unique course (if you golf). You can also go on their driving range and hit balls out into the lake.
 
Word up, thanks for the advice everyone. I’ll def check out those hikes and fishing places.

I might get a little tipsy one night but my hard drinking days are long behind me and it’s hard to justify a hangover when there’s all that sorts of stuff to do and fish to catch. Only hunting/fishing trip I ever got drunk on was a snow goose hunting trip, and anyone who’s been snow goose hunting can likely understand why.
 
If you like Italian food, Tomato Street is delicious. If you want a good bar and grill, Capone’s is great. If you want food Mexican food, it doesn’t exist out there hahah- I’m from California, and that is literally the only thing going for this place.
I fished Hayden Lake a few weeks ago and did great! I took my little cousins out and they each caught their personal best... great time.
 
I visit family near Coeur d’Alene every year (sometimes even around hunting season). Eateries I like are Capone’s (slogan something like “More taps than tables”) and Hudson’s Hamburgers in Coeur d’Alene, Wolf Lodge Inn, just east of Coeur d’Alene, and the Snakepit, about 30 miles east of Coeur d’Alene. I really like the North Fork Burger at the Snakepit. You can even try Rocky Mountain oysters there (chewiest oysters I have ever had).

A couple of nice little hikes are Tubbs Hill at the edge of downtown and Mineral Ridge about 10 miles east of town (do this one so you will be on the point looking down the lake at sunset). The Settlers Grove of Ancient Cedars is a nice walk and very scenic but it is 60 or so miles from Coeur d’Alene, up off the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

If you want to try for trout on flies on your own, you could hit the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River starting 20 or so miles upstream from the Snakepit. If you need a guide, try Joe Roope with Castaway Fly Fishing.

The Route of the Hiawatha Trail ride, as suggested by someone else, is a good day trip - you ride through several tunnels, including one that is over a mile and a half long and you see a lot of pretty country. The seaplane trips that take off at a dock right downtown are fun, too. If you are short on time, just drive out Coeur d’Alene Lake Dr at sunset starting at the southeast side of town.

Have fun!
 
If you want a good burger, hit up Hudson's on Sherman. It's been a hamburger place, in the same family, in the same place for over a 100 years. DO. NOT. ASK. FOR. FRIES!

You can have your burger any way you want it, as long it's a combo of cheese, pickles, and onions. Best part is when you finish your burger, the guy at the grill will turn around and ask you if you want another one. I highly recommend the dessert burger, which is just another burger.

As far as fishing, head up the north fork of the Cd'A, and fish the little north fork. Start down low, by Bumblebee campground, then work your way up stream. A handful of size 8 Elk Hair Caddis, maybe a red Royal Wulf is all you'll need for dry flies. Toss out a size 20 bead head during the hot part of the day, in the riffles, you'll knock 'em dead.

If you've got the time, head to Wallace, then head south to Avery and fish the N. Fork of the St. Joe. Again, elk hair caddis and royal wulf... HUGE cutthroats right along the road, but it gets really good once you get passed Red Ives.
 
Well I took a lot of the advice given in this thread and I had a great trip! Caught some trout and saw some amazing country. Got a few cool hikes in and became a much more proficient fly fisherman.

One thing that surprised was how crowded the mountains got on Saturday. Had a lot of spots to myself on during the week but there were people everryyywwwhhhere on Saturday. Still a great time tho. Thanks everyone.
 
Alright amigos, CDA Part 2: Whole Family Edition in two weeks.

My mom and dad, brother, sister and her long term boyfriend, and my fiancé are all going to north Idaho on a family trip. My parents are road tripping out there, and the siblings are renting a car when we fly in.

This thread will definitely come in handy for me once again.

Pray for me tho, as I try to balance family stuff and fishing stuff for 7 whole days. I have a bad feeling the words “if you take one more cast, I’m giving you this ring back” will be said to me at some point.
 
White House Grill in Post Falls is really good Mediterranean. Beverly’s is great for high end dining and an epic wine list. Wolf Lodge is one of the best steaks in the northwest and really classic atmosphere.

Some decent green drake fishing in the tributaries of the CDA river but maybe a little early for that, but it’s kind of the closest thing to town that is decent. Then the St Joe but you’ve got to drive up there a ways.
 
White House Grill in Post Falls is really good Mediterranean. Beverly’s is great for high end dining and an epic wine list. Wolf Lodge is one of the best steaks in the northwest and really classic atmosphere.

Some decent green drake fishing in the tributaries of the CDA river but maybe a little early for that, but it’s kind of the closest thing to town that is decent. Then the St Joe but you’ve got to drive up there a ways.
We are actually staying in Kellogg, so pretty close to the north fork of the CDA and I will definitely be hitting up the St Joe a time or two.
 
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