Captain Dan even comes ashore at Sandpoint City Beach. “He pulls up on the sand and takes out a treasure chest—plays pirate with children with rubber swords, and he has eye patches and bandanas for kids when they come aboard,” says his wife, Pam Mimmack, when we talked by phone while Dan was on the lake. “He’s on the beach pretty much every day all summer.”

All children are welcome, and he especially enjoys helping children with physical or sensory special needs who need a calm boating experience. Captain Dan’s voyages take kids for a ride up Sand Creek and back, with on-board water-blasters to spray passing boats, like pirates are wont to do.

“He’s a generous, loving guy—one of the kids, even though he’s 65 years old,” says Pam Mimmack. “He’s always carrying around rubber duckies to hand out to children wherever he sees them, walking down the street.”

There is no set boat ride schedule, or even ride time limit, and the reservation process is fairly informal. A parent or guardian can stop by the Mimmack’s family business Northwest Handmade Furniture & Gallery (308 North 1st Ave) any time during regular business hours, which is located a short distance from City Beach. The Mimmack’s daughter now owns the store, and Pam still works there and oversees boat reservations, she says.

You can also call the store to schedule a boat ride (208) 255-1962 or (877) 880-1962. At least one adult must accompany their children on the boat and donations are accepted.

For more stories about Lake Pend Oreille, visit the OTO archives.

Learn about other lake destinations and recreation in the 2021 Inland Northwest Lake Guide.

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I love heading to Fish Lake southwest of Spokane because of its proximity to where I live, water temperature, and it is a good size to get in a few lengths for a nice workout. I also like how seemingly ridiculous I look walking through the crowd of sunbathers and floatie loungers with my bike shorts like swim wear, goggles, and sometimes flippers.

Wearing goggles makes gazing at underwater lake life possible, including frogs and fish, the underside of lily pads, and just viewing a seldom seen aquatic world.

Open-water swimming has its own unique challenges: swimming in a straight line isn’t all that easy without lane guards, it takes time to get used to colder water, and it helps to be comfortable treading water. But it is sure nice to gaze at the birds and clouds while you’re doing the backstroke.

For more stories about swimming, visit the OTO archives.

Learn about other lake destinations and recreation in the 2021 Inland Northwest Lake Guide.

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1. Visit Upper Priest Lake.

Paddle the 3.5-mile Thorofare to Upper Priest Lake, accessible at the north end of Priest Lake. For the shortest paddle, start from Beaver Creek Day-Use Area. Or hike to Upper Priest via Navigation Trail. You can camp overnight at a rustic national forest campground.

2. Earn your meal, drinks, or treats.

From Luby Bay Campground, you can paddle the shoreline or bike or hike the Beach Trail south to Hill’s Resort. Or start paddling or biking from Outlet Bay Campground and head north to Hill’s. You can also boat from anywhere along the lake and park at the resort docks for a day-use visit.

Known for their creative, family-friendly foods, dine on their deck to enjoy huckleberry delights. During the morning, you can order huckleberry pancakes—just one of many options from the breakfast menu. For summer 2021, Hill’s also has new casual dining and George’s Dining Room dinner menus. You can also get a milkshake, lemonade, or even margarita made with local wild huckleberries.

3. Golf on the lake.

Hill’s Resort also owns the 18-hole Priest Lake Golf Course, located only minutes away. You arrive by boat to the resort docks and drive a reserved “street legal” golf cart to the course. Rent or bring your own clubs.

4. Explore local history.

The Priest Lake Museum is also nearby. Learn the local cultural and natural history, and view the featured exhibit, “Fool’s Gold: Mining at Priest Lake,” which includes an outdoor exhibit area along a short path to view large artifacts. Free admission; more details at priestlakemuseum.org.

5. Paddle to an Island.

For those with advanced canoeing or kayaking skills, you can depart from the Kalispell Boat Launch (at Kalispel Bay) and paddle to Kalispel Island—the largest among seven islands. Head to the Idaho Panhandle National Forest day-use beach or stay at one of the 52 campsites located around Kalispel Island.

Bartoo Island is also within paddling distance from Priest’s western shore. Located closer to Luby Bay, it has a day-use area and 25 camp sites.

Find more information at fs.usda.gov. Reserve a campsite or take your chances with a handful of first-come sites on each island.

For more stories about Priest Lake, visit the OTO archives.

Learn about other lake destinations and recreation in the 2021 Inland Northwest Lake Guide.

The post 5 Adventures on Priest Lake’s Western Shore appeared first on Out There Venture.

Campbell’s Resort on Lake Chelan has been Washington state’s favorite family getaway resort since 1901 and is a great launchpad to enjoy all that the region has to offer.

