Unique digital nomad travel adventures from around the U.S.
The Idaho State Parks Challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. It was maybe the best …
State Park Overview Ponderosa State Park is in McCall, Idaho, which is two and a half hours north of Boise. Boiseans enjoy this park in all seasons, with hiking, boating, cross country skiing and mountain biking accessible in a pretty area. Pros: Lots to do …
Heyburn State Park is Idaho’s and the Pacific Northwest’s first state park. Created in 1908 (or 1911, depending on who you ask), this park on the banks of Lake Coeur d’Alene set a great example for parks to come.
Heyburn State Park is located at the southern end of Coeur d’Alene Lake, where the St. Joe River feeds into the lake. Technically, there are a lot of lakes merging in this area. But to a layman (me), it all seems like Coeur d’Alene Lake. You can relax and soak up the scenery of pines trees and idyllic lakefront property. Boating activities abound.
The park and rec’s site lists the usual suspects for amenities in this park, but also has quite of variety for water activities, including non-motorized boat rentals and boat ramps. There is also a store with gasoline and some unusual lodging opportunities, including cottages and cabins.
There are a few different places you can visit the park. We went with the Rocky Point area and there were not that many people at the beach. The other ones might be more popular.
Being the first state park in Idaho is pretty cool. Only one park gets that distinction.
In the early 1900s, Idaho’s congressional Senator Weldon Heyburn pushed real hard to get a national park in this area. His bill didn’t quite make it through Congress though. At the time, the feds were breaking up the Coeur d’Alene reservation and land that was a part of that would eventually be turned into Heyburn State Park. But don’t feel super sorry for Mr. Heyburn; he also got a mountain and town named after him.
In the 1930s and 1940s the Civilian Conservation Corps came to the area and built up the park. We saw the Rocky Point Lodge they built, which looks very good for its age.
We decided paddle boarding at Heyburn State Park would be a fun way to see this area and also get a little more experience on paddle boards. There are a few different places that have places that have beach areas that we could start at, but we decided to launch our boards at Rocky Point. Rocky Point Lodge was right next to the parking lot; we couldn’t go in, but we took a peak-see around and it was super cool.
We were both successful at not tipping our boards over and we were able to follow along the edge of the water. In the distance, we could see the Chatcolet Bridge, which we would ride our tandem bike over the following day as part of the Coeur d’Alene trail. The paddle boarding was very nice and a good place for beginners (which I am). I didn’t tip over once and there weren’t that many boats to send wakes that would threaten my balance too much. We saw a bunch of boat slips, so this place could probably get pretty busy, but we didn’t see that much traffic.
There was a nice grassy area where we could fill and empty our paddle boards (they are inflatable) that was close distance to the car and water, so we didn’t have to carry them far.
Heyburn State Park, on the opposite end of Coeur d’Alene Lake from Coeur d’Alene, is a nice alternative to hanging out in Coeur d’Alene. It is more secluded and has a more outdoorsy, camping feel while not being too far away from the city.
Note: we visited Heyburn State Park as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
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State Park Overview Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park (that’s a mouthful so it will hereafter be known as Old Mission State Park) in northern Idaho celebrates the first building in all of Idaho: the Cataldo Mission. Priests came to this part of Idaho to …
State Park Overview Priest Lake State Park is the northernmost state park in Idaho. It is 15 miles from the Canadian border and a beautiful blue lake surrounded by mountains and pine trees. Less visited than its sister lakes (Coeur d’Alene and Pend Oreille), Priest …
Massacre Rocks State Park can be found on the Snake River in southeastern Idaho. This dry stretch of land is full of sagebrush and rattlesnakes, but the Snake River adds variety to the landscape. History is the name of the game here, with some interesting pioneer artifacts.
Visitor center with a flushing toilet. Outside there are vault toilets and spots for camping and trailers. For all other details, visit the Department of Parks and Rec website.
The place was almost deserted. I don’t think they get a lot of traffic here. Across from the visitor center is a round of camping spots partially obscured by hills and sage brush, but I think all in all there were only a handful of people here while we were.
We also visited Register Rock and we saw two other parties during the short time we were there.
One thing that is tough to swallow in history is that words like ‘massacre’ stick around, even though events might not have backed up the claim. I think this is the case in the Massacre Rocks State Park. It was named thus because in 1862 a group of pioneers crossing the Oregon Trail and the Native Americans in the land had a few issues and some of the pioneers were killed. 10 to be exact. As a response to this and other interactions, the U.S. militia wiped out almost 500 Shoshone in a winter camp in 1863. That one probably deserves the title massacre. But being as massacre is a flashy word and people know the power of marketing, the industrious gentlefolk of the time used Massacre Rocks to promote the area.
There used to be a small hotel here as it was a major thoroughfare for people traveling east and west, but this was abandoned in the 1960s. When the road was widened into I-86, the rocks that used to be a narrow gap were widened significantly.
Our first stop at Massacre Rocks State Park was to the groovy 60s-feeling visitor center. There is a nice lookout where you can see the different sagebrush-type of scrub plants local to the area. Inside the building there are some interesting replicas of wagon trains. Our next stop was to climb on some of the lava rocks outside the visitor center. I think the paths we were on were technically hiking trails, and we eventually ended up on a trail by the Snake River. We were on a little nature path and learned about the birds and other animals that live here. The trail eventually petered out so we turned around and headed back. It was pretty hot walking down to the river, so I recommend not doing this in the heat of summer days.
