Hikes in Idaho: The Indian Cliffs Trail

Basic Information

• Name: The Indian Cliffs Trail
• Where: Heyburn State Park
• Distance: 3.5 miles
• Elevation Gain: 686 feet
• Max Elevation: 2,730 feet
• Time: 2-3 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Day Hike! Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Sandpoint

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

The trailhead for this hike is located in Heyburn State Park.  Getting there from Spokane requires a nice drive through the rural agricultural communities southeast of Spokane.

Parking

There is a small lot at the trailhead for this hike that can fit maybe 10 vehicles.  We had no problem finding parking, but I can easily see on a busy holiday weekend this lot getting full.

Narrative

My 7-year old son and I have explored most of the trails in the Spokane area and have decided to start pushing further out into Idaho for new hikes.  The trail we decided to hike was the Indian Cliffs Trail located at Heyburn State Park.  The park is located on the shores of Chatcolet Lake which has essentially become part of Lake Coeur de’Alene after the damming of the Spokane River further upstream.  At the trailhead there are two signboards, the first one describes the hike which includes two trails, the Indian Cliffs Trail and the CCC Nature Trail:

The second signboard discusses the natural habitat of the area:

After spending a few minutes reading the signboards my son and I set off on the hike from the trailhead:

My son and I planned to hike both the Indian Cliffs Trail and the CCC Nature Trail on this hike:

A short distance from the trailhead we crossed over a small bridge that was built over a seasonal creek:

We next came to the beginning of the loop portion of the hike:

Here there is a small map that shows the trails in the area:

We decided to follow the Indian Cliffs Trail sign and hiked up the right fork of the loop trail:

After a short ascent we had a nice walk through the forest:

Some of the trees reached impressive heights:

About a mile into the hike the steep ascent to reach the top of the Indian Cliffs began:

Fortunately there was a bench for my son to take a break on along the way:

During the ascent we passed through a field of basalt lava rock that has slowly eroded down the hillside over the centuries:

Here is the view looking down on the basalt rock field:

After about 500 feet of ascending we reached the top of the Indian Cliffs and took a break at the picnic table located on its summit:

From the Indian Cliffs there are some really nice views of the area.  Here is a view of Lake Chatcolet:

Here is a view of Plummer Creek that empties into Lake Chatcolet and a large railway bridge visible just above it:

I then took out my DJI Mavic 2 Zoom – Drone and took some aerial photos of the area.  Here is the view looking down on the Indian Cliffs where the field of basalt lava rock can be seen just below it:

Here is the view looking north at Lake Chatcolet:

Here is the view towards the southeast towards Plummer Creek:

Here is the view looking west at the rolling forested hills that surround the lake:

After taking about a 30 minute break at the picnic table we followed the trail down the backside of the Indian Cliffs.  Along the way we saw this sign that described a fire that occurred here back in 1994:

As we hiked down the trail the only evidence we saw of the fire was an area with less underbrush than the surrounding thick forest:

We next came to the start of the CCC Nature Trail:

This is a short one mile hike that passes through a section of dense forest:

The trail then passes just below the base of the basalt lava rock field:

From there the trail descends down the hillside and reconnects with the Indian Cliffs Loop Trail:

Soon my son and I found ourselves walking back across the wooden bridge we passed over earlier in the hike:

Conclusion

After about 2.5 hours of hiking my son and I found ourselves back at the trailhead.  This was definitely a nice hike, but not something that blew me away.  The hike though is family friendly and my son had a good time on this hike checking out the trees, rocks, and the views.  The trail was 3.5 miles long which was easily doable for him. If visiting the area, this is a trail worth checking out with the family.