Road Trip Guide
Spokane to Coeur d'Alene & Sandpoint: The North Idaho Lakes Loop
Two lakes, a historic mining town, and a scenic byway most visitors never find — all within a couple of hours of Spokane International. Here's the loop we send people on, what each leg actually drives like, and how much time to give it.
Total loop
About 180 miles
Time needed
One long day, better as two or three
Best season
May through October for the full loop
Road type
Interstate and maintained two-lane highway — all paved
Starting the Loop From Your Flight
Almost everyone who drives this route starts at Spokane International. Here's how the first few hours after landing usually go, and what the timing lets you reach the same day.
Land, then drive — no counter, no shuttle
We deliver to the curb at Spokane International, so the gap between baggage claim and being on I-90 is usually under twenty minutes. Coeur d'Alene is 33 miles and about 35 minutes from the terminal, which means a flight landing by early afternoon still leaves you a full evening on the lake.
A realistic first afternoon
Land by 1pm, be in Coeur d'Alene by 2pm, walk Tubbs Hill and the boardwalk, eat on Sherman Avenue, and drive the 90 minutes up US-95 to Sandpoint before dark from spring through early fall. In midwinter, darkness comes around 4pm — plan on stopping in Coeur d'Alene that night and starting north in the morning.
Which direction to run it
Clockwise — I-90 to Coeur d'Alene, ID-97 down the lake and back, US-95 north to Sandpoint, US-2 home — puts the slow scenic driving early while you're fresh and leaves you an easy highway run back to the airport at the end. If you have a morning flight out, that last leg is roughly 90 minutes plus the drive across Spokane.
Timing the return flight
Give yourself two and a half hours from Sandpoint to the terminal, more between November and March. We collect the vehicle at the airport, so the last leg is simply a drive, not a return trip to a rental lot.
The Loop, Leg by Leg
Run clockwise out of Spokane. Every leg below is paved and open year-round, though a couple of them change character considerably in winter.
Coeur d'Alene
- Tubbs Hill — a two-mile loop trail straight off downtown with lake views the whole way
- The city beach and boardwalk, which is the longest floating boardwalk in the world
- Sherman Avenue for lunch before you head north
The easiest leg of the trip and the one most visitors do as a half-day. Parking downtown fills by late morning in summer — the public garages a block off Sherman are the reliable option.
Lake Coeur d'Alene Scenic Byway
- Continuous lake views with turnouts most of the way down
- Harrison, a small lakeside town at the halfway point
- The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes bike path, if you want to stretch
This is the drive people remember. ID-97 is narrow, winding, and slow by design — budget an hour for what looks like thirty minutes on the map. Not recommended after dark or in ice; deer are constant here.
Silver Valley & Wallace
- Wallace's entire downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places
- Underground mine tours and the Northern Pacific Depot museum
- Kellogg and the Silver Mountain gondola if you want elevation without hiking
An easy detour off the interstate that adds real substance to the trip. Wallace is compact enough to see in two hours on foot.
Sandpoint & Lake Pend Oreille
- The Long Bridge crossing into town — pull off at the south end for the view
- City Beach and the downtown grid, walkable in an afternoon
- Schweitzer's access road for the overlook, even outside ski season
The northern anchor of the loop and the best overnight stop. US-95 is a straightforward highway, but the stretch through Athol gets congested on summer weekends.
The return via US-2
- A different landscape than the way up — river valley rather than lake
- Priest River and the turnoff to Priest Lake if you have an extra day
- Crossing back into Washington at Newport
Taking US-2 home instead of retracing I-90 turns the trip into a genuine loop and costs you almost nothing in time.
Stops Worth Planning Around
Six specific places along the loop — water access, overlooks and one very old hamburger counter — with enough detail to decide whether they're worth your time.
Higgens Point & the Mineral Ridge overlook
Scenic overlook · Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive, 8 miles east of downtown CdA
Follow Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive east out of town rather than jumping straight onto ID-97. It ends at Higgens Point, where the road runs right along the water and a short walk gets you above it. In winter and early spring this stretch is the reliable place to see bald eagles working the lake — they gather here in real numbers from late November into January.
Hudson's Hamburgers, Coeur d'Alene
Food stop · 207 Sherman Ave, downtown Coeur d'Alene
A counter with about eighteen stools that has been run by the same family since 1907. There are no fries, no shakes and effectively no menu — burgers, pickles, onion, and their own mustard. Ten minutes, cash-quick, and it puts you back in the car with plenty of daylight left for the byway.
