Tour The Inland Northwest - St. Maries, Idaho

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North Idaho

Western Montana

St. Maries, Idaho

This quiet town is situated in a beautiful, timbered valley which includes two major rivers and a multitude of lakes. St. Maries (which is located about 2.5 hours from the Canadian border) is the county seat of Benewah County and has a population of about 2800. It is the retail center for eastern Benewah County and enjoys a trade-area population of about 8,500. The local economy is driven by the timber industry complemented by some mining operations and a solid base of farming. The remarkable beauty of the area combined with the exceptional quality of life has spawned a considerable retirement community in the area.

Web site: www.StMariesChamber.org

Major Events and Festivals

January

St. Joe Snow Rider's "Pig Out in the Mountains"

February

St. Joe Valley Gun Show

Swap, trade or buy guns and accessories. Come early for the bargains; it's amazing what comes out of closets and dresser drawers and shows up on tables.

March

Ducks Unlimited Banquet

Prime Rib dinner, art auction and games. Benefits the national Ducks Unlimited organization, which is concerned with wetlands conservation.

April

St. Maries Junior Miss Pageant

St. Maries High School juniors compete for scholarships, prizes and the local title. The St. Maries winner goes on to compete for the state title.

May

Fisherman's Breakfast

Held Memorial Day Weekend.

June

Free Fishing Day

July

St. Joe Valley Car Club Show and Shine

St. Maries Art Festival - SmART by the River

The annual s.m.ART by the River Festival of the Arts is sponsered each year by the St. Maries Council for the Arts. s.m.ART by the River has grown each year since the first one in 1988. The diversity and talent of artists, and the dedication of the arts council have made it a popular annual event. Admission to the festival is free. This year the festival will occupy the same grounds as the Car Club at the downtown city park on Main Avenue. Artists from around the Pacific Northwest offer paintings, sculptures, woodcrafts, baskets, photographs and a variety of other mediums. Music and entertainment is provided.

PRCA Rodeo

Valley Vista Free BBQ

August

Benewah County Fair

September

Paul Bunyan Days

Held Labor Day Weekend.Three days of logger competition, food booths, carnival rides and games. Other activities include a car club breakfast and evening dance, fireworks, street dance, parade, 3 on 3 basketball, ping-pong ball drop from a helicopter with prizes and discounts from local businesses, Idaho's largest "topless" beer bar (no roof), 5K fun run and walk, junior Olympics, a pig-kissing event and logger's awards ceremony.

Great Northern Cowboy Action Shoot

October

Heyburn Elementary School Halloween Carnival

December

Christmas in St. Maries

Recreation

Birdwatching
Heyburn State Park has rivers, lakes, and marshlands full of birds and waterfowl. It has one of the highest concentration of Osprey in North America.

Digging for Star Garnets
Emerald Creek Garnet mine is one of two places in the world where you can dig for star garnets. Permits are available at the visitors center. 208.245.2096.

Fishing

The abundance of lakes and rivers provides a variety of fish including bass, trout, salmon and pike.

Hiking

With numerous new trails opening in and around St. Maries, hiking are endless.

Horseback Riding
With numerous new trails opening in and around St. Maries, the opportunities for horseback trips are endless.

Hunting
The St. Joe River area is infamous for elk hunting and hunters travel from all over the U.S. to enjoy this experience.

Motocross/ATVs

There are over 600 acres available just outside of St. Maries for motorcross racing. In the surrounding Benewah and Shoshone counties, the miles and miles of trails are endless for motorcross and ATV riding in the summer.

Mountain Biking

With numerous new trails opening in and around St. Maries, the opportunities for bicycling are endless. Forest Service trails range from an easy 1/2 mile trek to a 1.8 mile bicycle ride through tunnels in the hills of the St. Joe Valley.

Snowmobiling

There are over 600 acres available just outside of St. Maries for snowmobiling racing. In the surrounding Benewah and Shoshone counties, the miles and miles of trails are endless for snowmobiling in the winter.