Pend Oreille Scenic Byway

State: Idaho
Length: 33 miles / 52.8 km
Time to Allow: Allow at least 2 hours.

For a shorter day trip, try out the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, which is just 33 miles long near Lake Pend Oreille. The byway sits at the top border of the lake, just a few miles away from the Montana border, making this a great day trip for two states. Take a week to properly enjoy the lake and the abundance of outdoor activities. The lake was formed by glaciers and makes for an impressive lake in the panhandle forests.

Sandpoint to the west starts the byway just minutes from the water. It’s home to the Schweitzer Mountain Resort, with tons of fun in any season. The resort offers stores, lifts, skiing, tubing, terrain parks, biking, horseback rides, an adventure camp, and much more. Even try out twilight skiing and then have dinner at a variety of different restaurants. In the summer, visit Sandpoint City Beach for swimming. A variety of trails and a cruise offer even more options to make this a fun trip.

As you continue east, the byway quickly turns into the picturesque towns of Ponderay, Kootenai, and Hope, all with incredible views of the lake’s Oden Bay and Ellisport Bay. The Pend Oreille Wildlife Management Area is nearby to offers a habitat for waterfowl and migration. If you are looking to try out duck hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking, or camping, the area is ready to fill your day. View a variety of wildlife, too, including bald eagles, raptors, blue herons, loons, and more, all in a mature Ponderosa pine forest habitat.

As the byway leads away from the lake, it turns into the Clark Fork River, moving toward the Montana border. Feast your eyes on idyllic farmlands, river deltas, mountains in the distance. With numerous turnouts and parking areas along the route, you can stop and enjoy the views. Expect to see tons of deer and other wildlife if you stop and manage to stay still staring at the water landscapes.

Clark Fork is the second to last stop on the trip with the Scotchman’s Peak and Kaniksu National Forest. Like the lake, it was formed by glaciers and boasts a variety of trees. A multitude of trails make this a great place to get out and explore nature. Find a few different peaks, waterfalls, and views, including water like Myrtle Creek. One rock to check out is the Chimney Rock, easy to identify even from a distance. You could spend days or even weeks exploring the gorgeous nature and still find something new around every bend.

End your trip at the border of Montana following the river down. From there, you can visit the Cabinet Gorge Fish Hatchery or the Clark Fork Recreation Area, and Antelope Lake. If you want to continue your vacation, the Garnet Back Country Byway is nearby and ready to make for another incredible drive through beautiful landscapes and plenty of places to camp or RV for fun family time.

More Idaho Byways

You can check out additional Byways in Idaho by clicking on the list of byways below, or by going to the Idaho Byways home section. To find even more of scenic byways in the United States, visit our scenic byways map.