Harrison waterfront
Lake access · Halfway down ID-97, roughly 40 minutes south of CdA
The natural pause on the scenic byway. Harrison is a few blocks of old lakefront town with a public dock, a small marina, a swimming beach and an ice cream window that draws a line on summer afternoons. It's also the easiest place on the loop to actually get in the water without a boat.
Farragut State Park & Bayview
Lake access · Off US-95 at Athol, 25 minutes north of CdA
The southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille, and a worthwhile break on the drive north to Sandpoint. Paved park roads lead to swimming beaches, a day-use area, and viewpoints over Idlewilde Bay. The village of Bayview a few miles on sits under cliffs with floating homes along the shoreline — an odd and memorable ten-minute detour.
The Long Bridge pullout & Sandpoint City Beach
Scenic overlook · South end of the US-95 bridge into Sandpoint
The mile-long causeway into Sandpoint is the best single view on the loop. Pull off at the south end before you cross — the parking area there also serves the pedestrian bridge, so you can walk out over the water. Once across, City Beach is five minutes away with parking, sand, and the Selkirks lined up behind town.
Albeni Falls Dam viewpoint
Scenic overlook · US-2 near Oldtown, on the return leg
Most people drive US-2 home without stopping, which is a shame. The overlook at Albeni Falls Dam takes five minutes, explains why the Pend Oreille River behaves the way it does, and is the last real view before you cross back into Washington at Newport.
When to Drive It
The loop is drivable all twelve months, but it is four fairly different trips depending on when you come.
Best overall: late June through September
Lakes are warm enough to swim, ID-97 is dry and open, and everything on the loop is running full hours. Downside is company — Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint are both busy, and lodging in Sandpoint should be booked well ahead for July and August weekends.
The quiet window: mid-September through October
Our pick. Larch and cottonwood turn along ID-97 and the Pend Oreille River, the crowds are gone, and the driving is still easy. Bring layers — mornings are cold and afternoons are not.
May and early June
Green, loud with runoff, and cheap. The lakes are too cold to swim and Schweitzer's road may still have snow at the top, but the byway is at its most dramatic with the water high.
November through April
Run the loop as I-90 and US-95 only and skip the byway. The highways are plowed and driven daily, but they take weather hours before Spokane does. This is the season the AWD and 3-peak snow tires on every vehicle we rent stop being a nice detail and start being the reason the day works.
Which Vehicle for This Trip
None of this loop requires a specialized vehicle. What changes the answer is the time of year and whether you're adding the climb up to Schweitzer.
Summer and shoulder season
Any vehicle in our fleet handles this loop comfortably — the whole route is paved and maintained, so choose on space rather than capability. Two people: the Subaru CrossTrek or Impreza. Four with luggage: the Subaru Outback or Toyota Venza Hybrid. Six or more: the Chevrolet Traverse or Suburban.
Late fall through spring
US-95 north of Coeur d'Alene and US-2 west of Priest River both get snow and ice well before Spokane does. AWD with 3-peak mountain snowflake tires — which every vehicle we rent has — makes this a non-issue.
If you're adding Schweitzer
The access road out of Sandpoint climbs roughly six miles of switchbacks. In winter this is the single most demanding stretch of the trip and the place AWD earns its keep — the Outback Wilderness, a Ford Explorer or the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid are the confident picks, and all of them carry ski gear without a fight.
A note on the scenic byway
ID-97 is narrow with limited shoulders. It's fine in anything we rent, but a smaller crossover — the CrossTrek, Corolla Cross or RAV4 — is far more pleasant on it than a Suburban or Yukon XL.
North Idaho Road Trip FAQs
How many days should I plan for this trip?
You can drive the full loop in a single day, but it will be a long one with little time out of the car. Two days with an overnight in Sandpoint is the version most people enjoy. Three lets you add Priest Lake or a full day on the water.
Do I need a special vehicle for the scenic byway?
No. ID-97 along the eastern shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene is fully paved and maintained year-round. It's narrow and winding rather than rough. Our vehicles are for maintained roads only — off-road driving isn't permitted under the rental agreement.
Can I do this trip in winter?
The Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint legs, yes — those are main highways that are plowed and driven daily. The ID-97 scenic byway is a harder sell in winter: it's shaded, icy in stretches, and the views that justify the slow drive are often socked in. Most winter visitors run I-90 and US-95 and save the byway for another trip.
Is there anywhere I'll lose cell service?
Stretches of ID-97 south of Coeur d'Alene and parts of US-2 between Priest River and Newport are unreliable. Download offline maps before you leave Spokane.
Can I pick the car up at the airport?
Yes. We deliver free to Spokane International (GEG), so you can land and start the loop the same afternoon without visiting a rental counter. Reservations need to be made at least 24 hours ahead.