WINTER GUIDE
Winter Guide 2017 Skiing and Riding. Schweitzer Mountain Resort has 2,900 acres and 92 runs just 11 miles from downtown Sandpoint. The mountain boasts 2,400 vertical feet. Nine lifts serve two open bowls, treed glades and three terrain parks. www.schweitzer.com (208-2639555). See story, page 53. Cross-country Skiing. For maintained trails and consistent snow, visit 32 kilometers of groomed trails at Schweitzer (208-263-9555); 3 miles at Round Lake State Park (208-263-3489); or more than 12 kilometers at Farragut State Park (208-683-2425). Downtown, ski or snowshoe the 1.5 miles of flat lake shoreline alongside the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail just north of City Beach, or find groomed trails when conditions are favorable at the University of Idaho property on North Boyer Avenue. Two ranches in the Selle Valley now offer groomed trails: Tauber Angus Farms (208-255-8883) and Western Pleasure Guest Ranch (208-2639066). Backcountry. Nearly unlimited
Après-ski at Schweitzer
options exist on public lands surrounding Sandpoint up National Forest roads such as Roman Nose and Trestle Creek. Call the Sandpoint Ranger District (208-2635111) or the Bonners Ferry Ranger District (208-267-5561) for maps and current conditions, including avalanche advisories. Call the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center toll-free at 866-489-8664. For a guided backcountry experience, take an excursion from Schweitzer via snowcat with Selkirk Powder (208-263-6959). www. SandpointOnline.com/rec or www.fs.usda. gov/ipnf. See story, page 78.
Shopping
Downtown retailers are going all out in the Sandpoint Shopping District, where shoppers will discover a fine array of eclectic shops and galleries with clothing, art and gifts galore. www.DowntownSandpoint.com. Highlights include the Cedar Street Bridge Public Market with retailers such as Carousel Emporium and MeadowBrook Home & Gift, art, and food such as Cedar Street Bistro, all in a beautiful log structure spanning Sand Creek. www. CedarStreetBridge.com (208-255-8360). Just down the street are First Avenue retailers such as Finan McDonald Clothing Company, Pedro’s, Zero Point Crystals and Northwest Handmade. Antiques abound at Foster’s Crossing, a mini mall with lots of collectibles, on Fifth between Cedar and Oak streets (208-263-5911); and MarketPlace Antiques & Gifts, open daily, at Fifth and Church (208-263-4444). Just out of town, Bonner Mall in Ponderay has many stores large and small and often hosts events; it’s on U.S. Highway 95 two miles north of Sandpoint (208-263-4272). W I N T E R 2 0 17
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PHOTO BY WOODS WHEATCROFT
OUTDOORS
Sleigh Rides. Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, 16 miles northeast of Sandpoint on Upper Gold Creek Road, offers sleigh rides in a rural setting for groups and couples. www. WesternPleasureRanch.com (208-2639066). Snowmobiling. Snowcat trails around Sandpoint and Priest Lake in the Selkirk Mountains are renowned; for more information, contact Sandpoint Winter Riders, www.IdahoSnow.org (208-2630677) or Priest Lake Trails & Snowmobile Club (509-466-3331) or www.priestlake. org. For guided rides at Schweitzer, contact Selkirk Powder. www.SelkirkPowder. com (208-263-6959). See stories, pages 45, 48. State Parks. Three state parks are within close range to Sandpoint Farragut (208-683-2425), Round Lake (208-263-3489) and Priest Lake (208443-2200) with activities such as camping, cross-country skiing trails and snowmobiling. www.parks andrecreation.idaho. gov. Walking. For cleared paths, try the Pedestrian Long Bridge alongside Highway 95 over Lake Pend Oreille; the new paths along the Sand Creek Byway; Travers Park on West Pine Street; City Beach downtown; Sandpoint-Dover Community Trail along Highway 2 west; Lakeview Park, through and around the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society Arboretum; and overlooking Sand Creek at the Healing Garden next to Bonner General Health. SANDPOINT MAGAZINE
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