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Sandpoint Fall Fun
Recreation Guide - Autumn Events
Things to Do in
Sandpoint and North Idaho for Autumn 2011
| If you
like this guide, imagine the work that goes into making it happen.
First, you have to know what goes on in the region. In short, you have
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International Realty 208-610-1384 garyplirette@gmail.com |
September 24: Sandpoint - 3rd Annual Oktoberfest Celebration &
Fundraiser at Luther Park, 510 S
Olive with a raffle, oompah music, brats and more. 208-265-3557
September 25: Bonners Ferry - Bonners Ferry Farmers Market Harvest
Festival
Enjoy locally grown and produced products from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at
the Bonners Ferry Farmers Market, located in downtown Bonners
Ferry at the City Parking Lot (corner of Highway 95 and Kootenai).
The Harvest Festival is October 8th
BonnersFerryFarmersMarket.org.
208-267-9021
September 25:
Sandpoint
-
Sandpoint Farmers Market Harvest Fest Farmin
Park, Third Avenue & Oak Street 3 -
5:30 pm. Harvest Fest is October 15th
SandpointFarmersMarket.com
September 10-Oct. 30 -
Green Bluff Apple Festival
Go and pick out your own
pumpkins and enjoy their popular Apple Festival, held over several
weekends. Go up to the Bluff and enjoy a large variety of the best
cooking apples (Gravenstein, Lodi, Transparent), fresh pressed
cider, and other produce. Look for many more apple varieties in
October. We'll also have live music, great food, craft booths,
corn and straw mazes, and animals. Enjoy some fresh country air
and the beautiful views that Green Bluff offers. Its great fun for
the whole family. Every weekend.
September
30:
Wild Night for Wilderness - A Community Celebration of the Great
Outdoors! Join fellow outdoor enthusiasts in a
celebration of the wild lands of the Northwest with an evening of
great music, local libations and much merriment during the Wild
Night for Wilderness at 7 p.m., hosted by Evans Brothers Coffee,
524 Church St.. Enjoy complimentary appetizers, door prizes, live
music, locally brewed beer by Laughing Dog Brewing, locally
crafted wine by Pend d’Oreille Winery, and coffee by Evans
Brothers. A slideshow and updates on the Selkirk Mountains and
proposed Scotchman Peak Wilderness Area begin the evening,
followed by the “boogie down” sounds of Baregrass. Sponsored by
Idaho Conservation League, Friends of the Scotchman Peaks
Wilderness and Selkirk Outdoor Leadership and Education. No-host
bar, $5 cover at the door. For more information, visit the Events
page at
IdahoConservation.org, or call 208-265-9565.
October 1: Priest River – Oktoberfest
in Priest River Music, arts & crafts booths, food vendors & more.
For info call 208-448-2721 or
www.priestriverchamber.com
October 1: Oktoberfest -
Holy Spirit Episcopal
Church, Highway 2 and Rocky Point Road, hosts an Oktoberfest
celebration from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dine on an Oktoberfest-style
meal including Bratwurst barbecued on-site with sauerkraut and
your choice of condiments. In addition, enjoy a premium select
beer, soft drinks or coffee while viewing the Art Exhibit and Sale
featuring photography, oils, watercolors, art, quilts, jewelry and
more by local artists. Kinder are welcome, with hot dogs for the
little ones. Food and beverage tickets will be available at the
door.
October
1-2: Coeur d'Alene - Festa Italiana
Live
Family Entertainment. (Jugglers,
Music, Magicians, & more)
Mouth Watering Food (...with that
authentic touch!), Artisans & Business
Booths, Cooking Demonstrations,
Italian Car Show, Wine & Beer Garden
(Sponsored by ODOM Corporation), Bolla
Grape Stomp Contest, Enter your Team
of 3 and make wine the traditional
way! Do the Stomp
FREE
FOR ALL AGES! (parking
is $1) 208-773-8522 or visit
http://www.festivals.com
October 1-29:
Scarywood
Haunted Nights Silverwood
Theme Park, located south of Sandpoint
on Highway 95, becomes Scarywood in
October. If you thought a haunted
house was scary, now try an entire
theme park of horror! Admission
includes all the ghoulish haunted
attractions and nightmarish rides. For
days and hours of operation, plus to
purchase discounted e-tickets online,
visit
ScarywoodHaunt.com.
October 1-2 & 8-9 & 15-16 & 22-23: Sandpoint - Lions Club
Great Autumn Colors
Ride
90-minute scenic train ride along the
Pend Oreille River for this North Pend
Oreille Valley Lions Club fundraising
event. One of six train ride weekends
each year, this weekend's ride shows
off peak autumn foliage. Learn more at
LionsTrainRides.com 877-525-5226
October 6:
Sandpoint - Oktoberfest/Unveiling of
the America's Most Beautiful Small
Town
This is the final 1st Thursday
Celebration of the year. Traditional
autumn celebration, sponsored by the
Downtown Sandpoint Business
Association. This year is a bit
different in that Sandpoint was
recently named by Rand McNally as
America's Most Beautiful Small Town
and the sign stating that will be
unveiled. The event honors the troops
of the 116th Battalion returning from
Iraq, and will feature live music,
kids activities, and more. Starts at
5pm 208-255-1876
October 22: Priest Lake - Priest Lake
State Park Halloween Party
Spooky Trail Halloween Party at Indian
Creek State Park
October 24: Priest Lake -
Halloween Party – Grandview Resort –
8pm
October 28: Coeur d'Alene - Final Farmer's Market Fall Fest
Final Farmer's Market of the year, 6th & Sherman, downtown CdA
CdA Downtown Assn
October 29: Sandpoint - Schweitzer Halloween Party
(Not confirmed)
Schweitzer Mountain Resort hosts a pre-season Halloween
party with live music in Taps Lounge. 208-263-9555
October 31: Coeur d'Alene - Downtown Trick or Treat
Trink or Treat in downtown CdA, 4-6pm.
