Idaho's Best Lakes and Waterfronts

Idaho's lakes are concentrated in the northern panhandle (glacially carved, crystal clear) and the Sawtooth highlands (alpine tarns) — with the Snake River's reservoirs providing warm-water recreation in the south.

Lake Coeur d'Alene
Idaho's most famous lake — 25 miles long, 3 miles wide, and extraordinarily clear (visibility 15+ feet). The lake drains through the Spokane River into the Columbia. The town of Coeur d'Alene on the north shore is Idaho's premier lakeside resort town; the Coeur d'Alene Resort (with a floating green golf course — the 14th hole green floats on the lake) is a regional landmark. The shoreline alternates between sandy beaches, rocky headlands, and private coves.

Lake Pend Oreille
Idaho's largest lake (148 square miles) and one of the deepest in the US (1,158 feet) — in the northern panhandle near Sandpoint. The lake's extraordinary depth made it a US Navy submarine acoustic test facility (1942–present) — the Deep Submergence Laboratory tests sonar systems here. The views from the Schweitzer Mountain ski area above Sandpoint across the lake and the Cabinet Range are extraordinary. Fishing for Kamloops rainbow trout (which reach record sizes in Pend Oreille's deep cold water) is world-class.

Redfish Lake (Sawtooth NRA)
The finest mountain lake in Idaho — at 6,550 feet, backed directly by the Sawtooth Range's jagged spires. The red gravel beach, the clear water, and the dramatic mountain backdrop make Redfish one of the most photographed lakes in the Rocky Mountains. The Redfish Lake Lodge has operated since 1929. Sockeye salmon historically ran 900 miles from the Pacific to Redfish Lake — one of the most remarkable spawning migrations in North America.

Priest Lake
In the Selkirk Mountains of the northern panhandle — a clear, cold lake surrounded by old-growth western red cedar and hemlock. Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake (connected by a short river stretch) are less developed than Pend Oreille and retain more wilderness character. The Idaho Panhandle National Forest surrounds the lake.