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

Sunset, May, 2001 by Jeff Halstead

Area code is 208.

DINING Elkins on Priest Lake. Pacific Rim cuisine. 404 Elkins Rd., Nordman; 443-2432 or www.elkinsresort.com. Hill's Resort. Award-winning restaurant serving family recipes. 4777 W Lakeshore; 443-2551 or www.hillsresort.com.

LODGING Elkins on Priest Lake. Log cabins set on Reeder Bay From $765 per week Jun 29-Sep 3; from $85 per night other times. See "Dining" above. Hill's Resort. Cabins, lodges, and condominiums. From $985 per week Jun 30-Labor Day weekend; from $115 a night other times. See "Dining" above.

International Selkirk Loop travel planner

The International Selkirk Loop is 280 miles long and covers parts of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and southeastern British Columbia. The route can be driven easily in two days from Spokane with a night in Nelson. If you want to linger, you can break the loop into three segments, spending nights in Sand-point, Nelson, and Priest Lake.

Temperatures in this mountainous area can vary in the summer months-the 70s to the 90s in July and August, the low 40s during inclement weather. For general travel information, contact the International Selkirk Loop, Box 2022, Sandpoint, ID 83864; (888) 823-2626 or www.selkirkloop.org.