Directions and maps
to some of our
favorite riding places.

Marie Creek Trail
Red Ives
Liberty Lake Park
Squaw Valley
Pee Wee Creek
Bernard Peak Trail h
Canfield Mountain
Escure Ranch
4th of July Pass
Heyburn State Park

MARIE CREEK TRAIL

From I-90 east of Coeur d'Alene take the Harrison exit (# 22) and turn north. Turn right at the stop sign on the frontage road.

Go 1.4 miles and turn left on Wolf Lodge Road. After 4.5 miles turn right on Marie Creek Road.

After approximately 2 miles turn right on the one-lane entry to the trailhead. There is no trailhead sign there (or if there was, it was buried in weeds), but where the entrance splits away there is a large sign stating that motor vehicles must stay on designated roads.
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DIRECTIONS: Red Ives is on the upper part of the St Joe River above the town of Avery. A sure fire way to get there is take I-90 to the Hwy 3/Rose Lake exit #34, go south to St Maries.

At about 22 miles there is a stop sign/light at the Hwy 3/Hwy 97 Harrison "Y". From there go about 10.25 miles, at the 35 Miles speed sign and Avery/Caulder sign, take a left onto St Joe River Road (NF-50). It's about 90 miles from St Maries to Red Ives all on paved roads.

Approximately at the 73 mile marker there’s a bridge on the right to Red Ives that crosses Gold Creek. Look for one of our red and white PBCH arrow signs. The last 10 miles is paved, but narrow with few turnouts, so take it slow and carefully. Again, look for one our red and white PBCH arrow signs at the Red Ives Historic Ranger Station directing you across the bridge to the camping area.

As the map shows, there are several ways to get there, depending on where you’re coming from.

One example would be:
From E Appleway in Liberty Lake, WA, turn south on Molter Rd. Go approximately 1 mile and turn left (east) on E. Valleyway Ave. This road will take you between two golf courses. It looks like you are going into the golf course. Just follow the road to the Liberty Lake County Park Horse Trail Head which is a large area with plenty of parking for trailers on the right side of the road. You can't miss it.

Good horse trails.
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Directions to Trail Head:

From CD’A, Rathdrum area, take Hwy 41 to Newport. At light, turn right onto Hwy 2 to Priest River.

Once in Priest River, turn left on Hwy 57 to Priest Lake.

Just beyond mile marker 21, turn left on Squaw Valley Road. (If you reach the Information Center, you went too far.)

You are now on Road 312. It’s a gravel road, then pavement, then gravel again. Keep going straight.

From this point on, always stay to the right until the road ends at the trail head. From Hwy 57 it will take about ½ hour to reach the trailhead, which is a dead end.

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PEE WEE CREEK

Panaramic views of Priest River Valley.

Trail is well groomed with some steep sections. There are several small bridges to cross.

Some riding experience is required.

Stock water at trail head. Approximately 3.5 or 5 hour ride.

Plenty of parking for rigs.

Camping is free, no hook-ups. Highline posts available.

Directions: Take Hwy 57 north out of Priest River. (Same as Squaw Valley map above) Go 3.5 miles to Peninsula Rd.

Turn right, go across bridge, proceed 4.5 miles, turn left onto gravel Forest Service Road #334 (Gleason-McAbee Falls Road), proceed 1 mile. Trail head is on the left just past the old gravel pit.

Horses should be shod.

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BERNARD PEAK TRAIL

From junction of highways 95 and 54 in Athol, go east 4 miles on 54 toward Farragut State Park. At the traffic circle turn right/south on Good Hope Rd. Go 0.6 miles and turn left on Twete Rd. Go 1.4 miles to where road makes right angle turn at Westwinds Paso Ranch. Park on road or in clearing to left -- back in or you will have to back out! There is a steel bar forest gate at the beginning of the dirt road but you can ride through the woods around it.

It is an easy-grade 45 minute walk from the trailhead to the lake overlook. Ride east on dirt road on the north side of the Paso ranch's fence, when you get close to their buildings the road turns away and begins to climb. About a mile in there is another forest gate but easy to get around.

Shortly after that another road splits off to the right up the hill -- ignore it and stay left. A little ways further another road splits off to the right, ignore it and stay straight/left. Then a trail to the left but ignore that too, this goes down to
Farragut I believe. Soon after that you will come to another "Y" where both branches look equally used, stay left again.

Then you will see the forest sign saying "Lake View", Scout Trail ". Go straight and the overlook is just a little further.
It is a beautiful view and there is a bench installed for hikers to rest on.

You can go back to the Scout Trail and continue all the way up to the peak, I was told the total trail is about 8 miles.

There are a few steep sections near the overlook, and early in the season may have a lot of downed trees the whole way up. It is a good workout for the horses. You will meet a few hikers and a LOT of mountain bikers.

There is one more viewpoint just off the trail at a switchback about halfway up, but other than that there are no views, even from the peak, the trees are too thick and tall.