The historic downtown waterfront had private beaches and many acres to roam. From here, the following lakeside activities are nearby and abundant.

1. Take an E-bike tour of Lake Chelan.

Chelan Electric Bikes offers several tours of the scenic landscapes where local grapes are grown. The electric bicycles let riders be a part of the landscape and also offer an easy assist on the hills. There are several tour options, the most classic one being the four-hour, wine-focused casual and scenic pedal. Visit three enchanting wineries, sip fabulous wine, and ride about 18 miles. There’s also a family tour option that skips the wineries and focuses on swimming holes and wildlife sightings.

2. Paddleboard tour around Lake Chelan.

There is no better way to enjoy the lake than launching into the water. Rent a paddle board from Lake Rider Sports in downtown Chelan (509-885-4767).

Choose from traditional paddleboards or get funky with the Supsquatch, a one-of-a-kind standup paddleboard that can hold up to 14 people. The Supsquatch makes for a casual, fun day on the water.

Those more interested in a workout can rent a board and cruise as far as the eye can see.

3. Hike or bike for views.

Fourteen major trailheads provide starting points for 250 miles of maintained summer trails near the town of Chelan.

One great option is the Echo Ridge trail system, which contains almost 25 miles of trails intertwined with roads. Originally designed for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing, the trails are perfect for mountain biking and hiking.

There are wide, easy trails suitable for all ages, and technical singletrack for the more adventurous. Expect to see great views of Lake Chelan, the Stewart Range, Okanogan Highlands, and Columbia Plateau.

For those who want to stick close to town, the Riverwalk Park Loop Trail is a 1-mile pathway that loops between the two bridges that span the Chelan River, in historic downtown Chelan. There are shaded benches all along the trail.

4. Fly above it all.

Paraglide Chelan offers first-time flyers the freedom and the thrill of flight. Flyers are securely attached to their instructors, which makes it possible to relax and enjoy the ride. A tandem paraglide flight is a unique and immersive way to see the area.

They employ US Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association instructors, who make every flight safe, fun, and unforgettable. Pilots from all over the world also travel to Chelan every year for national and world competitions.

5. Take a wine-tasting tour.

Taking a tasting tour around the Chelan area is a great way to explore the area and enjoy some amazing wine and food.

Vin Du Lac, French for wine of the lake, offers a beautiful view, an array of award-winning wines, a farm-to-table bistro menu, and a setting ideal for relaxation, enjoyment, and events. All wine grapes at Vin Du Lac are hand harvested and fermented in small batches, and the live music scene is hard to beat.

Tunnel Hill Winery offers a stone cottage tasting room, built from the rubble of the old Knapps Hill Tunnel just up the hill. Thus their tasting room, like their wine, is sturdy, solid, and very much from the earth.

Karma Vineyard boasts 14 acres of selected varietals including Gewürztraminer, syrah, pinot noir, riesling, chardonnay, and pinot meunier. Known for its sparkling wine, Karma Vineyards was the first vineyard in Chelan to cane prune pinot noir grapes.

Each year Chelan’s One Wines offers a simpler approach to wine. Instead of creating multiple reds and whites, they make three great wines per year—one red, one white, and one rose.

Wapato Point Cellars offers a delightful evening at the winemaker’s grill with an exquisite selection of delicious menu items on their ever-changing fresh sheet. Dine in the restaurant or al fresco on the outdoor patio.

Radiance Winery Tasting Room is a family-owned winery and tasting room that specializes in balanced, radiant wines true to varietal and vineyard source.

Alta Cellars owner and winemaker Jay Pederson has been a commercial fisherman for most of his life. Today he runs Alta Cellars, which features very limited release quantities of premium red wines with special attention to Bordeaux-inspired varietals.

Obviously not a winery, but Lake Chelan Brewery is worth a stop to sample some of the five flagship beers and 11 seasonal beers. An onsite pub serves burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads.

Find more stories about Lake Chelan in the OTO archives.

Learn about other lake destinations and recreation in the 2021 Inland Northwest Lake Guide.

The post 5 Ways to Experience Lake Chelan appeared first on Out There Venture.

“If you’re looking to explore water sports in a safe way and get a really good physical workout without really realizing you’re getting one, SUP yoga is a great way to do that,” says SUP yoga instructor Roxanne Best. In this sport, you’re being physically challenged but “you’re not sweating, exhausted, hating every minute.”

Best is a 200 hour instructor with the Yoga Alliance; she is certified to teach SUP yoga through the Professional Stand Up Paddle Association. Her original career was as a scuba diver, and she’s SUPped for many years, in addition to practicing and teaching yoga. A member of the Colville Tribe—“we’re water people,” she says—she was looking for a new way to enjoy the water when she took a SUP yoga class and fell in love.

