Pend Oreille Scenic Byway

Snow covered trees provide a perfect backdrop for a snowmobiler near Trestle Creek on the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway.

A snowmobiler sleds down a steep mountainside of snow near Trestle Creek.

Up to their waists in snow, snowmobilers pose for a picture during a break from riding near the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway in Idaho

Varietal wetlands appear in numerous places along the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, and can be found extensively along the Pack and Clark Fork Rivers. This view was taken a hundred feet from the Byway right of way.

The many varieties of deciduous trees offer a potpourri of color with the first frost of early fall.

Denton Slough is the primary annual stopover for migrating Tundra Swans and Pack River is also an area they frequent. These swans are a beautiful sight, but to stop and listen on a moonlit night as their soft voices seem to gossip about friends and food, is an experience every visitor should plan for. This picture was taken from the road's edge looking into Denton Slough Waterfowl Area.

The Clark Fork Driftyards sit in an elbow of the lake offering miles of scenery. This southwesterly view offers the impressive Green Monarchs with a late winter's snow.

Bald Eagles are annual visitors along the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway. They arrive in the fall to find the spawning kokanee (landlocked salmon) of the lake. Viewing opportunities begin in the Pack River Wildlife and are the most frequent near the Trestle Creek Recreation Area (POI). Eagles are often seen from your car as you drive the Byway.

Winter sunsets often explode in color. This view is seen from the Pend Oreille Geologic Site (POI), immediately adjacent to the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, and shows the open expanse of the lake, rimmed by its many mountains.

The varietal forests along the Clark Fork River are an eye's delight in all seasons, but especially in fall and spring.

The Trestle Creek Road is one of several easy access points to the Panhandle National Forest and offers this scenery one half mile from the byway.

Frequent visitors to the Pack River Wildlife Area, these ungainly appearing animals move easily through wetlands and marshes. This photo was taken from the edge of the road, over the guard rail.

Few things are more profoundly striking than the reflective qualities of miles of open water on Lake Pend Oreille. This view was taken from the streets of Hope, just above the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, looking northwest across the lake and into the Selkirk Mountains.

The white blanket of snow optimizes the lower sunrays and adds a freshness that is unique to the season. This photo, taken from the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway's right of way, looks into the Elks Golf Course.

Rolling green hills and the Clark Fork River are seen from the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway just outside of Clark Fork city limits.

The area within the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway corridor provides much in the way of wildlife habitat and offers many opportunities to enjoy wildlife in a natural setting. This deer was seen near the Sam Owen Campground (POI) on the county's Peninsula Road.

This is just an example of the many times people got together to create a corridor management plan for the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway. This group includes local residents, federal agencies, county government, and private business putting their heads together to collectively tell the Byway's story.

Several marinas in Hope or Sandpoint offer seasonal, monthly, or weekly moorage packages for boaters wishing to pursue the large rainbow and mackinaw trout or explore the recreational attributes of Lake Pend Oreille.

Spring runoff from the melting snows of nearby mountains creates a number of small seasonal streams that add beauty to an already lovely drive along the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway. This picture was taken from the Byway between Trestle Creek and Hope.

The spring runoff collects behind the Cabinet Gorge Dam before passing through the spillway gates, creating a thunderous roar in the canyon walls, especially following winters of deep snowfall. An observation point at the dam makes this readily available to visitors.

The descending skies of snowy winter days, dramatically alter the depth of the horizon on Lake Pend Oreille, but do not remove the allure of the scenery or the possibility of catching a large fish while trolling from a boat. This view is seen from the city streets of Hope, looking across the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway.

The farmlands adjoining the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway corridor are a constant indicator of season, and offer an eye-pleasing view framed by trees and the ever present mountains.

Idaho's Pend Oreille Scenic Byway receives their designation plaque at the Designation 2002 event at Union Station in Washington DC.

A Ski Patrol member pauses to take in the view of Lake Pend Oreille and Sandpoint, Idaho, from a steep mountainside at Schweitzer Ski Resort.

A skier carves his way down the snowy slopes of Schweitzer Ski Resort under a clear blue sky.

Glimpses of open water, islands, and the distant cliffy faces of the Green Monarchs are seen to the south near Hope.