Fall Foliage

October is when Lake Pend Oreille's walleye start to roam. Recent tagged-fish data shows that walleye cover more ground in early fall than at any other time of year, spreading out across the lake but reliably turning up in the same handful of places year after year. For fall anglers, the map is clear.

Right now is the sweet spot for fall color in North Idaho. WeatherBug's October 7 foliage report had peak color widespread across Idaho's higher terrain, and the western larch, the tamaracks, are turning the mountainsides gold from mid-October into November. There is no better way to take it in than the International Selkirk Loop.

There is a secret the locals keep about Schweitzer Mountain Resort, and it is spelled October. Between the end of summer season and the first real snowstorm, the mountain settles into its quietest, most golden month of the year — and it might just be the best time to visit.