Blue Lake is right off HWY 95 on the way to Bonners Ferry. This is a private non-motorized lake associated with Blue Lake Resort (for more info about this resort visit www.bluelakervresort.com 208-946-3361). Nice lake to paddle around, swim, and fish from. Campground (RV, Tent), Restrooms with day use area, civil war tents, fishing dock, swim area, store. Directions: To access Blue Lake RV Resort from HWY 95, simply watch for the sign after Naples Idaho. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com, type in Naples Idaho and move forward along HWY 95 until you see a small lake along HWY 95.

Bonner Lake is a great fishing and kayaking lake, but isn't ideal for swimming due to the natural growth in it. The restroom is not very usable due to poor upkeep. The launch into this lake is gravel and a very shallow launch. Great lake for all types of dinghies, but not so great for sailing due to the natural growth that can foul up the rudder(s). There are no power lines at this launch site. This is a designated "no wake" lake. Directions: To access Bonners Lake from HWY 2... Head east. After passing through the city of Moyie Springs and the Moyie River bridge watch the left/north side of the road for Old HWY 2 and the sign to Bonner Lake. Once on Old HWY 2, follow it to Bonner Lake road which leads to the lake. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Moyie Springs Idaho then pan east to view the lake.

Brush lake is a popular swimming and fishing lake as well as an area that locals like to camp at. Brush is also a nice lake to dinghy sail on due to its position near the ream of a hill overlooking the valley (which allows wind to easily reach the lake). The launch is gravel but level and gradually descends into the lake until the gravel turns to lake sediment. There are no power lines around the launch area. It has a nice restroom next to the lake, though I would not consider the restrooms disAbility accessible. And lastly, this is a "no wake" lake. Directions: To access Brush Lake from HWY 95... Go north of Bonners Ferry, pass the junction of HWY 95 and HWY 1. Proceed on HWY 95 and go up the huge hill after junction; watch for the yellow sign to the lake / forest service road 1004 on the left/east side of the road. Follow the signs to the lake. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Coperland, Idaho. Put map setting on aerial view, then pan directly east to view the lake.

Dawson Lake is an ideal lake for fishing, kayaking, sailing, etc. It has a "no wake" rule, so of course it isn't appropriate for high speed activities. The launch is made of cement slabs and descends gradually into the lake to about the end of the dock. A well kept accessible restroom is available. Directions: To access Dawson Lake from HWY 2... Watch to your left for the Meadow Creek Road sign. Follow this road North until you reach the Dawson Lake access road. This road will turn from payment to gravel about 5 miles up the road from HWY 2. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Moyie Springs Idaho then pan northwest via aerial view to view the lake.

Herman Lake is a private lake. If you are in the area you may here about the lake so it is appropriate to mention here. Herman Lake is near the junction of Herman Lake Cutoff Road & Old Hwy two, known locally as "Herman Junction." Where these two roads meet Hwy 2 turns to gravel, so if you want to stay on pavement use Herman Lake Rd. Directions: To view Herman Lake take HWY 2 from Bonner Ferry's and then turn north onto Herman Lake Rd. Herman Lake Rd off of HWY 2 is just 3 miles from the Idaho Montana boarder. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Moyie Springs Idaho; pan southeast slightly in aerial view setting almost to the Idaho Montana boarder.

Kootenai River & National Wildlife Refuge - Mid Draft Boats & No Access in Refuge

Kootenai River comes north from Canada and winds its way into Montana. This river is an extremely popular fishing river, of course, and is also popular for all types of small boating. There are 4 main launches on the Idaho portion of this river, with one major sportsman access site (see pic's.). There are two popular launch sites. One is next to the Kootenai Wildlife Refuge (landing #2), which gives you access to some channels around the refuge; and the other is at the river junction of Moyie River and Kootenai River (landing #4). The 2 landings in-between these launches are well maintained. LANDINGS INFO: Landing #1 is next to a bridge. Amenities include a paved launch, accessible restroom (when open), large parking lot, and dock.  Landing #2 has a paved launch, large parking lot, dock, non-accessible restroom, and channel access around the wildlife refute. Landing #3 has a paved launch, restroom (not really fully accessible), & dock. Landing #4 for is owned by Twin River Canyon Resort and is a pay site (its good to support privately owned resorts that do not get our tax dollars but have to rely on the economy to survive). This launch also gives you access to the accessible portion of Moyie River below the dam. 

Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge is a water foul preserve to help migratory birds have a safe and un-disturbed location to migrate through. There are no access points other than view points along the auto tour road. It is a great place to visit during the bird migratory season. Contact the refuge by clicking on this link http://www.fws.gov/kootenai/ Directions: To access Landing #1 from HWY 1 a little after or before the HWY 95 & HWY 1 junction... turn on road 45. and follow it until you near the bridge. The launch is on the south side of the bridge on a short gravel road. To access Landing #2 & The Kootenai Wildlife Refuge from HWY 95, follow the signs to the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge, the road is called Riverside Street and is the street that goes west just before the bridge that crosses over the Kootenai River. You will easily see the launch before entering the Refuge. To access Landing #3 from HWY 95 follow the signs to the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge. The road is called Riverside Street and is the street to that goes west just before the bridge that crosses over the Kootenai River. About half way to the Refuge you will see an artsy cable pipe bridge; the launch is right next to this bridge. You will also see restrooms near the main road and a bigger metal pole building. This is the place! To access Landing #4 from HWY 2, watch for the Moyie River bridge (a very high bridge over the river. There is a view point right after the bridge that is well at the top. Its view over the deep Moyie River canyon is spectacular!). After crossing the bridge, watch for the signs directing you to the Twin Rivers Canyon Resort. Stop at the resort office to pay for your access and directions to their launch. To access Kootenai River Sportsman's Access next to the city of Bonners Ferry from HWY 95 turn on Riverside St., which is the street that goes west just before the bridge that crosses over the Kootenai River. This is the same street that takes you to the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge. Once on this street you will see a gravel road that passes under the rail road bridge. This is the place!  Maps: To view a map of the river click on www.mapquest.com and type in Bonners Ferry, set to aerial view and follow river either east or west, and north to the Canadian border.

Beautiful Kootenai River

Kootenai Wildlife Refuge (no boating or hunting allowed)

Click here to enter refuge website...

See Directions to left...

Kootenai River Landing #1 (furthest N. landing approx. 11 mi. from Canadian Boarder.

See Directions above

Kootenai River Landing #2 (Next to Kootenai Wildlife Refuge. In this picture to the right one can see a smaller channel, this channel allows one to paddle around the refuge.

See Directions above and to the left...

Kootenai River Landing #3 (just west of city of Bonners Ferry)

See Directions above

Kootenai River Landing #4 @ Twin Rivers Canyon Resort

See Directions above and to the left...

Kootenai River Sportsman Access at Rail Road Bridge at city of Bonners Ferry

See Directions above

McArthur Lake is part of the McArthur Lake Wilderness Management Area. The Lake is part of a beautiful wilderness area known for its water foul and aquatic life. A very popular fishing lake and near the dam (when there is no flow over it), it is known locally as an area for swimming. This lake would also be a great lake to kayak and do photography on, (not to mention, dinghy sailing would be appropriate as there is a significant amount of open water on this lake.)

This is a "no wake" lake and hunting is not allowed. The launch is paved with a dock, and the restrooms are accessible and well maintained. Directions: To access McArthur Lake from HWY 95 simply watch for the sign to this lake. This lake is right off the HWY so is very hard to miss. The access road is hard to see so watch for a large metal power pole next to the road as the access road is right next to it. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in McArthur Idaho then view the lake via aerial view.

Moyie Spring Reservoir is 1.5 miles long at high water and approximately 2 miles upstream from where Moyie River meets the Kootenai River. The water is crystal clear absolutely beautiful... a very popular swimming and kayaking area. You could dinghy sail in this reservoir in late summer or early fall when the river current is slow or non-existent. It is well worth anyone's time to at least swim or fish here. At the dam there is a beautiful overlook. The canyon that extends below the dam is spectacular. There is a port-a-potty at the launch parking area but it isn't considered accessible. The launch into this reservoir is gravel has a fairly deep angle into the reservoir. There are no power lines at this launch site. This is a "no wake" lake. Moyie River extend all the way from Canada to the Kootenai River. This river is popular for kayaking and fishing. The water is crystal clear and travels through some of the most spectacular wilderness scenery in the state. Access points start just 2 miles from the Canadian / US boarder along HWY 95, then along Moyie River Rd., and then off of HWY 2 at Moyie Spring Reservoir and again at Twin Rivers Canyon Resort where the river meets Kootenai River. In addition there is Meadow Creek Campground. Directions: To access Moyie Springs Reservoir from HWY 2 in Moyie Springs Idaho... Take the Roosevelt Road south (next to Moyie Gas station). Once on this street take the Canyon View Road all the way to the Reservoir. The road is paved to the dam but turns to rough gravel in the launch area. Moyie River at it's furthest point north can be accessed right off HWY 95 near Copper Creek Campground or at various points along Moyie River Road. At HWY 95 just a couple miles from the US / Canadian Boarder you will see a sign to Cooper Creek Campground. Before you get to the camp ground you will see an area next to the river; this is the point of access. Just down the road from this campground is the turn off to Moyie River Road. Along this road there are places in which one could access the river. There is also Moyie Crossing picnic area... a nice place to access the river via kayaks or canoes, etc. There is no formal launch ramp at this site. However, as a note of interest, there are some cool mettle fish sculptures to look at. There is also an accessible restroom.

On Moyie River Road you will find the Meadow Creek campground for a place to stay while visiting this portion of the river. Past this campground one can no longer access the river from the road. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Moyie Springs to view the reservoir and river via aerial view.

