Welcome to the
Silver Valley
in beautiful northern Idaho
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As shown in detail on the interactive road map below, the lake resort town of Coeur d'Alene is less than fifteen miles west of Fourth-of-July Pass, and the Montana border is at Lookout Pass. The closest major airports are in Spokane, Washington (32 miles west of Coeur d'Alene on I-90) and Missoula, Montana (108 miles east of Lookout Pass on I-90). |
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This extended mountain community is located along
Interstate 90 in northern Idaho's
| Stretching forty miles from high peaks to chain lakes, the Silver Valley is a four-season mountain recreation paradise. Winter embraces alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. Fishing, mountain biking and climbing, river rafting, canoeing and kayaking, golf, hiking, backpacking, and four-wheeling occupy outdoor recreation enthusiasts from spring to fall. Bow, rifle and muzzleloader hunting for deer and elk is naturally popular each fall. Black bears are hunted during the fall and spring, while mountain lions (cougars) are hunted from September through March. Wild turkeys have their season in the spring as well. |
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Lookout
Pass Ski and Recreation Area
straddles the Idaho/Montana border, while
Silver
Mountain Ski and Recreation Area
is located mid-valley, adjacent to
Interstate 90 and the town of Kellogg.
A 3.5 mile (19 minute) long gondola links Kellogg to the
ski area. During the summer, both areas cater to mountain
bikers and hikers. In addition, Silver Mountain is famous
for its Summer Concert Series and Lookout Pass is one of
many starting points for hikes and backpacking adventures
involving mountain lakes, clean air and prevalent
wildlife.
Mountain biking is fast becoming a key recreational pursuit for both locals and tourists in the Silver Valley, with trails ranging from extreme to easy. Lookout Pass is one staging area for the unique Route of The Hiawatha mountain bike trail, which begins in Montana and runs downhill through tunnels and over trestles to the North Fork of the St. Joe River, 15 miles away. Completed in 2004, the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is a paved bike path that runs more than 72 miles from Mullan to Plummer, passing over an historic bridge on Lake Coeur d'Alene. |
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The multisport culture of the Silver Valley is illustrated
by the fact that the
Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails, an
organization of bicycle enthusiasts, and the
High Mountain ATV Association teamed up
to place a vault toilet, open and maintained all year long,
at the trailhead for Lower Lake Stevens,
a place only accessible in the summer by foot!
The VERY steep and narrow, yet well defined
3 mile trail rises about 1700 feet through
a mature conifer forest past cascading waterfalls. There are
several dispersed campsites at both lakes ("Pack it in.
Pack it out!"), with good fishing for Rainbow Trout.
These are just two of more than a dozen alpine lakes within a
few miles of Wallace, Mullan or Murray. While a couple of them are
accessible by ATV or jeep, most are not. However, there are hundreds
of miles of trails ideal for the environmentally
conscientious ATV or dirt bike enthusiast.
For example, this picture
of Upper Lake Stevens (elevation 5640') was
taken by a very adventurous expert ATV rider who was able
to get within climbing distance of Mt. Stevens (elevation 6838').
The great thing about the Silver Valley, besides the scenery,
is that the 4-wheelers, both types of 2-wheelers and the
on-footers all play nice together.
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| 2001 Official Idaho Highway Map | |
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Print
the portion indicated at 300 dpi using Acrobat Reader,
which you may obtain here for free if you need it.
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Click on map to see expanded view in separate window. Move mouse over map to see greatly expanded view for comparison to aerial photo below. |
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| The historic town of Wallace (population 960) is midway between Lookout Pass and Silver Mountain ski and recreation areas, and is famous as the "Silver Capital of the World." Every building is on the National Historic Register. Popular visitor attractions, in addition to the many jewelry and antique shops, are the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, the Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum, the Wallace District Mining Museum, the Sixth Street Melodrama, and the Oasis Bordello Museum. In the summer of 1996, Wallace was the location of the spectacular volcano disaster movie Dante's Peak, starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. Every year, half a dozen festivals help make this the most fascinating small town in America! |
listings updatedMay 10, 2008 |
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More than 17% of the people in the county live in
Kellogg, the largest town in the Silver Valley with a
population of 2395. The town with its rich silver mining
heritage
has the modern distinction of being located directly beneath
Silver Mountain Ski Area. Easy gondola access from I-90,
bountiful snowfall, 1500 acres of varied terrain, and a new
management team committed to improving and expanding
the resort, means that Kellogg will grow to become a winter
sports destination. And for the summer, a new golf
course is being planned -- bringing the total number of
courses in the Valley to three. When combined with
the biking experiences available on the Mountain
and on the new Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, Kellogg will
emerge as a four-season mountain recreation town.
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| Click on their logos to open the Wallace and Kellogg Chambers of Commerce websites in separate windows. The Kellogg Chamber renamed itself the Silver Valley Chamber a few years ago. The Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation may be able to help you evaluate business opportunities in the Silver Valley. | ||
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| The Silver Valley Public Libraries are good resources for interested visitors and locals alike. | |||
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| Wallace | Osburn | Kellogg | Pinehurst |
greg4mss@hotmail.com