CdA Downtown Assn
November 5:
Sandpoint Film Festival Panida Theater
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Certainly
with the turning of the leaves comes one of the most beautiful times of year
for the North Idaho Panhandle. There are a lot of things to do, from
Fall Foliage tours on Lake Pend Oreille to
Historic Train
Rides up the Pend Oreille River Valley. There are over a dozen
traditional (and some not so traditional) Oktoberfests, (see the blue field
on the right) and Halloween, with Silver Mountain and Schweitzer both having
cool goings on. Every season has a premier festival: Winter Carnival
in...uh, winter, and Festival at Sandpoint in summer. Still, what makes Autumn so special
are the crisp, cool nights and
the painter's scheme of
colors.
The colors are the myriad of the rainbow,
with Buckthorn, Larch, and Maple turning yellow, hawthorn going from deep
crimson to purple-red, and Quaking Aspen and Birch running the gamut from
reds to golds against the backdrop of the deep greens and reddish browns of
the coniferous forests. With some clearing of the leaves, formerly hidden
glimpses of the many grand waterways and lakes now become apparent. Picnics
are a favorite this time of year, and bikers and hikers seem to come out of
the woodwork. Certainly, many agree that the best time of year for the
phenomenal photo op is the Fall. While you can drive just a short distance
in almost any direction to find great scenery, one of the best ways to see this Fall
foliage is to drive the
International
Selkirk Loop.
|
Bonner Healing Garden-October |
Sunset Magazine calls
the International Selkirk Loop the "West's Best New Scenic Drive" This
280-mile scenic drive is a meandering wander covering many of the most
beautiful parts of North Idaho, Eastern Washington, and Southern British
Columbia.
The route starts in
Sandpoint and passes through many of the most charming hamlets of the
region. Along Lake Pend Oreille it follows the valley carved by Glacial Lake
Missoula, with stunning views of cliffs cascading into the giant 148 square
mile lake. Surrounded by the Selkirk and Monarch mountains, 7,000+ foot
peaks grow right out of the water. Along the way deer and elk, beer and
caribou abound. But be careful of the occasional moose crossing the road.
Many weigh as much as small cars.
Along the way you'll
find 17 top notch golf courses, four ski resorts, world-class fishing, two
National Wildlife Refuges, and one Canadian wildlife management area. Stop
almost anywhere for all skill levels of hiking with trails throughout the
Panhandle National Forest and Colville National Forest. The BC the route
passes five Provincial Parks with plenty of RV and tent camping.
|
Red Glow Mountains-Early November |
Other attractions along
this route are the worlds longest free ferry ride (45 min), a brewery tour,
a gold mine tour, hot springs, a mining ghost town, a historical Russian
village tour, award winning museums, a house made of glass embalming bottles
tour, nationally recognized small arts communities with world class shopping
and rails to trail cycling paths.
Nearly the entire Loop route follows rivers and lakeshores, which
historically were used for transportation, by native tribes, explorer David
Thompson, gold seekers on the Wild Horse Trail, and early settlers. Today
the Loop’s lakes, rivers, and trails are a vast uncrowded playground with a
myriad of opportunities for year-round recreation, scenic beauty and unique
cultures.
Explore the International Selkirk Loop and discover the wonderful surprises
that await you around every corner!
The
Idaho portion runs from Priest River, through Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry,
to the border town of Porthill. To get an up close view of the fall foliage,
stop along the way for a hike and some wildlife viewing at
The Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge.
If you don't have the
time to do the entire trip, you can break it down into the following
lengths:
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Upper Pack River-Fall Foliage |
Pend Oreille National Scenic Byway
This scenic byway begins north of Sandpoint on Idaho Highway 200 and runs
east to the Idaho-Montana border. Much of the route skirts the shores of
Lake Pend Oreille, providing gorgeous water views to accompany the colorful
fall display.
Teton Scenic Byway
Spectacular fall color, set against views of the Teton Mountain Range, makes
for some truly memorable scenery. This sometimes-winding route runs along
several state highways in Eastern Idaho, passing through the towns of
Ashton, Tetonia, and Driggs.
In 2006 the NY Times
featured the Pend Oreille National Scenic Byway (Route 200) for birch, aspen
and tamaracks; Teton Scenic Byway on Routes 31 and 33 for aspens and
evergreens (www.visitid.org).
Try Something Different
This year, see the fall colors from a
different perspective.
Try out a lake cruise. A
great way to see
the leaves is the
Fall Foliage Island Tour
Lake Pend Oreille Cruises offer a fall cruise of the Clark Fork Delta, with
photo options and wildlife viewing from 11 am to 2 pm. Cost $30 per person.
Cruise leaves from Kramer Marina in East Hope. Visit
LakePendOreilleCruises.com
for additional info. 208-255-5253
Or, see
it from the air. Take an aerial tour with
Sandpoint Seaplane Service. 208-290-2357
Be
Healthy
Ride your bike or hike.
It's perfect weather. Go to the links on the top left of this page to find
out more info.
When to go
Idaho's fall color is
best from late September through October. Before leaving on your
foliage-viewing trip, here are some resources to help you get the most
up-to-date color status:
Great Friday nights for
fans of
Sandpoint Football - Go Dawgs!
Lots to do in both of our North Idaho
cooler seasons. Thanks for visiting Sandpoint.
 |
Business
as well as North Idaho Arts.