The trail comes out on a forest road near the peak, you just follow the road up for a short distance as it curls around and ends at the peak or there is a steep trail that shortcuts up.

~ Bernard Peak Overlook Bench~

The only water is a couple of tiny creeks between the trailhead and the overlook.

On the way back down from the peak, you will come to an intersection with a sign that you may have missed on the way up, which says steep trail this way, easier trail that way. The steep trail is the Scout Trail, the easier trail (logging road) ends up at that last "Y" you went through on the way to the overlook.

Thanks to Karen Bratcher for the photo and directions.

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CANFIELD MOUNTAIN

This trail starts at the Dalton Community Arena in Dalton Gardens (between Coeur d'Alene and Hayden), where there is plenty of parking area, a stock loading ramp, a panel corral, and a nice large arena to work in if you choose. There were always barrels and poles to practice turning or jumping the times I was there. The arena is on 16th St. a block north of Wilbur Ave. (From highway 95, go east on Hanley Ave. which is just below the Silver Lake Mall, then north on 16th.)

Up to the forest road on this trail you need to watch for hikers, joggers and the occasional mountain biker, but so far the motorcycles and ATVs seem to stay off. I've never met a rude machine rider up on Canfield.

Go out the back chain link gate of the arena area and right/south on the gravel lane to Wilbur, turn left/east on Wilbur and then turn left on the path along the base of the mountain. Ignore the No Trespassing signs, they are to keep the motorcycles out.

As you follow it back, Totten's Pond and then the little stream that feeds it are on your left. Shortly after the fence ends, the trail goes left across the stream and then splits three ways -- take the right fork. At the next intersection turn right again onto a broader path.

At the next split, go left away from the stream (you CAN take the right fork along the stream, it does get up to the same trail, but it soon starts going nearly straight up!).

You will climb a ways and come to another intersection of several trails. Take the farthest-right one more or less along the contour. From here, what is the main trail is pretty obvious, with smaller and steeper trails heading off occasionally.

Eventually you will come to a small cleared area with a huge tree, there is a log to sit on and a small fire pit. Great view of Hayden Lake (the lake, not the community). I put a geocache straight to the back of the cleared area, behind a log and covered with branches. It is a clear plastic container with a white lid.

You can continue on up the trail, it comes out on a forest road. If you go left on the forest road maybe 50' there is a higher cleared area to the left; go up it and get another great view of Hayden Lake. Turn around and go across the road for great views of Lake Cd'A.

As you entered the forest road from the trail, there is another trail head sharply back to your right. You can follow that up to the summit where the tower is. Watch out for dirt bikers on this trail, they come up fast!

According to my GPS, arena to summit and back is about 9 miles, could be a little more because sometimes the signal gets lost in the trees.

Thanks to Karen Bratcher for the detailed directions.

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ESCURE RANCH

This location is southwest of Sprague, WA and has a beauty of its own. Very different than the beautiful wooded trails we normally ride.

Today the Escure Ranch, which is 20,000 acres, is owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and offers spectacular scenery resulting from the Great Missoula Flood as it carved its way through the scab rock during the ice age to create deep hidden basalt channels. I was in awe at the rock formations, cliffs and scenery in this area. It is a great place to have a large group ride.

There is plenty of room to spread out during the ride, park rigs, etc. Water trough at trail head. Creek crossings, and bridge, depending on where you ride. There is also a large water fall east of the ranch, but we didn't ride to it. There is cattle on the property, so be sure to leave gates as you find them.... close any gates that you open. Practice the normal "Leave No Trace" rules.

Trailhead is located where this picture was taken from, right before bridge going into the ranch. Ranch is currently vacant.

Directions:
From Spokane, take I-90 west 36 miles and take Exit 245 to Sprague. At exit intersection take Highway 23 (Left) south to Sprague. If meeting groups, meet in Sprague just across bridge on left at gas station.

Then continue south on Highway 23 approximately 11 miles till you reach Revere Rd; right on Revere Rd. (gravel road) then 7.5 miles (stay on main road past "Y" and grain silos); left on Jordan Knott Road; (just past silos) and across bridge and up short hill; go 2 miles and take right at large "Rock Creek Management Sign". Then go 2.5 miles on dirt road to trailhead and ranch site.

Left: John and Marcus Escure, Basque
immigrants from Spain, brought their
sheepherding skills to Eastern Washington.
While working as hired labor on others’ sheep
ranches, the Escures managed to build up their
own flock. In 1940 they acquired a 12,000 acre
ranch on which they started the Escure Sheep
Company.

Thanks to Karen Bratcher for the photos and information.

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4th of JULY PASS

4th of July Pass is located 13 miles East of Coeur d'Alene off of I-90. At the Summit exit #28, go South and stay right on Forest Road #614 for a quarter mile to the signed entrance for the Park N' Ski Area. Lots of trailer parking available.

MAP
4th of July Pass
Park n Ski Area

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HEYBURN STATE PARK

Hwy 95 to Plummer, Idaho.
East on Hwy 5 towards St. Maries.
Approx. 4.9 miles.