Once again, those imaginative French trappers conjured up an image-rich place name. It means "sharp-hearted" as it is said that the traders were referring to some serious disappointments in negotiating with the intractable local tribes.

The lake of the same name is 25 miles long with more than 135 miles of shoreline. The lake's average depth is about 30 feet, so summer water temperatures can hover around 70 degrees. Lake activities include rides aboard various cruise boats and sail boats, or going aloft while parasailing or in seaplanes. There's also jet skiing, as well as swimming, and naturally, water skiing. And the infamous 14th golf hole situated on water.

As you arrive downtown, you can't miss the elegant, 18-story white tower of the Coeur d'Alene Resort (cdaresort.com) at the edge of the lake. This full-service, destination resort has been redone throughout, and features a glamorous new state-of-the-art spa created, according to J.J. Jaeger, director of sales and marketing for the resort, by the specialist who also designed The Broadmoor's spa. The resort's golf course has been called the top golf facility in Idaho by Golf Digest, and then, there's that floating 14th that you get to via mahogany speed boat, plus the complimentary sports massage afterward. There are more than 24,000 sq. ft. of meeting space at the resort, the largest being the 15,000-square-foot ballroom.

Coeur d'Alene Resort Casino (cdacasino.com), which opened a little over five years ago in Whorley, about 25 minutes away, combines gaming, major name entertainment—Wynona Judd and Clint Black are in the lineup this year—and the much-admired Circling Raven golf course in an appealing package. There are 40 lakes within the area and the casino operates a dinner cruise river boat, as well.

The city enjoys an art walk on the second Friday of the month, when the art galleries, boutiques and some of the more than 20 restaurants remain open. In the summer, the pride of the city is the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre, produced by North Idaho College. According  Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce (courdalene.org), the quality of their productions—which include full staging and a live orchestra—inspired USA Today to call the troupe "one of the ten great places to see the light way off Broadway.

About 45 minutes out of town is the 1,000-acre Silver Mountain Resort (silvermt.com) in Kellogg. The downhill skiing on 65 trails down 2,200 vertical feet is served by 7 lifts, including the world's longest single-stage gondola, which takes you up 4,000 vertical feet on a 3-mile-long ride. Ski magazine called this "one of the best mountains you've never skied." The writer also added: "The resort is a powder machine; one year it got an astounding 1,100 inches."

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Getting There

Coeur d'Alene, Spokane International Airport (spokaneairports.net) has nonstop service from Boise, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle.

 

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Not To Be Missed

A cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Golf at the Coeur d’Alene Resort (home of the floating 14th hole).
The Centennial Trail, a manicured bicycle trail that goes as far as Spokane.
The 72-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s.
The Route of the Hiawatha, a historic 13-mile-long railway bed, now a manicured downhill bike and hiking trail through tunnels and along trestles.

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