Priest Lake

Priest Lake State Park Lionhead Campground

Our family trip this summer took us up to the Idaho Panhandle, to an area just a few miles from the Canadian border in the Selkirk Mountains called Priest Lake.  Since we’d be camping for over a week, I figured we’d go the state park route so that we wouldn’t have to brave vault toilets and avoid showering the entire time.  Well, much to my chagrin, Lionhead campground does not, in fact, have flush toilets, nor does it boast showers.  There ARE, however, flush toilets and showers at Indian Creek Campground (also in Priest Lake State Park) and your reservation at Lionhead will get you in for free.  The jaunt from one campground to the other takes at least 20 minutes but it was well worth being clean for a day.

After arriving at Indian Creek Campground, we quickly discovered that, despite not having flush toilets and showers, Lionhead campground was definitely the better of the two.  Less crowded, more shade, better scenery…it was far and above the best choice.  Our campsite at Lionhead had ample space, easy access to running water, a short walk to a beautiful beach and gorgeous trees surrounding us on every side.  Being close to a lake, however, the mosquitoes were pretty relentless, so come prepared.

All in all, it was probably one of our very favorite places we’ve camped.  Next time we’ll be sure to stay a few days longer so we can canoe the Thorofare (there are boat rentals at the beach) to Upper Priest Lake, which is a no-wake zone, apparently.  There are no services for miles so come prepared with plenty of food, gas, and tolerance for “roughing it”.  The front entrance to the campground sells ice (2 bags per campsite) and ice cream, which saved Lily from eating the real food I’d prepared.  We were filthy, our tummies were full, and our spirits satisfied by communing with each other and nature.   Two thumbs up for Priest Lake.

Priest Lake Natural Waterslide

Priest Lake Natural Waterslide – an absolute must-do.

Our first day at Idaho’s Priest Lake was spent exploring the surrounding Selkirk Mountains.  We had read about a natural waterslide in the area and were thrilled to find that it was just a few miles up the road from our campground (Lionhead).  We took the road as directed (just ask the rangers at the Lionhead campground for directions – basically if you take the dirt road directly across the street from the campground entrance and stay to the left for 3 miles or so until you reach a concrete barricade just before a sharp left turn, you’re there), parked our car and began the 1 1/2 mile hike.

The grade was negligible but the shade spotty, so I’d recommend hiking in the morning, as we did, if the day is forecast to be hot.  Another reason to begin early is that the parking is limited so you’d just as soon beat the crowds.  We had to cross streams about ten times and the entire river once along the way.  It was somewhat precarious, but only because we were carrying on our backs our 18-month old son with brittle bones, but under normal circumstances the water-crossings would have been par for the course.

Definitely family friendly and pretty much zero risk of being swept away by the stream.  Here is a picture of the average crossing:

No biggie, right?  There was only one where we were past our ankles.  Cold, but not treacherous in the least.  You can hear the water pretty much the whole way and you’ll know you’re there because it will look something like this(and there will probably be other people enjoying the area):

We hiked up after crossing the river, but there are a few sunny dry spots on the rocks on the other side so we crossed again to hang out in the sun and take our turns sliding down.  It was smooth and the current was steady.  If you’re not wearing shorts, a lot of people recommend packing a couple of trash bags to put underneath your bottom.  I was wearing shorts so the trash bag was superfluous.

You can go down either side relatively safely, but we found that the right side (as you’re looking down the slide) was less bumpy and less swift so we preferred it to the other side.  You have pretty much zero control once you get going, which is fine, if you like that sort of thing.  For those of us who like to exercise some measure of control over our speed, there’s really no point in that.

Rest assured that the pool at the bottom of the slide is sufficient to stop you regardless.  And, if you’re still concerned about going off the edge into the rocks ten feet below, there’s a rope that you can grab to save you from your death.  Seriously though, experiencing a natural waterslide and being risk-averse really don’t mix, so cut loose and take your chances.   We watched others practically throw themselves down this thing at breakneck speed and the meager pool at the end still stopped them.

We had a fantastic time.  The scenery was breathtaking, the weather delightful, the company enjoyable and the level of exertion just right for our crew.  Priest Lake natural waterslide for the win.