Moyie River Dam

Moyie Reservoir Boat Launch

Moyie Crossing Picnic Area

Moyie River Access Site near the US & Canadian Border

Perkins Lake is by far the most well know fishing lake in this corner of that state, and is the largest of the lakes in the area. The lake has a lot of aquatic vegetation yet still has a good amount of open water. It is a "no wake" lake so isn't appropriate for high speed activities. Once you leave the launch area and get through the lily pads, I think it would be a nice lake to dingy sail on or at least sail yak on. This lake is not ideal for swimming due to the natural growth in it. The restroom is accessible but the path to the restroom is gravel and narrow, but do-able to travel on with a wheelchair. There is a long accessible dock that extends into the lake, its great to fish from. The launch into this lake is gravel and is a very shallow launch. There are no power lines at this launch site.  Directions: To access Perkins Lake from HWY 2 to Libby Montana... Pass through the city of Moyie Springs and the Moyie River bridge. Watch the left/north side of the road for Old HWY 2 and a sign to Bonner Lake. Once on this road follow the signs to Perkins Lake. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Moyie Springs Idaho, then pan east to view the lake.

Queen Lake is a small alpine lake that one must hike to. There are a few camping areas along the shore of the lake. No fishing information is available about this lake. One could kayak this lake if one wanted to take the time and carry a kayak to the lake. There are many hiking trails in the area of this lake. Directions: To access Queens Lake from HWY 2 take the Moyie River Road. When traveling along Moyie River Rd. you will come upon a sign that says "Queen Lake 11 miles" (no road name sign is indicated). It was nice for them to put a sign up indicating this but once you travel on this road there is no more signage giving you directions to this lake. As you travel on this road you will notice mile markers. After mile marker 6 there are no more. The first major intersection you come to has 2 roads indicated by signs 2488 and 2542; take 2452. The second intersection you come is junction 2222. Stay to the right and take the road to the right. The road is less gravel and more dirt or mud depending on the time of the year you visit. This intersection has road signs indicated. Basically, when you first leave the main road to come to this lake, you just keep right on all major roads. The road to the lake leads into a large gravel parking lot, and on the far end of the lot is Trail Access Point (trail #152). The trail is easy to hike on but for some the last few hundred feet are steep and rocky and may be hard to traverse if one has a mobility impairment. The trail is wide for most of the hike with one small bridge, and again, the last few hundred feet are not smooth. The route to the lake is well marked by signs. From the trail head to the lake is approximately 1.5 miles. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Moyie Springs Idaho and pan northwest to view the lake.

Robinson Lake is a popular fishing and kayaking lake due to its beauty and abundant aquatic life and vegetation such as lily pads, etc. Consequently, it certainly isn't appropriate for high speed boating and is designated as a non-motorized lake. The launch is paved with a restroom which has no running water, in the parking area. There is, however, a large camping area with restrooms and running water. The area this lake is in is a popular wildlife viewing area; hunting is not allowed. Directions: To access Robinson Lake and camping from HWY 95 (just 4 miles from the Canadian boarder), simply watch for the signs and then follow them to the lake. The road is paved for half the distance to the lake then turns to gravel. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Eastport, Idaho. Set the map on aerial view, then pan southwest a short distance to view the lake.

Sinclair Lake is a small fishing lake/pond. There is a gravel boat launch for non-motorized boats and a fishing dock. This is totally a fishing lake and would not be good for kayaking or other activities due to its small size and aquatic vegetation. This is a "no motor" lake. Directions: To access Sinclair Lake from HWY 95 or HWY 2 take the Moyie River Rd, and watch for signs. This lake is right off the road so it's hard to miss. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Eastport Idaho then pan in via aerial view south along Moyie River/Moyie River Road to view the lake; it's small and hard to see.

Smith Lake is an ideal lake for fishing, kayaking, sailing, etc. It has a motorized "no wake" rule so of course is not appropriate for high speed activities. The launch is paved and descends gradually into the lake near the end of the dock. An accessible restroom is available. Directions: To access Smith Lake from HWY 95 (north of Bonner Ferry before getting to HWY 95 and HWY 1 junction) watch for the sign to Smith Lake. Follow the signs to the lake. Once near the lake a sign will direct you to the lake campground or boat launch. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Set the map setting on aerial view, then pan directly north to view the lake.

Solomon Lake is a muddy lake that is NOT ideal for any other activity other than fishing; however locals are not sure the state is even stocking the lake with fish anymore. The lake parking area is also known locally for youth partying. The launch is gravel and depending on lake level turns to mud. There is an accessible restroom in the parking area. This is a "no wake" lake. Directions: To access Solomon Lake from HWY 2 to Libby Montana (after passing through the city of Moyie Springs and the Moyie River bridge)... Watch the left/north side of the road for Old HWY 2 and a sign to Bonner Lake. Once on this road follow the signs to Perkins Lake, then turn northeast onto Solomon Lake Rd./Forest Service road 627. Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Moyie Springs Idaho then pan east to view the lake.

Welsh Lake is a private lake on your way to or from Bonners Ferry. It is near a gas station with a restaurant overlooking the lake. Nice looking lake, but again, it is totally private. Directions: To view Welsh Lake from HWY 95 the lake is almost directly across from the street of Samuels Road next to the only gas station (north of Samuels Idaho). Maps: To view a map click on www.mapquest.com and type in Samuels Idaho then pan in north via aerial setting to see this lake.