Summer fun in Coeur d'Alene

The list of summer activities in Coeur d'Alene is seemingly endless. The Lake City is constantly abuzz with art, music, drama, sports, and more. Coeur d'Alene is the seat of Kootenai County and is the sixth largest city in the state of Idaho. One of the largest attractions in the area is Lake Coeur d'Alene, which extends 23 miles to the South and has 109 miles of shoreline.

Water activities include parasailing with Coeur d'Alene Parasailing, boating, jet skiing, swimming at Independence Point, touring the lake on one of many paddle boats and party boats, and day cruises, and at Independence point you can rent water bikes to paddle around the crystal clear waters. Coeur d'Alene is also host to three local fishing tournaments; the Panhandle Bass Anglers Fall Open, the Hayden Lake Northern Pike Tournament, and Oktoberfish Lake Pend Oreille Southenders Fishing Derby, all of which are technically in the Fall, but well worth the extended visit. If you love being in the water, but the sun doesn't quite agree with your fair complexion, you can enjoy our indoor amusement park, Triple Play.

CDA is also home to the worlds only floating golf green, part of the Coeur d'Alene Resorts golf course. "The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course and its famed floating green have annually been rated among the best resort courses in America by Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and others. Designer Scott Miller's vision was that The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course be remembered not only as a great golf course, but also as an incredibly beautiful park. Building on that tradition, the Course has undergone a transformation for 2003 with new tees, new greens, a forest of new trees, new fairway bunkers and over 500 yards of new terrain. All designed to improve player aesthetics and enhance shot values. With a minimum of four tees on each hole, bentgrass fairways and manicured greens, The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course is challenging, yet forgiving, playable by golfers of all ages and skill levels. (taken from this web page)

For the more adventure minded, there are ample nature trails, horse back riding, and bike trails. With Bridle Path Quarter Horses, you can take a trip in an authentic 1800's style wagon through 600 treed acres. You can take a relaxing walk, or an invigorating hike through the 88-acre Cougar Bay Preserve, located just minutes south of downtown CDA. Cougar Bay attracts migrating and nesting waterfowl, numerous shorebirds, songbirds, moose, beaver, otter and deer along 5 miles of interpretive hiking trails, as well as canoeing and kayaking. For more information, click here.

If you are more interested a bit of history, then the Coeur d'Alene Car d'Lane car show is for you! Taking place in mid June, you couldn't ask for more beautiful weather to walk through downtown CDA admiring classic cars. In addition to the car parade through downtown CDA, there is a great Car d'Lane cruise.

For the truly athletic, Coeur d'Alene is host to some of the best races in the country. In April, we have the Bloomsday Race. The first race was held on May 1, 1997, and over one thousand runners participated. The race was so successful, that the next year, there were over 5,000 runners. In 2007, over 44,000 runners registered, with just over 40,000 completing the race. In addition to the race itself, there is the Bloomsday trade show, a premier showcase for fitness products, activities and events.

The biggest draw for runners to Coeur d'Alene is undoubtedly the Ironman Triathlon. The race includes a 2.4 mi. swim, 112 mi. bike ride, and a26.2 mi. run.

"The two-loop swim course at Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene has the potential to be tough, but has even more potential to be a really nice start to the day. It's become the norm to hear that the water is cold ... the word is that the athletes can expect water somewhere between 63 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit (a little over 17 degrees Celsius).

"All of the courses at Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene are two-loop affairs, and both the bike and the run pass by the finish line and transition area four times, so spectators are in for a great day. The bike course is more challenging than it initially would appear. The course is very technical, with enough difficulty to keep things interesting." (taken from this web page)

Other out door activities include the Lake Coeur d'Alene Balloon Fest with the Night Glow Extravaganza, white water rafting, horse riding on ranches such as Rider Ranch and the Silverwood Theme Park, the Northwest's largest Theme and water park.

I am sure I missed a TON of the other amazing activities in the CDA area, and there are even more within a few hours drive of CDA. The best way to find all of the great events in the Coeur d'Alene area is to come visit for a few weeks, and truly live the great small town life.