Stanley and Redfish Lake

With a year-round population of just 63, tiny Stanley has an out-sized reputation. Geographically, it's in the center of Idaho, and it serves as a jumping-off point for adventures in the Sawtooth Mountains, which form one of the state's most emblematic landscapes.

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Sandpoint

Many of the places in Idaho's panhandle feature memorable names. Some are drawn from French, such as Coeur d'Alene or Lake Pend Oreille, while others have intriguing historical connotations, like Priest Lake and Bonners Ferry. And then there's Sandpoint, a town whose name evokes the stirring image of some guy pointing at a pile of sand. Yep, we see it. You've found the sand.

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Oh, To Be Rich in Coeur d’Alene

Coeur d'Alene is the largest city in the Idaho panhandle; a mix of remote nature, urban ease and ostentatious wealth. It's well-known in the Pacific Northwest as a resort destination, with a prime location on the lovely lake which shares its name. We had been eagerly anticipating our short, two-day stay there, and found it to be just as memorable as advertised.

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The Enaville Resort, AKA The Snakepit

It's a little hard to feel that thrill of discovery, the joy of unearthing another hidden travel gem, when the gem in question is as popular as the Enaville Resort. But we couldn't resist patting ourselves on the back after entering this Silver Valley establishment. Even if it's no secret among the locals, to whom it's known as the Snakepit, it was an exciting find.

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Kellogg – Our Base in the Silver Valley

Although it's not as well-known as nearby Wallace, Kellogg is the Silver Valley's largest town, and was our base during our four-day stay in the region. It's a nice village stretched out along the Coeur d'Alene Mountains, with a population around 2000; less historic and picturesque than Wallace, perhaps, but with a burgeoning tourism industry of its own, thanks largely to the Silver Mountain Ski Resort.

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