Six hours east of Seattle lies a little-known gem of a lake that is remarkably unknown to northwest sailors. While it doesn't have the numerous protected anchorages and coves that saltwater northwesterners are accustomed to finding among their islands, adequate shelter and anchorage can be found with a little advance planning and an eye to the weather. And there is, of course, no need to allow for tides. The water is cool and clear, the fishing is famous, and there are long stretches of wild shoreline that are home to bald eagles, ospreys, bears, and moose. The only problem with this place is that most people can't pronounce its name.
Lake Pend Oreille is somewhere between 45 and 65 miles long. This seems like an extremely large number not to know exactly, but the lake is shaped like a fishhook and is more than six miles wide at its widest point.  So it's possible that both could be correct, depending on whether you're sailing the outside or the inside of the fishhook. Although it is a natural lake, its height is now controlled by dams--the Cabinet Gorge dam upstream in the Clark Fork River, and the Albeni Falls dam downstream in the Pend Oreille River. For this reason, the numerous ramps and docks around the lake are accessible only during the summer. Between September and May, the lake is drawn down between six and eleven feet (the exact amount is determined by needs of the fishery both in the lake and in the Columbia River downstream), and this leaves most ramps and docks dry.
The lake gives cruising sailors a choice of vacation environments. Between Independence Day and Labor Day, it is buzzing with activity, the lakeside cafes are busy, and a south wind often comes briskly up the shank of the fishhook. After Labor Day the lake is nearly deserted, although the weather is often clear and more often windy, and the surrounding mountainsides are at their most beautiful with reddening huckleberry bushes, golden birches, and snow on the far peaks. Anchoring and docking options wither, however, as the lake level is dropped, and cruising sailors must plan ahead to make sure there is still water at their destinations. In the spring, before Independence Day, the lake is also relatively quiet, and docking options are slowly increasing as the water rises. Most ramps and docks have enough water to be used by the middle of May.
With its many ramps and easy access from I-90 just thirty miles south, Lake Pend Oreille is a great destination for a trailer sailor. Other sailors not graced with land transportation for their boats can rent Ranger 20s at both ends of the lake. These are great camping boats for couples or small families, and those not so rustically inclined can enjoy sailing them from one overnight stop to another on the lake.
From Bayview, at the south end of the lake and not more than thirty miles off I-90, you could race up to Sandpoint at the north end in a day (in fact, you could join a group of racers to do this on a certain weekend in summer). Or you could spend a week exploring the lake's shores and small communities, sailing when the wind obliges. This travelogue highlights some of the stops on the way north.
Bayview and Farragut State Park
At the south end of the lake, the town of Bayview in the aptly named Scenic Bay, is the center of sailing on the lake. A mixed fleet races here in the summer; sailing gear is available for purchase and the lake's only sailmaker is based here at Macdonald's Hudson Bay Resort.
Bayview also has the distinction of having a submarine base--not something you see every day on an inland lake. In typically long-winded military style, it is called the Model Engineering and Support Facility at the Acoustic Research Detachment. The subs at this base are actually large scale test models that are used to test stealth technologies for future U.S. Navy submarines. The lake is ideal for this purpose because it is both deep (1150 feet) and relatively remote. Unfortunately the base has been closed to the public since 9/11, but occasionally you can spot a sub in the bay.
The navy's presence also means that weather data are continuously available for this part of the lake. The navy's four weather buoys beam data to http://lpo.dt.navy.mil/. This is a good place for sailors to check for weather forecasts and patterns.
Bayview also has something that will be familiar to Puget Sound sailors: old lime kilns. A cement industry flourished here in the early decades of the twentieth century, and lime was shipped north on the lake to railheads at Hope and Sandpoint. You can view the ruins of the kilns at Scenic Bay Marina Park, which is also a nice place for a picnic. Or, if you'd rather someone else cooked, the Captain's Wheel across the street from the park has a pleasant deck on which to dine and look over the many sailboats on both sides of the bay (and the occasional submarine). Non-camping sailors have a selection of attractive cabins and rooms at several resorts in Bayview and around Scenic Bay.
