Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

Will prob go see my folks in Spokane in July. What should we not miss while spending a week up there? Family oriented please

Your only about 5 hours from Glacier National Park. The drive is one of the prettiest in the country. Do a day float on the flathead river. It's beautiful and its glacier melt. If that's too far then point your car north or east, throw a pack and sleeping bag in the trunk, and drive about an hour and spend a few days in the wild. Take some bear spray and a fly rod. Go downtown and check out the falls. The flow is unreal that time of year! You can even take a cable car right over the top of it. Lots of live outdoor music in the parks on the weekends. Dang, there is so much to do there its like Disneyland for us outdoor folks!

Now if your talking the panhandle or most Northern part of Idaho, its amazing as well but...It's very inaccessible. There are only about 3 highways in that area. Most of the travel up there is done by airplane or long winding gravel roads. Just keep food and water and blankets in your car in case you break down. Keep your tank full.

I have been blessed to do the Middle Fork some 5 times, Main twice and Selway one time. That is a lot but not enough if you just go one time most will want more.

I have often thought about taking some quality time (several weeks at least) to go down from Stanley and just fish and camp along the Salmon River maybe on down to Cache Bar and back up. Take your time and set by the river a lot or some where looking across a mountain meadow camp site. Tons of quality places to camp on the river or nearby and some quality hot springs as well. I have done this for a few days waiting for Middle Fork trips to assemble and it has stuck in my mind as something that needs doing more. Then taking that road up from North Fork to Missoula around and over Lolo Pass down the Locha (spelling?) just continued camping and Lewis and Clark history stops then maybe around the horn down past Riggins McCall Banks and back to Stanley. Maybe back down thru Sun Valley just for the views. Lots of river, national forests etc.

I have read and believe if there was not a road along the Locha, it would be the most beautiful and sought after river permit and after making that drive from the Selway takeout back to Missoula, I totally agree.

So many rivers, so little time. :myday"