The oldest state park in the Pacific Northwest, Heyburn State Park encompasses a stunning landscape of towering Ponderosa pines and lush, colorful meadows. Exploring its 5,744 acres of land and 2,332 acres of water is a must for any Idahoan. The Indian Cliffs Trail within the park’s borders is an excellent way to do just that. The short loop trail boasts fantastic scenery from beginning to end, making for an unforgettable outing in North Idaho.
Enjoy some of the best scenery that Heyburn State Park in Idaho has to offer with the Indian Cliffs Trail. You'll quickly find that there's never a dull moment on this moderate trail, as it boasts scenic views from start to finish.
The Indian Cliffs Trail is a 2.3-mile loop trail that's open for foot traffic only. To find the trailhead, park at the Indian Cliffs parking area. You'll find it by taking ID-5 from Plummer, and turning left onto Chatcolet Road. The parking lot is on your left, after Chatcolet Road turns into Heyburn Road.
From here, the trail starts at an easygoing pace as it leads hikers through a dense pine tree forest. Completely immersed by towering evergreens, you'll soon find yourself in total bliss as you delve deeper into the wild landscape.
It isn't long before the trail opens up, providing spectacular views from the ridge line. This part of the trail contains some moderate inclines, so be prepared to work up a little bit of a sweat. Although, you may be too distracted by the scenery to even notice.
Finally, the trail reaches the top of the cliffs, an area that was used by the Schitsu’umsh Indians of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to spot game to hunt. It also provides a lovely view fo Chatcolet Lake, a body of water on the south end of Lake Coeur d'Alene.
From the summit, you'll also get a glimpse of the mighty St. Joe River to the east, and an old iron railroad trestle to the south. In short, you'll find fantastic beauty basically everywhere you turn!
After the cliffs, the trail drops along a meadow and leads directly back to the parking lot. For a moderate excursion that packs in a ton of amazing scenery, be sure to check out the Indian Cliffs Trail on your next visit to Idaho's oldest state park.
