Priest Lake
Priest Lake
Nordman, ID
A clear, cold lake under the Selkirk peaks, its wild upper twin reachable only by a narrow water channel and famous huckleberry country.
Priest Lake sits near the very top of the Idaho Panhandle, a long, clear lake held between the Selkirk Mountains and the deep forests of the far north. It is quieter and wilder than Idaho's more famous lakes, ringed by old cedars and beaches and backed by peaks, and in late summer the surrounding hills fill with huckleberries.
The lake has a wild twin. At its northern end, a narrow, shallow channel called the Thorofare threads for a couple of miles up to Upper Priest Lake, a smaller, protected, largely roadless lake reachable only by boat, paddle, or trail. Slipping up the Thorofare into that quiet upper lake is one of the singular experiences in northern Idaho.
What Guests Love
- Clear, cold water backed by the Selkirk Mountains, quieter than Idaho's better-known lakes
- The Thorofare, a narrow channel that leads by boat or paddle to wild Upper Priest Lake
- Late-summer huckleberry picking in the surrounding hills
- Long sand-and-cobble beaches, old cedar groves, and a genuinely remote feel
Worth Knowing
- This is a summer lake; the roads and services are seasonal and the country is snowbound much of the year
- It is far from anywhere, so fuel and supplies should be handled before the last stretch of the drive
- Upper Priest Lake is protected and largely undeveloped; reach it by boat, paddle, or trail and tread lightly
- The water stays cold, and mountain weather can turn quickly even in summer
Details
Nordman, ID
Learn about Priest Lake
The lake and its people
Priest Lake and its country have long been part of the homeland of the Kalispel people and their neighbors, who traveled and fished these waters, and the tribes of the region remain present today. The lake's English name comes from the Catholic missionaries who came through in the nineteenth century.
By the early twentieth century the lake drew loggers, homesteaders, and eventually summer people, but its remoteness kept development modest. Old ranger cabins, a historic museum, and small resorts trace that history, and the state park protects much of the shoreline.
The result is a lake that still feels like the edge of the map, where the forest comes down to the water and the nights are dark and full of stars.
The Thorofare and Upper Priest Lake
The Thorofare is the quiet magic of Priest Lake, a narrow, winding channel that connects the main lake to Upper Priest Lake a couple of miles north. Boats idle through it slowly, and paddlers love it, a green tunnel of water between forested banks.
Upper Priest Lake at the far end is smaller, protected, and largely undeveloped, a place to camp, paddle, and listen to the loons. Reaching it under your own power, or by a careful boat trip, makes it feel earned, and it stays wild because it is not easy.
Forest, huckleberries, and wildlife
This is inland rainforest country, with western redcedar, white pine, hemlock, and larch, and a damp, mossy understory. The nearby Roosevelt Grove preserves ancient cedars that survived a great fire.
The Selkirk Mountains above the lake are some of the wildest habitat in the Lower 48, home to moose, black bear, and a rich birdlife, and the range has historically held grizzly bear and one of the last herds of woodland caribou in the contiguous United States. In late summer the hillsides turn purple with huckleberries, a tradition that draws pickers, and bears, from all around.
When to go
Summer is the season, when the lake warms enough for the beaches, the Thorofare is inviting, and the huckleberries ripen from mid to late summer. The roads and most services operate through the warm months only.
Fall brings the larch turning gold on the slopes and a deep quiet to the shore. Winter closes much of the country under heavy snow, though it opens for skiers and snowmobilers. Whenever you come, plan for cold water and remote, few-services travel.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Nordman
Upper Priest Lake
Up the Thorofare
A protected, largely roadless upper lake connected to Priest Lake by a narrow channel, reachable by boat, paddle, or trail.
Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars
About 15 miles north
A short interpretive walk among old-growth western redcedar that survived a 1926 fire, with Granite Falls nearby.
Selkirk Mountains
Above the lake
A wild range rising east of the lake, some of the least-disturbed habitat in the Lower 48, with high trails and viewpoints.