(Image from wta.org)
If you’re looking at the Priest Lake area for your next boating adventure, here’s an activity to add to your considerations and fill out your vacation. It’s called having a family picnic and seeing a grove of ancient cedars.
Just a couple of hours north of Coeur d’Alene you can find the Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars and there, you can walk right up and touch something that’s been alive for the last 2-3000 years. Idaho never ceases to amaze!
Details about the Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars
The grove experienced a fire in 1926 that destroyed a large chunk of the original forest, however, there are still two areas where you can find these beautiful, old trees. The Lower Grove is about 2 acres and has a few picnic sites so the family can stop and enjoy a meal. The Upper Grove is about 20 acres and is accessible by way of an old logging road. This second portion works great for a morning hike if you want more than just a picnic.
The trees themselves are between 4 and 12 feet in diameter and soar up to 150 feet. According to the Forest Service, it’s a bit hard to figure out the age of the trees due to heart rot, but they’ve been able to average the ages at 800 years with a few impressive survivors boasting the 2000-3000 year range.
As a side note, please be aware that the snow can get deep certain times of year and it might not be feasible to hike into the Upper Grove during the winter.
Besides that, here’s the link to the Forest Service and Visit Idaho. You can find details such as the routes you can hike in the area and contact information for the local ranger district to check on snow levels and such.
Happy Hiking!
(And just in case you are in fact looking at boating on Priest Lake, we do deliver rental boats to that area. Check out our rental fleet here).