In the SUP yoga classes Best instructs, participants of all levels learn to paddle their boards and engage in a series of yoga flow positions; both the SUP components and the yoga positions are taught in a way that makes them approachable for any skill level.

A common challenge of SUP yoga is getting past the fear of falling into the water. Though most participants don’t fall in, the possibility seems to be on the back of everyone’s mind—which can be kind of freeing. You go from “being conditioned that falling was bad, to the mindset of…it’s actually okay to fall, and it’s kind of fun!” Best says.

“For me it’s just a really grounding experience, and centering, which is weird, because you’re out on the water,” she says. “It’s really just an opportunity to tune into your environment. Tune out some of the human noises and tune into some of the nature noises.”

Read more yoga stories in the OTO archives.

Learn about lake destinations and recreation in the 2021 Inland Northwest Lake Guide.

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“Little Women” is the favorite movie of my first-grade daughter, and I thought of that line as I watched her and her sister joyfully and adeptly paddle their own kids kayaks for the first time last summer on a family trip to Hood Canal, in western Washington. It was love at first paddle, and kayak time was a highlight of each day.

“They’re pretty easy to maneuver around for someone without a lot of experience going in a kayak,” my 9-year-old says.

Small and durable, and easily maneuverable, these plastic vessels are ideal for kids (and some adults—weight limits often go up to 130 pounds) ready to discover new independence on one of our area lakes.

The one-seater kayaks are stable and easy to turn thanks to their short, wide shape. Weighing less than 20 pounds they’re also fairly manageable to carry on land. When purchasing, make sure yours allows for easy entry from the water.

If your child tries out a kid’s kayak, all of the usual water safety tips apply: make sure they wear a proper flotation device, talk about where it’s safe to go, and keep a close eye on kids. Once aboard, with a little guidance on how to paddle and turn, your young seafarer will soon be ready to explore.

We enjoyed paddling parallel to the shore in the mornings to investigate sea life when the tide was out, and journeying in and out from the dock later each day when the tide came in. On lakes, sticking close to the shore will help avoid motorboat traffic.

Both my kids loved them, and I appreciated the serene, confident looks on their faces after years of being tucked into random nooks and crannies of other people’s boats while older people did the work and made the decisions.

I hope to have another chance soon to watch each of them paddle her own kayak, her own way.

For more stories about families and introducing your children to recreation in the great outdoors, visit the Out There Kids column.

The post Lake Kayaking with Kids appeared first on Out There Venture.

Here are some of the most popular ways to play around the lake this summer.

1. Go fish.

Whether you cast a line of the dock at Pend Oreille Shores Resort, launch a boat in one of the many bays, or wade into the Clark Fork or Pack River Deltas, there is a wide diversity of catchable fish to be had in the lake. Charter a fishing guide for an even more successful day.

2. Find a campsite.

From public to private, there’s a campground for everyone. Find information and book some campsites at Recreation.gov and Fs.usda.gov. Reserve a private beach stay through Airbnb or Hipcamp. Hike or boat out to Maiden Rock, Evans Landing, or Long Beach in the Green Monarchs for a more rustic experience immersed in the simple, natural beauty and power of Pend Oreille.

3. Rent lake toys.

Sports shops, resorts, and marinas around the lake offer powerboat, pontoon, wave runners, kayak, and paddleboard rentals for a day on the water. Extend your time on the waves by renting a houseboat.

4. Ride the wind.

Sailing is a breathtaking water adventure, and it’s fascinating to watch Lake Pend Oreille Yacht Club races and cruises throughout the summer. Charter your own professional skipper through Cloud Nine Sail Charters or Dogsmile Adventures. Dogsmile also offers sailing lessons, custom sailing experiences, and their Dogsmile Race Academy next level training.

5. Take a cruise.

Take a relaxing tour or cruise and discover the nooks and crannies of the lake. Lake Pend Oreille Cruises offers eagle watching, delta cruises, interesting history, and island cruises. Get a little more private with a tour from one of two water taxis: Lake Pend Oreille Water Taxi and Tours out of Hope (208-691-3158) and Captain’s Call out of Bayview.

6. Hunt for treasure.

Shipwrecks and other fascinating treasures are hidden just below the surface. Don your own scuba gear or book a dive with Jake’s Scuba Adventures or Tom’s Diving Adventures. Or try snorkeling the shallows near docks and beaches.

7. Watch the fireworks.

The granite hills surrounding the south end of the lake make Bayview one of the best spots in North Idaho to experience a fireworks show at their annual Bayview Daze community event, typically during the weekend closest to the 4th of July.

