Family Trip July 2018 Idaho to GNP

Old Dec 14th, 2017, 06:51 PM
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Family Trip July 2018 Idaho to GNP

Planning a family trip this sumer (July) in Idaho to GNP and I have looked & read many post but I still have some questions. The plan is to fly into Boise and then head to Stanley, ID for Thursday and Friday night. The Redfish Lake lodge looks nice but open to other lake or river front hotels. Then the plan is to go to McCall, ID and stay at the Lake Lodge resort for 2 to 3 nights. Hiking, boating and casual biking is the plan in both spots. If fesible we would like to fit in a full day rafting trip if there is a nice run with some good rapids (we are very experience white water rafters) so looking for class IV and V rapids but I assume since we will be there in mid July the rapid may be gone. But the Lochsa river looked to posibly have some good offerings. Is that river a day trip from McCall or our next place we were planning to go to was Coeur d'Alene so would that be on the way there? Once we get to Coeur d'Alene we would stay a day or 2 in that area unless there is something to stop and see in between McCall or the river run on the way to Coeur d'Alene? From Coeur d'Alene then we were going to drive over to GNP but stop in Sandpoint, ID. Now I have been to Coeur d'Alene before and stayed at the lake Coeur d'Alene resort and loved the area but was on business so did not get to see much of the lake just did some hiking. But if there is a nice hotel resort in Sandpoint and if Sandpoint has more to see and do I would be open to suggestions there? Once we complete our visit in Sandpoint/Coeur d'Alene then we will head to GNP.

I have read the post and it sounds like we should stay one night in the Apgar area or the Lake McDonald hotel our 1st night do you have suggestions on which /what are the nicer properties there? From there we were going to hike see suggested sights and then drive the Going to the Sun Road and stay at the Many Glacier Hotel for 2 nights see and hike there before driving to Kalispell staying a night there and seeing whatever would be the sights and then fly home.

I would greatly appreciate any and all comments, suggestions on what to see, hikes and how much time we should spend in the suggested areas. We have 13 days thank you and I look forward to hearing back.

Thank you,

Dave
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Old Dec 14th, 2017, 09:41 PM
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You may find that a one way car rental is expensive (drop fee).
Think about flying to Spokane and returning the car where you rented it. Spokane is only 1.5 hours from Coeur d'Alene.
My wife and I enjoyed the Meadow Lake Resort in Columbia Falls MT.
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Old Dec 19th, 2017, 02:38 PM
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The Lochsa will likely not have enough water to raft in July. The put-in would probably be about a four or five hour drive from McCall. Most people do a 20 mile float, but the floating is pretty much done by the end of June.

You could do a day float on the Salmon from McCall. It's mostly Class III with some bigger water depending on CFS. You could day float out of Riggins. It's about an hour drive from McCall.

You have a couple routes from McCall to Couer d'Alene. You can go through Idaho (McCall to Grangeville to Lewiston to Colfax to Spokane) or through Montana (McCall to Grangeville to Hwy 12 and then you follow the Lochsa to Lolo Pass then to Missoula and then I-90 to Couer d'Alene.

Couer d'Alene and Sandpoint are kind of out of the way if you're planning on going to Glacier.
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Old Dec 20th, 2017, 04:55 PM
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I was liking the start of the stated plan... targeting Stanley right off the bat... and while I can appreciate Coeur D'Alene appeal, I don't think that a trip on trajectory from Boise to Stanley to Glacier gains anything at all from Coeur D'Alene.

(neither in geography terms nor in appeal terms)


To go from Stanley to West Yellowstone to Kalispell would take nine more minutes than it would go to from Stanley to Coeur D'Alene to Kalispell.

(and the preference is a no-brainer) (Kalispell used merely as a point of common reference)

Even Jackson, Wyoming would be a FAR better move, for scenery, than would be making that side trip to Coeur D' Alene, (where you've already been).

In fact it would be awesome to utilize 13 days and include:

Jackson
Yellowstone (all or part)
Stanley
Glacier


(suddenly Stanley could be the spot of least appeal on the list)... (though I went there a couple of years ago and I liked the area... and the Sawtooth Mountains are very interesting)
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Old Jan 6th, 2018, 03:02 PM
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Thank you for the replies. So we did change our plans a bit not going to GNP at all now. Starting out in Idaho at Shoshone Falls- sawtooth mts- Redfish then Jackson - Grand Tetons - Yellowstone - back SLC. Round trip saves tons on the rental car.
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Old Jan 6th, 2018, 03:13 PM
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We love Redfish Lake Lodge and have stayed there on our way to Yellowstone or Glacier. Hoping to return this fall. The Sawtooths are every bit as gorgeous as the Tetons to me.
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