South around Blackwell Point from Bayview lies Farragut State Park. During the Second World War, what was then Farragut Naval Base was the second-largest naval training center in the world. Now a state park, it features miles of hiking/biking trails, a disc golf course, and extensive boating facilities in Idlewild Bay. At the head of the bay and around a small peninsula lies Buttonhook Bay. There is no charge to moor on the extensive park docks in this bay, although dock space is available only on a first-come-first-served basis. A toilet and water are available ashore for camping sailors, and those wishing a shower can walk to the bathhouses at Beaver Bay swimming area, a mile up the shore by trail.
North to Garfield Bay and Green Bay
Sailing north from Farragut or Bayview, sailors can look for mountain goats on the slopes that tower more than 4000 feet above the lake. The anchorages in this area are small and few, and there is little protection for some twenty miles. However, there are public docks (marked with blue, yellow, and white markers atop their pilings) at Lakeview, Whiskey Bay, and Granite Bay on the east side, and mooring buoys with park areas ashore at Maiden Rock and Talache Landing on the west side. Because these areas are exposed to winds and resulting chop, sailors with tender stomachs may prefer to leave their boats on the buoys and bring their bodies ashore to sleep.
Where the lake opens out to the east to form its fishhook shape, Garfield Bay opens into its west side. At the head of this bay is a pleasant park with picnic tables that is a great place to prepare supper and swim off the beach. You can anchor off this park if there is no wind from the south, or tie to the public dock at the launch ramp in the northwest corner of the bay. Dock space and dinner at a pizzeria or saloon are also available at the marinas further out in the bay, where you'll be protected from waves by a breakwater made of hundreds of old tires. Don't be fooled by all the signs for Garfield Bay Resort in the northwest corner; it has closed and is not expected to reopen.
Around the corner east of Garfield Bay is Green Bay, a beautiful rocky beach with a campground behind. Campers must walk in several hundred yards from their cars, so it is somewhat quieter than many car campgrounds. The holding ground is rocky and poor, and there is no protection, but sailors can pick up one of the mooring buoys or anchor temporarily to eat a picnic lunch and jump in the water from the rope swing at the south end of the bay. When the wind picks up, it is a short run back around the corner into the security of Garfield Bay.
North of here to Anderson Point there are several small and attractive bays, mostly surrounded by private homes and offering no public place to go ashore nor any significant protection from southerly winds. They are beautiful to explore by boat, however, and make for a pleasant afternoon's cruising up to Anderson Point, where the fishhook curves around to the west. Across the lake sailors can view the Green Monarchs, a range of peaks that fall steeply into the lake from summits near 5000 feet. Mooring buoys have been installed along this stretch as well, giving access to tiny remote beaches with views of the Cabinet Mountains to the north and east.
Clark Fork
The Clark Fork River flows into the eastern curve of the fishhook and separates into several channels to form a broad delta. The deepest channel is at the far southern edge of the delta, where a navigation light marks the entrance to the channel and there is a little peninsula with a derelict dock. A few small boats can tie up to the dock, and more can anchor in the protected river behind it. The wind and waves can thrash at the beach on the bar, but a boat at the dock behind it is perfectly protected.
From this idyllic spot there are fabulous views both down the shank of the fishhook back to Bayview and around the curve of it towards Sandpoint. A shallow slough provides warm water to wade in summer. There are several good campsites, a picnic table, and a fire ring. An outhouse here has the curious distinction of being lockable from the outside but not the inside. This must serve some purpose of keeping critters out when humans are not within, but humans who do go within need to make sure that they are with companions who do not play pranks!
The river channel follows the south shore, close under an overhanging cliff, and reaches a public ramp at Johnson Creek, about a mile upstream. Although the drive to this ramp is a bit challenging (involving a one-lane bridge whose appearance does not inspire confidence) and difficult to find, it is a well-protected place to launch a small cruiser. To find it, ask for directions in the town of Clark Fork and follow the road signs that say Sportsman's Access.
North of the Clark Fork delta, behind the Samowen Peninsula described below, you can explore Denton Slough. At the western entrance to the slough are Indian pictographs that are not visible from the water, but you can anchor in the entrance to explore ashore for them. The entire slough was a popular camping ground for the native Kootenai people before the dam at Albeni Falls raised the lake level in summer, flooding the campground.
