Set between the Cabinet and Selkirk Mountain ranges, Sandpoint and Bonner County have always been a secluded and coveted piece of paradise. When our area was founded in the late 1800’s timber mills were the vast majority of business the small town of Ponderay was known for. When the railroads were extended through Sandpoint business exploded and put Sandpoint on the map. For the past 100 years, Sandpoint has grown into a thriving metropolis of quaint downtown boutiques and award winning foods.
It’s easy to see why, with the clear blue waters from Lake Pend Oreille (Pronounced: Pond-Oray), chiseled green mountain ranges, verdant forests, and awe-inspiring mountain lakes, Sandpoint is hard to resist. North Idaho enjoys warm summers for play on the lake and crisp mountain air in the winter for days on Schweitzer Mountain Resort. Spring brings vibrant colors the land with blossoming trees and wild flowers while the mountains turn to fire with aspens and tamaracks turning in the fall. Our four season environment has turned the timber town of the early 1900’s into a quaint resort town thriving from our unique culture.
Today, Sandpoint enjoys a laidback lifestyle, one that incorporates a thriving culinary scene, rich cultural history, and of course, activities that take advantage of the states natural settings keeping you busy all year round.
With snow-capped mountain peaks, golden-sand beaches, and sparkling mountain lakes, North Idaho is big on contrasts. Bonner County encompasses around the second largest lake in the west, Lake Pend Oreille. With depths of more than 1,200 feet and over 111 miles of shoreline, Pend Oreille's beauty and purity are sustained by the mountain-fed waters of the Pack and Clark Fork Rivers. The mountain-to-lake opportunities are endless with year-round boating and mountain adventure. Our mountain-to-lake community grows more precious everyday, as natural settings around the world are becoming harder to find. Our lake carries an amazing number of catchable species including the renowned Kamloops, Whitefish and Kokanee, Mackinaw, Cutthroat and Rainbow trout. Thursdays you can watch the sailing regatta take speed to open water or just sit and watch the alpenglow dance off the waters edge.
North Idaho is the Pacific Northwest's best kept secret in second home real estate and vacations. Spectacular North Idaho has it all... three incredible lakes... the Inland Northwest's Premier ski resort, Schweitzer Mountain Resort, with over 2900 acres of skiable terrain and 2400 vertical feet of natural fluffy snow... thousands of un-charted public, accessible forest land leading to hundreds of miles of summer hiking and biking, or winter snowmobiling... all this and only an easy drive from Spokane International Airport.