Hill's Resort

Overview

Hill's Resort occupies a stretch of sandy shoreline at Luby Bay on the west side of Priest Lake, in Idaho's northern Panhandle at the base of the Selkirk Mountains. Unlike the smaller, rustic camps historically common on the lake, Hill's operates as a full-service destination resort: a lodge, roughly 52 individual cabins, condominiums, and chalets, an on-site restaurant, a marina, a swimming beach, and an adjacent 18-hole golf course combine to give it more amenities than a simple fishing camp. Capacity runs high — the resort can accommodate up to about 400 guests at a time across its various unit types, which makes it a frequent choice for family reunions, weddings, corporate retreats, and conferences as well as ordinary vacation stays.

The resort keeps its lodging open year-round, a distinction on a lake where many properties still operate on a seasonal, summer-only rhythm. That year-round posture reflects Priest Lake's dual identity: a warm-weather boating and beach destination in July and August, and a snowmobiling and cross-country skiing base once the snow arrives. Hill's sits within that pattern as one of the lake's largest and longest-operating resorts.

Winter at Priest Lake

Winter at Hill's Resort centers on lodging rather than on-site recreation infrastructure — the restaurant closes for the deep winter months, reopening for the Christmas-to-New Year's holiday period and select weekends, but staying shut through March and April — yet the resort remains open for guests seeking a base for the season's two dominant activities on Priest Lake: snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. The lake's setting in the Selkirk Range produces reliable snowpack, and the surrounding groomed-trail network has made the area one of the more significant snowmobiling destinations in the Idaho Panhandle.

Guests booking a winter stay at Hill's are typically using the cabins or lodge rooms as a staging point, heading out to groomed trails and backcountry terrain during the day and returning to a heated cabin or fireplace suite at night. The Lakefront Fireplace Suites in the lodge suit this pattern particularly well. Because the restaurant's winter hours are limited, guests should plan meals ahead for the off-peak months or lean on the holiday-period and weekend openings.

Summer on the Lake

Summer is when Hill's Resort operates at full capacity, and the resort's sandy Luby Bay beach is its centerpiece. The shoreline supports swimming and general beach recreation, while the marina — recently expanded with a new dock — handles boat moorage and access for waterskiing and other watersports, activities the resort emphasizes as core to the guest experience; a live beach webcam lets prospective and returning guests check conditions before arriving.

Fishing draws its own contingent of visitors, since Priest Lake carries a well-established reputation for trophy Mackinaw, or lake trout — a former U.S. record fish, weighing 57 pounds 8 ounces, came out of these waters in 1971 — alongside kokanee salmon and cutthroat trout. Hikers can access trails into the surrounding Selkirk Mountains, and July and August bring the region's wild huckleberry season, a foraging tradition locals and visitors take seriously. Golfers have the adjacent Priest Lake Golf Course, an 18-hole, par-72 championship layout immediately next to the resort, which lets non-boating guests fill a day without leaving the property's vicinity. Between the beach, the golf course, the marina, and the restaurant's seasonal deck dining, Hill's summer operation functions less like a rustic lake camp and more like a conventional resort with lake-specific recreation layered on top.

Where to Stay

Accommodations at Hill's span a wide range, from freestanding cabins with lake or forest views to condominiums and chalets, plus rooms inside the main lodge itself. The roughly 52 units include Lakefront Fireplace Suites and Lakeview King Rooms for guests who prefer hotel-style lodge accommodations over a standalone cabin, while the cabin and condo inventory suits families or groups wanting more space and kitchen facilities.

Combined capacity runs to about 400 guests, which is large by Priest Lake standards and explains why the resort markets itself heavily toward group bookings — reunions, weddings, and retreats appear repeatedly in how Hill's positions its lodging. Because the property is open year-round, the same units serve both the summer beach crowd and the winter snowmobiling and ski crowd, though the specific amenities guests prioritize — waterfront proximity in summer, fireplace warmth in winter — shift with the season. Prospective guests should expect meaningful seasonal variation in what's available and should confirm which units remain bookable during the off-season restaurant closure.

Dining

Hill's operates an on-site restaurant that has built a loyal following partly on the strength of recipe continuity: several menu items served today trace back to dishes developed by the founding family in the resort's early decades, including margarita shrimp, baby back ribs, a hot spinach salad, and dishes reflecting the Hill family's Italian heritage. In warmer months the restaurant extends onto the lodge deck for outdoor dining overlooking the lake, and the operation also handles catering for the weddings, reunions, and conferences the resort regularly hosts.

The restaurant's operating calendar is seasonal rather than continuous: it runs from roughly mid-May through October 1, reopens for the Christmas-to-New Year's stretch, and opens on select weekends outside those windows, but stays closed through March and April. That schedule roughly mirrors the resort's two peak-demand periods — summer lake recreation and the holiday season — while leaving the shoulder seasons quieter.

Getting There & When to Go

Hill's Resort sits on West Lakeshore Road on Priest Lake's west shore at Luby Bay, within the Selkirk Mountains region of Idaho's far northern Panhandle. The lake as a whole is roughly a two-hour drive from Spokane, Washington, the nearest metropolitan hub with commercial air service, and considerably closer to the small communities of Coolin and Nordman and the somewhat larger towns of Priest River and Sandpoint.

Because the resort operates year-round, timing a visit depends mostly on what a traveler wants to do: July and August bring the warmest water, the most reliable beach weather, and huckleberry season, making them the peak booking window for families and boaters. Winter visits cluster around the snow season, when snowmobile trails and cross-country ski routes are groomed and accessible, though travelers should note the restaurant's limited winter hours and plan meals accordingly. The shoulder seasons — spring and late fall — see the restaurant closed and represent the resort's quietest stretch, which may appeal to travelers prioritizing solitude over full-service amenities.

A Family Resort Since 1946

Hill's Resort traces its origins to 1946, when George W. Hill and his wife, Lois Montecucco Hill, purchased the Farris Resort, then a modest fishing camp consisting of seven basic cabins on Priest Lake's Luby Bay shore. George Hill expanded the property gradually and deliberately, adding roughly two cabins a year through the following decade and a half. In 1961 the Hills merged in the neighboring Timms Resort, combining the two properties into what forms the core of today's lodge and cabin complex. The resort sits on approximately 19 acres leased from the U.S. Forest Service, a common arrangement for long-established lakefront properties on national forest land around Priest Lake.

Ownership has stayed within the Hill family across three generations: the second generation — Craig, Teri, and Scott Hill — has run the resort for decades, with a third generation now coming up through the business. The resort now employs roughly 120 people during peak season, with about 40 retained year-round. Hill's marked its 72nd anniversary in 2018, a milestone that underscores its status as one of the longest continuously operated family resorts on Priest Lake, and the persistence of founding-era recipes on the restaurant menu gives guests a tangible, edible link to the property's 1940s and 1950s origins — a form of continuity relatively rare among lake resorts that have changed hands or rebranded over the decades.

Frequently Asked Questions