Our next stop was a short drive down I-86 to Register Rock. This is a little park with parking spots and some grass, but the main event is the rock that people signed on their way west to Oregon and California. It’s rad to see history like that and imagine the hearty people that went before us.
Many people drive past Massacre Rocks State Parks on their way back and forth on I-86, but it sure doesn’t seem like very many people stop in for a visit. We were glad we did; if nothing else it was a nice place to stretch our legs. I enjoyed the history lessons, even if they taught me the name of the place was a bit farfetched.
Note: we visited Massacre Rocks State Park as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
Related posts you might like:
Or if you want to see all of our posts, visit Past Posts.
Along the western side of Dworshak Reservoir sits Dworshak State Park. Our visit to this park was fraught with challenges thanks to a wildfire (keep reading to learn more about that experience). Since we did not visit the park under the best of circumstances, I …
Round Lake State Park is small but mighty. It is a hidden gem in the Idaho panhandle and a great stop if you are exploring this area. We found it an excellent location to try out geocaching for the first time (without an experienced cacher). …
If you have got good clearance on your car, the views in Mary McCroskey State Park are well worth a visit.
Each state park is unique. But some are more unique than others. Mary McCroskey State Park is one of the more unique parks in the Idaho parks system. You will not find the usual list of park activities. Instead, you will find a forest worth getting lost in and amazing views.
The park has very few amenities. But you’ll find vault toilets, picnics tables and limited campsites. For all of the specifics, check out the parks and rec’s website for Mary McCroskey State Park.
You will probably not see many people during your visit. You won’t necessarily have the park to yourself, but if you are looking for solitude, you will find it.
The park is named after Mary Minerva McCroskey and it is the only state park in Idaho to be named after a woman. The man responsible for this park, Virgil T. McCroskey, named the park in honor of his mother. She was a pioneer woman who, along with her husband and children, established a homestead in nearby Washington. When the park was dedicated in 1955, it was done so in memory of her and other frontier women and the hardships they endured.
Of all the state park histories in Idaho, Mary McCroskey State Park has to be my favorite. We can all thank Virgil for his foresight and dedication. Without him, there would be no McCroskey State Park.
Virgil was a pharmacist and conservationist who bought up 4,400 acres of land endangered by the logging industry with the hopes of preserving it. He basically became a one-man park system. He built a road, cut out viewpoints, built picnic areas and planted flowers all in the hopes of attracting visitors and establishing a state park.
Unfortunately, the Idaho legislature did not share Virgil’s vision. However, they were willing to negotiate and they agreed that if Virgil could maintain the park (at his expense) for the next 15 years, they would accept his gift. Although Virgil was in his late 70s, he accepted the terms. Amazingly, he maintained the park for the next 15 years. Just a couple of weeks before his death at 93, he fulfilled his obligation to the State of Idaho. He also donated $45,000 in a trust to be used for park maintenance. Thank you, Virgil. Thank you.
Our most recent experience at Mary McCroskey State Park was short and sweet. It consisted of a short drive, tasty food and a nature walk. First we picked up lunch from the Moscow Food Co-op. Then we headed to the east entrance of Skyline Drive off of Highway 95. We drove several miles until we found a picnic table. Lunch was enjoyed amidst the sounds of nature.
After lunch, we headed down a nearby trail. You cannot call what we did hiking. We just enjoyed a nice stroll. But it was great to stretch our legs and enjoy the trees. We saw very few people and for the most part, it felt like we had the park to ourselves.
R and I no longer camp, except under unique/unavoidable circumstances. But before we made this decision, we had ourselves a camping experience in this state park. It was a car camping experience, to be specific.
We drove along Skyline Drive for several miles before finding a road-side camp spot (road-side camping is permitted in this state park). After enjoying a picnic dinner, we continued to explore on foot. Unfortunately, the exploration ended when we thought we got into some poison ivy. The plant turned out not to be poison ivy, but by then, we had lost our adventurous spirit and decided to call it a night.
I have no idea how long we slept before we were awakened by one of the fiercest thunder and lightning storms I have ever experienced in Idaho. It was intense and sleeping in a car at the top of a mountain ridge was darn near impossible. Needless to say, it was not a great camping experience and probably contributed to our decision to stop camping altogether.
However, that camping experience did not diminish the experience of driving through the park. Skyline Drive is an 18 mile-long, dirt road with beautiful views of the forest and Palouse country. Warning, this road is rough and you are going to want some clearance. It is also not recommended for large RVs and trailers. But if you have got the right vehicle, the drive is spectacular and I highly recommend it.
Mary McCroskey State Park is quite the unique park. Its Skyline Drive and views of Palouse make it worth a visit if you are ever in central Idaho…and have a suitable rig for driving some rough road.
Note: we visited Mary McCroskey State Park as part of our Idaho State Parks Challenge. The challenge consists of visiting all of Idaho’s state parks in one year. We made up this challenge to see a bit more of our beautiful state and help alleviate the restlessness caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions. Feel free to join the challenge!
Related posts you might like:
Or if you want to see all of our posts, visit Past Posts.
Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes State Park provides 73 miles of scenic views and a smooth ride. It is touted as one of the most spectacular trails in the western United States and I have to say, I agree. State Park Overview For the most …