Drive the Selkirk Loop - driving through British Columbia, Idaho and Washington

Sunset, May, 2001 by Jeff Halstead

Looking for the ultimate Western road trip? Try this 280-mile jaunt through Idaho, Washington, and British Columbia

Nearly two centuries ago, David Thompson--Canada's equivalent to Meriwether Lewis--wandered the Northwest searching for the source of the Columbia River. He never found it. But he did find some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world.

Today when you drive the newly created 280-mile (450-kilometer) International Selkirk Loop through northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and southeastern British Columbia, you'll find country little changed since Thompson's day, with three gorgeous mountain lakes--Priest, Pend Oreille, and Kootenay--and mountains rising 9,000 feet above them.

For all its natural splendor, however, the International Selkirk Loop is dotted with pockets of culture. Sandpoint, Idaho, and Nelson, British Columbia, have become magnets for people seeking a slower lifestyle with nature at their doorstep. Unlike David Thompson, you don't need to rough it exploring this corner of the Northwest. You can treat yourself to great food and inviting accommodations while exploring a landscape that has remained largely unchanged for decades.

Bustling Sandpoint

Pinched between the Selkirk Mountains and Lake Pend Oreille is Sandpoint. In the summer it bustles with vacationers enjoying the pleasures of the 43-mile-long lake, along with Sandpoint's crop of B&Bs, shops, and restaurants.

Start your visit at the Cedar Street Bridge. Supported by a superstructure of brawny timbers, this 400-foot-long market is filled with the merchandise of Sandpoint-based Coldwater Creek, well known for its women's apparel.

Then head to 20-acre Sandpoint City Beach, where a sandy shoreline and views of the Cabinet Mountains climbing briskly above Lake Pend Oreille invite a relaxing dip in the clear, cool waters. Lake Pend Oreille Cruises provides an array of water-oriented outings.

North to British Columbia

From Sandpoint, drive north on U.S. 95 and then take State 1 to the Canadian border. After crossing into British Columbia, follow the fertile Creston Valley to the town of Creston, perched on the hillside above.

North of Creston, the Selkirk Mountains tumble to the shores of Kootenay Lake. You'll find occasional resorts, cabins, and public beaches along the highway, but for the most part, this lake is undeveloped.

Continue north to the grouping of scattered buildings that is the artisans' colony of Crawford Bay. Within the next mile, you'll find weavers, glassblowers, broom makers, and blacksmiths giving demonstrations in their shops and selling their wares. Not far away is one of the best lodging opportunities along the loop: Wedgwood Manor, a lovely country house set on a 50-acre estate, originally built for the daughter of British china magnate Josiah Wedgwood.

At Kootenay Bay, you'll board the world's longest free car ferry for a roughly 30-minute ride across the lake to Balfour. From here, you can drive to Ainsworth Hot Springs. A perfect respite on cool days, Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort has two outdoor pools looking out upon the Purcell Mountains.

Bohemian Nelson

Nelson's business district and residential neighborhoods rise like stadium seating above the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. For a largely working-class town of 9,700 people, Nelson is surprisingly bohemian. Walk along Baker--the town's main street--and you're guaranteed to see pierced eyebrows and funky clothing.

You can easily while away a morning enjoying the shops and galleries of Baker Street. For the town's best vista, drive to Gyro Park--a fun collection of gardens and play areas--and hike down through the forest to a promontory overlooking Nelson and the West Arm below.

From Nelson, drive south through the town of Salmo to the U.S. border crossing. About a mile south of the border, leave State 31 and drive 2 miles to the Boundary Dam overlook. The dam inundated what was once one of the West's most treacherous river corridors. Named Z Canyon for its shape, this was a section of the Pend Oreille where cliff walls pinched the broad river into a bottleneck about 20 feet across. Today, Z Canyon Tours runs a jet boat through Z Canyon.

Farther south, Metaline Falls and Ione, Washington, are easily worth a half-day's visit. The Gardner Cave at Crawford State Park is the second-longest limestone cave in the state.

Drive south to Newport, then head east past Albeni Falls Dam. At the town of Priest River, Idaho, drive north to Priest Lake, which lies beneath the granite-topped summits of the Selkirk Crest. The lake has several exceptional lakeside resorts, along with eight developed public campgrounds.

David Thompson never found what he was looking for when he explored the country now traversed by the Selkirk Loop. But if you desire a summer drive filled with alpine beauty, pristine lakes, and interesting towns, the Loop won't disappoint you.

* SANDPOINT, ID

CONTACT Destination Sandpoint, 900 N. Fifth Ave.; (208) 263-2161, (800) 800-2160, or www.destinationsandpoint.com.

Area code is 208.