Watch them from a boat in the bay or reserve a floating house on the expansive dock in the marina. (Airbnb or bookahouseboat.com). 

8. Play on an island.

Fisherman Island is a rustic day recreation spot managed by Idaho Fish and Game and accessible only by boat. But Warren Island near Hope is the largest on the lake and is private and exclusive—except for the Warren Island Bungalow. This 4-acre retreat is the only vacation rental on Warren and boasts private waterfront, majestic views, exquisite amenities, and “a safe, peaceful sanctuary.”

Wing foiling on Lake Pend Oreille (top left). // Photo courtesy Alan Shepherd; Dock at Sam Owen Campground on the west shore of the lake near Hope, ID (top corner right), and sunset view from the campground beach (bottom row). // Photos: Amy McCaffree; Sandpoint City Beach (top row corner left). // Photo: Shallan Knowles

For more stories about Lake Pend Oreille, visit the OTO archives.

Learn about other lake destinations and recreation in the 2021 Inland Northwest Lake Guide.

The post 8 Adventures on Lake Pend Oreille appeared first on Out There Venture.

From boating, paddling, and adventurous watersports to serene recreation, family activities, and ways to chill and relax, OTO writers share their ideas.

Here are 31 ways to enjoy, explore, & find summer fun at Inland Northwest lakes.

Click link to read the corresponding story.

1. Do yoga on a paddleboard
2. Go bikepack fishing
3. Ride the Columbia Plateau Trail to a channeled scabland lake
4. Open Water Lake Swimming
5. Boat-in Happy Hour on Lake Coeur d’Alene at Harrison
6. Meet the Pirate of Sandpoint’s City Beach & take a ride on a pirate ship
7. Visit Priest Lake
8. Wildlife Spotting
9. Lake Kayaking with Kids
10. Wing foiling
11. Surfing at Lake Chelan
12. Visit Lake Pend Oreille
13. Boat-in camping *
14. Hang out on a beach
15. Explore local history *
16. Take an e-bike tour of Lake Chelan **
17. Paddleboard tour around Lake Chelan **
18. Hike or bike for views **
19. Paraglide above and over Lake Chelan **
20. Take a wine-tasting tour **
21. Go mountain biking on a lakeside trail *
22. Hike along a lake shore *
23. Paddle or hike to Upper Priest Lake *
24. Go Fishing ^
25. Find a Campsite ^
26. Rent Lake Toys ^
27. Go sailing and ride the wind ^
28. Take a Cruise ^
29. Hunt for Treasure ^
30. Watch the Fireworks ^
31. Play on an Island ^ & paddle to get there *

*5 Adventures on Priest Lake’s Western Shore

**5 Ways to Experience Lake Chelan

^ 8 Adventures on Lake Pend Oreille

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“Winging is kind of a collaboration between wind surfing, kite boarding, and paddleboarding,” explains avid Coeur d’Alene wing foil devotee Joe Threadgill. “Cool thing about winging is it feels like you’re floating, and you get this 3D feeling because when you’re on the board you get some speed and you float on up out of the water. It’s this really trippy feeling like surfing, kiting, and wind surfing all at the same time.”

Threadgill, who only started wing foiling last summer, says that it’s the perfect sport for our lakes during the windy fall, winter, and spring seasons. “I stared figuring it out this winter,” says Threadgill, who paid frequent winter visits to Sprague Lake along I-90 west of Spokane. “It’s always an exciting time to learn because it’s so frigging cold, but the up side is that you have the whole lake to yourself.”

When Threadgill started winging there was no one else doing it locally he says. “Now there are a few guys up in Sandpoint and about five coming out of Spokane and three or four of us out in Coeur d’Alene and probably a few more we haven’t connected with yet.”

Wing foiling is a challenging sport to master because it requires good balance on and control of a board, which a surfing or paddleboarding background can help with, along with proper handling of the wing that generates the speed needed for the hydrofoil to lift the rider up off of the surface of the water.

Then there’s the balance and foil control and ongoing wing management to keep up speed for it to all work. The payoff, say those who have taken it up, is a hard-to-describe sense of flight that leaves many foiling fanatics so singularly focused on the sport that the intense devotion to winging is known as ‘foil brain,’ says recent wing foil convert Alan Shepherd of Spokane.

If you’re looking to give wing foiling a try, the best bet is to befriend someone who is learning locally and talk them into showing you the ropes. Another way to work on your foil riding skills during the relatively windless Inland Northwest summers is to get pulled behind a boat or use a SUP paddle to try to catch boat wake waves.

You can also sign up for wing foil lessons in the epicenter of wind sports, the Columbia Gorge, at Bigwinds.com.

Learn more about lake destinations and recreation in the 2021 Inland Northwest Lake Guide.

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