The Samowen Peninsula and Hope
Northwest of the mouth of the Clark Fork lies the Samowen Peninsula, where a long lovely beach fronts a large state park. When the weather is calm, this is a great lunch-and-swim spot, crowded and active in summer and utterly deserted at other times of the year. There is no protection at all, however; to stay overnight sailors can use one of the marinas around the corner at the small community of Hope or anchor in Ellisport Bay, which is tucked behind the Samowen Peninsula. The water is deep here and does not freeze, so this area is usable year-round.
You will see the most masts at Kramer Marina, home to the Lost Boys Sailing Club, a delightful group of sailors who come from hundreds of miles away to sail on weekends.
Moorage and a wide variety of services are also available at Holiday Shores Resort and Marina and at Hope Marine Services. Here too is the popular Floating Restaurant--where not just the deck but the whole restaurant is out on the water. A longer walk up onto the hillside at Hope will take you to the Hotel Hope, a 107-year-old hostelry now serving lunch and dinner and once again offering rooms overnight as it did to President Theodore Roosevelt. For something less formal, there is a popular pizza place down the street.
From Hope to Sandpoint
From Hope the view opens up west across the top of the fishhook to Sandpoint on the western shore. The two miles of open water between Hope and Anderson Point across the lake can sometimes build up an uncomfortable chop for a small boat, but these conditions rarely last long. Three small islands in between are entirely privately owned and, unfortunately, are not open to the cruising public.
As you cruise along the north shore, you can check the progress of construction of a castle high above the water north of Hope. Further north, the Pack River delta is home to eagles, osprey, and the occasional moose. There is a public launch ramp at Hawkins Point at the entrance to the delta; other than that there is no public place to go ashore.
Along the top of the fishhook, the water is protected from the south and often calmer than on the run up from Bayview. Locals water-ski in this section from Anderson Point west to Contest Point. The community of Sunnyside at the top of the fishhook appears from a distance to have docks and services, but on closer inspection it is evident that the pilings are only remnants of a past commercial venture. A shallow-draft vessel could anchor behind Fisherman Island just off the shore here, but otherwise there is no protected moorage or anchorage.
On the other side of the lake, Bottle Bay opens up to the southeast. The prevailing southerly winds make it difficult to sail into the bay in summer (easy to sail out, of course), but the Bottle Bay Resort on the west side is worth the trip. This is a great place to stop for a beer or a sandwich; its large deck overlooking the water is congenial and cool in the shade of large trees. Non-campers can rent one of the cabins perched on the hillside above the water. Bottle Bay Resort closes promptly within a few weeks of Labor Day, however, so plan to visit in summer or very early fall.
Sailing ends for all but the smallest boats at Sandpoint, where two bridges cross as the lake narrows into the Pend Oreille River, and there isn't sufficient clearance for masts. With a population of 6800, Sandpoint is the largest town on the lake and offers numerous pleasures ashore. Overnight moorage is usually available at Windbag Marina, south of the rock jetty, or around the point in City Beach Marina in the mouth of Sand Creek. Boats also anchor north of the jetty, but be careful when exploring for a spot--pilings from old piers are hidden just under the surface when the lake is at full pool in summer. Sandpoint also has numerous places to stay overnight.
If you arrive on a Thursday evening, you might wish to race with the companionable bunch from the Sandpoint Sailing Association, based at Windbag Marina. Otherwise, try exploring Sandpoint, it was voted the best small town in America by the readers of Sunset Magazine this year. Numerous art galleries, coffee shops, restaurants, and other small businesses are all within walking distance of the docks.
For a little time off from sailing, you can rent kayaks and pedal boats to explore the shore, or bikes to explore the surrounding area. If you need to stretch your legs, you can take a walk across the two-mile Long Bridge to dine at Swan's Landing (fancy) or the Long Bridge Grill (not fancy). Both have interesting historic photos of the area. Or if you've really enjoyed dining on decks all the way up the lake, you can do that here too - at the Beachhouse next to Windbag Marina.
Sandpoint will also reveal the secret to pronouncing the lake's name. More than two dozen businesses in the town (and a suburb to the north) have the same name as the lake, which in turn was named for the Indians who once used the area. Some spell it Pend Oreille and others Ponderay. If you can't pronounce the first, try the second - they sound the same.
...back to 48° North title page.
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