Blue Creek Bay Recreation Site and Trail

Overview

Blue Creek Bay Recreation Site, located within the 736-acre Wallace Forest Conservation Area, is popular for hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, picnicking, fishing and boating. The day-use area provides three picnic sites with tables and grills. An accessible small craft boat launch provides boater and non-motorized craft access to Blue Creek Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene. The trailhead parking area offers access to nearly 5 miles of trails.

The BLM acquired this area from the Jack Forest family, descendants of Wallace Forest, in order to provide public access to the lake and to preserve the area's recreational and historical values. The upland forested area consists of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, grand fir, western larch, western white pine, western redcedar and western hemlock and is home to a variety of wildlife. A large wetland/riparian and wet meadow area extends along the head of Blue Creek Bay filled with black cottonwood, thin-leaf alder, red-osier dogwood, cattails, reed canarygrass, sedges, rushes and bulrushes. A portion of the historic Mullan Road, the first constructed overland wagon route through the Northern Rockies, crosses through the uplands. Completed by hand in 1862, the road connected points east of the Continental Divide to Fort Walla Walla, Washington.

Follow Interstate 90 east from Coeur d Alene for eight miles to the Wolf Lodge Bay exit (Exit 22), then turn north and follow the Yellowstone Trail Road for about two miles. The Blue Creek Bay trailhead parking area will be on the right hand side of the road. Continue another 1/2 mile and turn left on South Landing Road for the day use picnic area