Wiildrose Goes Cross-Country Skiing ~ Farragut Traditional Cache

Farragut State Park is a great place to cross-country ski. It's mostly flat with gentle hills, and has miles and miles of open roads and trails. Add the Farragut Recreation Trail, just outside the park boundaries, and you have a skier's paradise! I have included a few trail descriptions here that may or may not be to your liking. You should check in with the visitor center and inquire as to the trails that are available for this sport. North Idaho is beautiful in the winter, and Farragut is no exception. Have fun, and be safe!

If you do not have an Idaho State Parks pass there is a $5 day fee. Stop at the Visitor Center to pick up a park map and inquire on trails.

Parking coords for this cache are at: N 47 58.361 W 116 34.491
This cache is at the END of the trail! I thought the trail would go to the perimeter of the park, but it doesn't. After the clearing (it's great for skiing till then), it goes from double track to single track and goes downhill (in more ways than one!) and then just ENDS at the place that I put the cache. Surprise! There are 2 hiking trails that take off from this road that I want to explore soon.

FARRAGUT STATE PARK INFO:

Located on the southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille in the mountains of northern Idaho, 4,000-acre Farragut State Park offers beautiful scenery, history and an abundance of recreational opportunities, including disc golf, radio-controlled airplane field, fishing, hiking, biking, swimming, boating, camping, equestrian facilities and even World War II history as the world's second largest naval training base - don't miss the Museum at the Brig during your visit. In winter, it is a premier cross-country skiing and snowshoeing destination. For boaters there is a launch ramp and docks. New to the park is the Tree to Tree Adventure Park.

Besides the miles of roads, here are some trails that may be suitable for skiing:

Farragut Recreation Trail (outside the park boundary, and is free) is a 4-mile trail that parallels highway 54 from the freeway to the park, and ends at the park fence, where you can walk or bike right into Farragut. It is totally flat, with forest on both sides of the trail. There is some private property lining the trail, so please don't stray far, not that you would want to. This trail is wonderful for all ages, and is a great biking trail and x-c ski trail. There is a trail of geocaches along it for your geocaching pleasure.
Closest coords to park, on Perimeter Rd: N 47* 57.104 W 116* 36.787
Next, on Caravelle Rd: N 47* 57.099 W 116* 37.214
Next, on Red Fir Rd: N 47* 57.089 W 116* 39.332
Howard Rd: N 47* 57.084 W 116* 41.191
Roberts Rd, by Super 1 (3.71 miles) N 47* 57.086 W 116* 41.587

Bennion Historical Trail is a 1.4 mile out and back trail and is good for all skill levels. You can park at either end.
Parking coords are: N 47 57.918 W116 34.017 (South Road) N47 58.161 W116 33.744 (Crossover Road)

Farragut Loop Trail is a 14.5-mile loop around the exterior edge of the park. Great for mt biking.

Buggy Trail Loop is an 8.2-mile loop around the edge of the park. There are many access points. I read that clockwise is recommended, but I'm not sure why.

The Northside Loop Trail is a 7.6-mile loop around the edge of the park. There are many access points. It's basically the Buggy Trail Loop with a cutoff that cuts just over 1/2-mile off the trail.

HISTORY OF FARRAGUT STATE PARK:

Ground was broken in March 1942, and by September the base had a population of 55,000, making it the largest city in Idaho. Liberty trains to Spokane ran three times daily. At the time Farragut was the second-largest naval training center in the world.

During the 30 months the base was open, 293,381 sailors received basic training at Farragut. The last recruit graduated in March 1945 and the facility was decommissioned in June 1946.

From 1946-49 it was the site of the Farragut College and Technical Institute, which did not re-open in late 1949 due to financial difficulties. The park adjoins the deepwater Lake Pend Oreille, where the Navy maintains a submarine research center at Bayview, the Acoustic Research Detachment. The land was transferred to the state of Idaho in 1949 and became a state park in 1965.