Hike to Granite Creek Falls

Yesterday was negative and positive.  We have a 10 best day hikes in Northern Idaho brochure and decided to go to the Priest Lake area and see a couple of waterfall hikes that it listed.  Off we went, traveling south on Route 2 and then the route headed west towards Spokane.  Passed through Sandpoint, we got into Priest River, a small river town on the Pend Oreille River, with the actual Priest River that flows from the Lake, entering right at downtown.  Very pretty.  Headed north on Route 57, the only route in to Priest Lake and all the resorts and marinas.

Pend Orville River near Sandpoint

Cutsey little town

Crossed over Priest River and headed north to Priest Lake

Always on the look out for animals, notice osprey nest looming overhead?

We had Hunt Creek Falls on our radar, followed the instructions from the brochure and ran along Priest Lake’s eastern shoreline, found the turn off for the falls and then discovered that the falls was on private property, no trespassing.  Bummer.  Okay.  Turned around and came back down the east side and swung around to the west side, heading north for Nordam, a small community, and did not realize it that we were on the correct Forest Service road even though we never saw the turn off.  Bummer part was a long dusty 12 miles of dirt and gravel road.  Passed a number of cars going the other direction and ate their dust as well as the cars coming up behind us that passed us, left us in a huge cloud of dust.

Priest Lake

Very pretty

Dusty, gravel road to Granite Creek Falls

Our car parked way back from mud hole - it was really deep

Saw the turn off for Granite Falls - have to say the signage needs lots of help in that area of the woods - and came to a screeching halt.  A huge mud hole!  In the distance we saw a big SUV coming, watched them slide through the mud, and then they stopped and talked with us.  Said the trailhead was just around the bend (we could see it).  Dave parked the car just about where we slammed on the brakes and we changed into our hiking boots, donned lots and lots of bug spray, grabbed our cameras and off we went.

Peek at the falls from the lower trail

And the Upper Granite Creek Falls from below

Columbia lily

As we came around the bend, wow, the number of cars sitting there, obviously they had to go through that muck.  All but one car/truck was 4-wheel drive which made sense how they got through.

The observation deck for the upper falls

Looks like the falls run sideway, at it does! Notice trees growing up?

To left is river walk to main trail, right - back down to lower falls

Pretty rocky at times, and quite steep along the river

First went to the lower falls, teased us with the upper falls we could see in the distance.  Pretty.  The hike up to the Upper Falls - phew!  A little bit rugged.  Took photos from the upper viewing area and as I was staring at the falls, looked like the falls were running sideways.  The water comes gushing around a huge granite wall then cascades at an angle.  Really different. After snapping some photos, we continued on to the Roosevelt Cedar Grove, an ancient cedar grove discovered in 1919 by some surveyors who realized just how old some of the trees were (800 to about 2000 years old).  But as we trekked along the path, we had some maneuvering of fallen trees to contend with.  At one fallen tree I had to jump down from above and I hurt my left foot (surgery foot) and ended up limping the rest of the day as well as today - it’s better, just not right.

Along river walk, able to see Granite Creek at times

One of 4 trees we had to climb over

On our way to Roosevelt Cedar Grove

Always diligent for bears

Pretty

And caribou, moose, mule deer

Heard this tiny trickle way before we could see it

The mud hole got much bigger while we were hiking

Done with our hike, back through the dusty road and into Nordham.  On our way to Granite Creek Falls we passed Huff Lake, and decided to stop there on the way back to see what that was all about.  It’s a quaking bog, some of the ground is constantly moving due to the water.  I was really hoping to see a moose but instead saw this forlorn dog staring at us in a car, his mommy and daddy were also looking at the interpretive signs at Huff Lake. But all day we were on the lookout for moose, caribou, bear, mule deer.  Almost hit deer coming to Priest Lake as well as near Sandpoint.  Our campground manager said one time traveling at night he almost hit a moose in Sandpoint - got to be real careful.

Wasn't till I looked at this map - we hiked the Cedar trail in Washington!

No moose at this bog pond

The dark brown/dead of lower trees - that's the amount of snow they get

No moose, but this sad puppy waiting on Mom and Dad to get back

Granite Creek - see the guy fly fishing on left bank?

So the negative - couldn’t get to Hunt Creek Falls.  Got turned off by all the mega-homes that edge the lake (very touristy), and got the car so dirty with dust that it was white.  Hard to see out the back window.

Positive - got to see Priest Lake (people rave about the beauty - yes it is, but we think British Columbia is more spectacular), saw Granite Creek Falls and got a bonus by hiking to see the Roosevelt Cedar Grove.  And - got to hike in Washington.  Totaled up our mileage hiking - 3 1/2 miles - not bad.