Idaho lake resorts & marinas

Idaho's lakes rival its mountains. The Panhandle alone holds Priest Lake, Lake Pend Oreille (Idaho's largest and deepest), and Lake Coeur d'Alene, while McCall sits on Payette Lake and Donnelly on Lake Cascade. Around them cluster marinas, historic family resorts, cabin colonies, and luxury lodges.

Priest Lake, in the far northwest corner of the state, is the wildest of the group — ringed by the Selkirk Mountains, famous for its clear water, huckleberries, and trophy Mackinaw trout, and home to some of Idaho's oldest family resorts, including Elkins (established 1932) and Hill's (1946). Lake Pend Oreille, near Sandpoint, is so deep that the U.S. Navy tests submarine technology there; its shores hold everything from the six-cabin Bottle Bay Resort to the condominium community at Pend Oreille Shores. Lake Coeur d'Alene anchors the region's most famous property, the Coeur d'Alene Resort, with its floating golf green and lake cruises.

Farther south, Payette Lake at McCall pairs the luxury of Shore Lodge with a lively resort town, and Lake Cascade gives Tamarack Resort a rare mountain-and-lake combination. The season on the water peaks from June through September, when the lakes warm enough for swimming and the marinas fill with boats.

These are Idaho's lake and marina resorts — summer destinations for boating, fishing, and swimming, and, at several of them, year-round basecamps for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing once the snow arrives. Each guide below covers lodging, dining, activities, and how to get there.