My family was looking for an easy walk near Lake Coeur d'Alene, so we drove 30 miles south to the town of Plummer, Idaho, then drove east into Heyburn State Park. I had heard of the newly opened 73-mile Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, but we hadn't been on it before.



We found part of the Trail in Heyburn State Park to be perfect for a leisurely stroll across the lake. We parked right next to the trail and five minutes later were on the 3100-foot Chatcolet Bridge.



It's an easy walk for everyone, but the best part is the scenery. It took us about an hour to walk from one shore to the other because we walked slow and stopped a lot to soak it all in. The kids loved it... The bridge railings are strong and safe, so they could run up and down without worry.



At the middle of the bridge, two hawk-like birds had built a large nest. We stopped to watch one of them catch a fish. My camera's not quite fast enough for wildlife action, but I did manage to capture one decent photo of the birds in flight.



Back across the bridge near the parking lost is a picnic area with a children's playground. My son wants to go back just for the pirate ship play structure installed there. I want to go back for another stroll across the bridge. One of these days we'll get our kids on their bikes and venture further along the trail. With 73 miles, there's a lot more to see.