Greater Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Bodies of Water

Lake Coeur d’Alene

This is the quintessential picture you’ve no doubt seen if you’ve been looking into the area.

Lake CDA is home to the city of Coeur d’Alene on its north shore, where you’ve likely seen photos of the CDA Resort and downtown CDA with City Beach, or North Idaho College nestled on the shore of the mouth of the Spokane River where it meets Lake CDA, or the CDA Resort Golf Course with its floating green. At 31,872 surface acres, Lake CdA is a larger lake home to many marinas, several golf courses including Gozzer Ranch, The Golf Club at Black Rock, or CDA National Golf Club, restaurants like Tony’s on the Lake, Beverly’s, or Shooters, and plenty of parks and waterfront homes.

You’ll find fishermen targeting blue back (Kokanee) or Chinook salmon, sailors zig zagging across the lake, wake boarders and water skiers soaking up the sun, families splashing in the water off the boat or at the beach in the summer months and eagle watchers catching fantastic shows of the magnificent birds fishing. Given its central location in Kootenai County off of I-90, there is a lot of action on Lake CDA, and the offerings for primary or secondary waterfront is pretty varied.

From older cabins on the south end of the lake with modest frontage, to communities nestled above the lake with a private community-access beach and/or boat slips, to prime waterfront luxury homes with all of it. Prime frontage on the north shore in town is very limited, but the access around the lake on both sides is well maintained and easily accessible so there are a lot of great options that often allow for a little more privacy or out of town lake shore vibe. 

Spokane River

Starts in downtown Coeur d’Alene with it mouth at the NW corner of Lake CDA, it flows through Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls across the stateline where you literally cross over it driving on I-90 just west of the state line, where it then runs through Spokane including the falls in downtown, this is a pretty iconic river.  There are homes lining almost all of the river from cabins on some of the south shore to more year round living on the north shore, this river makes for great opportunities to live on the water with quick boat access to Lake CDA.  There are condo and single family waterfront options in both Post Falls and CDA and it is all very accessible by land, a lot of it being in town with notable dining options, parks, and public boat launches.  There is great fishing for bass and catfish above the dam, and trout below the dams in Post Falls (which is at Spokane St). 

Hayden Lake

At 499 acres, this is definitely smaller than Lake CDA or Pend Oreille, but is a great option for boating, fishing, and waterfront living.  Hayden Lake, the body of water, is home to the community of Hayden Lake which is part of the larger Hayden, ID community which is to the north of Coeur d’Alene.  The city of Hayden Lake sits at the southwest corner of the lake, and is home to the Hayden Lake Country Club, founded in 1927 it is a local favorite, with beautiful grounds and views of the lake. Honeysuckle boat launch is nearby, and is a popular jump off for fisherman and sun seekers alike. The lake is known for its blue back (Kokanee Salmon) fishing, bass fisherman around the docks and structure, pike fishing, especially when the north side of the lake freezes over for ice fisherman, the sandbar on the east side of the lake is a popular meeting place for families and when they’re taking a break from tubing.  The lake has a range of homes from multi-million dollar luxury homes especially around the west and north shores, to cabins around the more remote bays of the east side of the lake, with a good mix and plenty of year round residents along the south shore.   

Avondale Lake

Situated in Hayden, at 57.8 acres this is a small lake surrounded by homes and Avondale Golf Club, just north of The Hayden Lake Country Club.  This usually freezes over and is accessible for ice skaters and ice fisherman, and in the summer months it is restricted to non-motorized boats. 

Fernan Lake

Nestled on the south east side of CDA, this is a small lake with homes mostly situated around its north shore.  The lake offers great views, and access to the CDA National Forest around the back side, but also usually freezes over for ice fisherman and skaters alike. 

Hauser Lake

At 625 acres Hauser Lake sits near the ID-WA border, just north of Post Falls and Highway 53 for easy commutes in any direction.  It is a small community on a small, picturesque lake that is great for family fun from tubing, waterskiing, family fishing opportunities along the shores or by boat, and there are a couple of dining options.  It is a little retreat just outside of town with some existing homes and new construction options, waterfront and water view, and spread out neighborhoods to private setups on acreage.  . 

Lake Pend Oreille

Kootenai County covers the south end of the massive Lake Pend Oreille (almost 100,000 surface acres, 110 miles of shoreline and over 1,000 ft deep in vast portions of the lake) around Bayview and Farragut State Park.  Bayview is known for its float homes and sailboats, and if you’re on the north side around Cape Horn there are sweeping views of Echo Bay and Bernard Peak, with cliffs as tall as 2,000 ft you can spot mountain goats and wildlife galore.  The area is remote feeling, and breathtaking.  It is known for its trophy Rainbow Trout fishing or if you’re not set up for long line trolling you can jig for lake trout.  The views and scenery have to be seen to believe. 

Upper and Lower Twin Lakes

Almost 900 acres combined, the twin lakes are populated with cabins, a golf course, and year round residents alike.  There are some areas of the shoreline where no homes are visible, and these lakes usually freeze over in the winter so while you can boat in the summer, there are really cool winter activities as well with ice fishing and exploring walking on hard water. 

Spirit Lake

At 1,574 surface acres, and up to 100 feet deep, Spirit Lake is a nice mid-sized lake located in northwest Kootenai County north of Rathdrum and West of Athol.  The city of Spirit Lake sits on the northeast corner of the lake, and it has a small town feel with waterfront options in a more remote part of the county.