Idaho Panhandle National Forests


The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are a jointly administered set of three national forests located mostly in the U.S. state of Idaho. In 1973, major portions of the Kaniksu, Coeur d'Alene, and St. Joe National Forests were combined to be administratively managed as the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. The IPNF consists of more than 2.5 million acres of public lands in the panhandle of north Idaho, with small areas extending into eastern Washington and western Montana. The northernmost portion of the IPNF share a boundary with Canada. The Forest Supervisor's office is located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with district office's in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, Priest River, Fernan and Smelterville, and St. Maries and Avery.
WWW fs.usda.gov/ipnf

Geography

Elevations on the IPNF range from 2,100 to 7,600 feet with as much as 80 inches of precipitation at high elevations. The IPNF is characterized by several mountain ranges including the Selkirk Mountains, Cabinet Mountains, Purcell Mountains, Coeur d'Alene Mountains, and Bitterroot Range, interspersed with large lakes such as Lakes Coeur d'Alene, Pend Oreille, and the upper and lower Priest. Major river valleys consist of the St. Joe, Coeur d'Alene, Priest, Pend Oreille, Clark Fork, and Kootenai.

Wildlife

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests contain a wide variety of wildlife. White-tailed deer, mule deer, raccoons, elk, grizzly bears, moose, black bears, coyotes, timber wolves, skunks, cougars, marten, beavers, river otters, bobcats, minks, and wolverines are often seen by visitors.
Bird species include ravens, wild turkey, blue jays, California quail, numerous species of grouse, osprey, golden eagle, bald eagle and numerous types of owls. The rivers and lakes in the Panhandle hold some of the best fishing locations in the world.

Wilderness areas

There is one officially designated wilderness area within the IPNF that is a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Salmo-Priest Wilderness lies partially within the Priest Lake Ranger District of the IPNF and extends into the neighboring Colville National Forest. Four roadless areas are currently proposed for wilderness totaling 146,700 acres :
  • Salmo-Priest Roadless Area
  • Selkirk Crest
  • Scotchman Peaks
  • Mallard-Larkins

Recreation

The IPNF manages for a diversity of recreational opportunities, and there are extensive trail networks for stock, OHVs, hiking, and winter snowmobile and cross country skiing. Over 1,400 miles of trails are maintained for hiking and 800 miles for ATV use. Notable trails include the Pulaski Tunnel Trail, which explores the history of the Great Fire of 1910 and the firefighters who battled them, and the Route of the Hiawatha, a 15-mile rails-to-trails route which includes the 1.7 mile Taft Tunnel. The Emerald Creek Garnet Area provides an opportunity to collect star garnets and is one of only two places in the world where these gems can be found. The forests contain two groves of old growth ancient Giant western red cedar, Settler's Grove of Ancient Cedars near Murray, Idaho and Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars near Nordman, Idaho, both of which are popular hiking trails.