Priest Lake: A Guide to Idaho's Crown Jewel

Idaho has bigger lakes. Pend Oreille is deeper and longer; Coeur d'Alene has a city on it. Priest Lake earned the Crown Jewel nickname for a different reason: it is the one that looks the way people imagine a mountain lake should look, and it has stayed that way. The water is clear to a depth that unsettles first-time swimmers. The shoreline is mostly forest. The mountains come straight up out of the east side. And the nearest interstate is far enough away that the lake has never had to become anything other than itself.

The lay of the lake

Priest Lake runs roughly north to south for nineteen miles in the top corner of the Idaho Panhandle, about 90 miles northeast of Spokane and 25 miles from the Canadian border. The Selkirk Mountains form the east wall; the Kaniksu forest rolls away to the west. Idaho Highway 57 comes up from the town of Priest River, reaches the lake near its south end, and follows the west shore north through Nordman before turning toward the ancient cedars and the Washington line.

The south end is where things happen. Coolin, on the east shore, is the lake's front door: post office, marina, groceries, fuel, the public launch. Across the water on the west shore, Luby Bay and Reeder Bay hold the historic resorts and the Forest Service campgrounds. Between them, the lake opens out around a scatter of islands, Kalispell the largest, where boat-in campsites fill on summer weekends.

North of the islands the lake narrows, and the shoreline empties. At the far end it pinches into the Thoroughfare, a two-mile no-wake channel that leads to Upper Priest Lake, a second, smaller lake with no road, no cabins and a few boat-in campsites. Most visitors never get there. The ones who do tend to come back.

The seasons

Summer runs from late June to Labor Day and feels shorter. Long light, warm bays, huckleberries on the ridges by late July, boats on the water and cabins full of cousins. September is the local secret: warm days, cold nights, empty beaches, larch turning gold on the slopes.

Winter is the other Priest Lake. Snow comes deep and stays. The lake, too deep to freeze, turns black against a white shore. Snowmobilers arrive for one of the largest groomed trail systems in the Northwest; skiers and snowshoers take the quieter roads. Most resorts and restaurants close or shorten hours from October to May, and the people who remain are the ones who live here.

Spring is mud, high water and quiet. It is when the lake belongs to residents.

Planning a first visit

• Book early. Cabins and resort rooms for July and August fill months out. State park campsites open on a reservation window.
• Shop in Priest River. Coolin and Nordman have stores and fuel, but the last real grocery run is on U.S. 2.
• Download your maps. Cell service north of Priest River is patchy at best.
• Respect the water. It is cold, the afternoon wind is real, and the Thoroughfare and upper lake are no-wake for good reason.
• Bear country. Store food properly everywhere, especially on the islands.
• Check fire restrictions with the Forest Service before lighting anything.

Why we write about it

Priest Lake Cannabis Company is named for this lake because the lake is the whole idea. Before Idaho permits anything our name implies, we want to be useful to the people who love it. The full Priest Lake guide is our attempt at that.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Priest Lake from Spokane?

About 90 miles, roughly two hours by car via U.S. 2 to Priest River and Idaho Highway 57 north to the lake.

Can you drive around Priest Lake?

No. There is no road around the lake and no bridge across it. Highway 57 serves the west side and the East Shore Road serves the east; the north end is reached by boat or trail.

How cold is Priest Lake water?

Cold. The main lake is deep and fed by snowmelt. Shallow bays warm into the upper 60s and low 70s by August; the open lake stays much colder.