Wiildrose Takes a Hike ~ Priest Lake Navigation Tr Traditional Cache

Priest Lake is such a beautiful place.  It's my stomping grounds, and I'm happy to share it with you.  There are miles & miles of awesome trails here!  This is just one of the hikes here. It is Navigation Trail #291.  I hadn't done this hike for years, and lately have been kayaking to the upper lake instead of hiking, so I thought it was time to hike it again, and introduce this trail to my daughter & grandsons.  After a local event, we hit the trail and came up here. Plowboy Campground (accessible by boat or trail only) is a great spot to have lunch & turn around, or you can continue on another 3 miles to Navigation Campground (another boater/hiker camp), and if you're REALLY feeling ambitious, the trail continues on another 3 miles to the end of the line at N 48 49.090, W 116 57.696. You end up on FS RD #1013. My GPS odometer said we walked 6.72 miles to get up to Plowboy and back today. Dogs are allowed on the trail, leashed, and be bear aware here, as well as BUG aware!  The mosquitoes can be bad, so bring bug spray! It can also be muddy, so hiking boots would be a plus, too. There are no motorized vehicles allowed here, but mountain bikers abound, so be aware of that. You will find the campgrounds full on most summer weekends, on a first come-first served basis.

Navigation Trail #291 is a beautiful walk through a forest environment, paralleling the Priest Lake Thorofare, but out of sight of it for the whole way up. To find the parking area, drive into the Beaver Creek Campground entrance and make a left to drive up to the trailhead/canoe portage parking area and trailheads.  There is a vault toilet here, and parking is free. There is a trail down to the thorofare, also, about 1/4 mile, graveled, to portage a canoe or kayak into the thorofare. I did that once, and have better places to launch from now. I'll let you know about those later!  The hiking trailhead and portage trailheads are well-marked, and the hiking trail is maintained yearly, although it hasn't happened yet this year, due to Covid19.  There were only a few fallen trees along the trail today.  One last reminder: Bring bug spray, bear spray, water, snack, rain coat, all the essentials. There are outhouses at the trailhead and the campgrounds along the way.  If you camp at the boater/hiker campgrounds, there are bear lockers and picnic tables at these sites.

Have fun and be safe!  I will list more Priest Lake hikes in the future. There are too many to list, but I will highlight some of the more popular ones. Don't forget to stop for ice cream in town on the way home!

OTHER PRIEST LAKE AREA TRAILS
West Side:
Lakeshore Trail, west side of main lake
Lakeview Mountain
Indian Mountain Lookout
Hanna Flats (1/4 mi)
Hughes Ridge Lookout
East Side:
Upper Priest Lake Trail, east side of lake
Hunt Lake Trail
Chimney Rock Trail
Lookout Mountain Trail
Mt Roothan Trail
Lionhead
The Wigwams
Eight Mile Island (boat required)
...and many more!

For information on Priest Lake Trails you can contact:
For West side of Lake: US Forest Service, (208) 443-2512
For East side of Lake: Idaho Dept of Lands (208) 443-2516