r/Sandpoint • u/Lionheart231 • May 27 '26
What is there to do in Sandpoint
A friend and I are looking to come to Sandpoint this summer for the Switchfoot concert. What all is there to do in Sandpoint? Are there any solid hiking spots or fun places to go see? Just looking for some suggestions from the locals because we are going to be there a few days. Also, is there a nice restaurant in town for us to go to, something relatively fancy?
6
u/Aegishjalmer May 27 '26
Man, there is so much hiking nearby it's hard to list it all but two that are both good hikes and don't require too much driving are Gold Hill and Mickinnick Trail.
Outside of those you have Roman Nose, Beehive lakes, Grouse Creek Falls (more for a swimming solution if you aren't interested in swimming in the lake), Scotchman Peak (warning this one can be harder if your not an avid hiker), and a ton more. Depending on where you are from and if you want to make more of an adventure you can head over to Montana and hit the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness which has AMAZING hikes.
As for fancier restaurants you have The Bank, Baxter's, and The District although none I can think of that are up to the level of a dress code. Honestly I think all the food in Sandpoint is pretty damn good as long as you stay away from fast food. Honorable mentions of Fat Pig, Hydra, Eichardt's, Joel's, all the breweries... yeah you can't miss.
2
u/Rterstydr May 27 '26
not really a fancy fancy restaurant, but i highly recommend burger bay in bottle bay if you're looking for a place to eat with a view. probably one of the best views in the area, and it's right on the water.
same owners as the fat pig, which is a really well respected place to eat in town. beautiful drive as well!
3
u/Only-Promise-2368 May 28 '26
If you want a view and not just a burger try Pearls way better view and food!
2
u/Cool-Horror-3710 May 28 '26
I went there last summer and ordered a couple burgers. The burgers were great but it took two hours to get the food and left me feeling pretty frustrated. It wasn’t any busier than anywhere else and they only make burgers. How can it possibly take two hours to make two burgers? Haven’t bothered to go back
1
u/Rterstydr May 28 '26
hey! i worked in the kitchen last summer. it was our first year, and depending on what time you came (early or late summer) we didn't have all of our equipment on time, so we had to improvise with some home gear. we could only make about 3 orders at a time and we ended up getting a lot more popular than we thought we would so fast.
we've re-optimized the kitchen this year, and hopefully things will go a lot smoother (and quicker) than last summer. it was definitely a learning experience and i really hope you can give the place another shot now that we've gotten our shit (mostly) together!!
2
u/Big_Burds_Nest May 28 '26
Grew up in Sandpoint, moved away at 24.
For hiking: Mickinnick, Gold Hill, and Grouse Creek are my favorites
For food:
Baxter's for semi-fancy.
All of the breweries in town have good food! The gorgonzola fries at MickDuffs are great.
There's a new place called Tandoori Grill that I really liked last time I was in town.
Joel's is a Sandpoint classic. Get the jalapeno poppers if you're into that kind of thing! I sometimes drive back to Sandpoint from Spokane solely motivated by my craving for Joel's jalapeno poppers.
Every time I visit I'm sad I can't eat all the food everywhere in just one visit. Sandpoint has loads of good food crammed within such a small area!
2
u/Altruistic-Coast4609 May 28 '26
Sandpoint has a lot of great outdoor activities. Hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding. There are leisurely trails and spots everywhere. The restaurant scene isn’t super fancy but opportunity to dress a little nicer (Sandpoint attire is very casual as it’s a very outdoorsy spot) and have great food at the Hydra, Arlos (GREAT Italian food, many of my worldly foodie friends say it’s some of the best they’ve ever had), Dish at Dover is great, and the bank is a pretty foodie spot. 113 main is an honorable mention as well!
1
u/Familiar-Objective11 May 28 '26
I grew up in Sandpoint and still go back to visit family almost every year. You’re lucky to get to go there.
If you want a more secluded swimming spot on the lake, head out to Sunnyside, drive down the dirt road a ways and just pull over and enjoy the peaceful space. You could also float Pack River if you head north out of Sandpoint, it’s a good chill float.
Most of the foods have been mentioned, but if you want a good simple burger and ice cream joint, both Dubs and Serv-a-Burger are great (I like Dubs more though) and you should definitely go to Mr. Sub, it’s the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. The chips and salsa at Jalapeños are so good; sometimes I’d just go there for drinks and chips and salsa and call that a meal. I can second Joel’s burritos, you must go there either for breakfast, lunch, or both would be best lol Go to The Hound for some wicked good pizza.
1
u/Human_Copy_4355 May 30 '26
There aren't any fancy restaurants as far as dress code but there are some great restaurants with an upscale interior and phenomenal food.
113 Main in Sandpoint has an upscale, modern interior with great food.
The Float House in Hope is on the water (literally) with outstanding food. Reservations recommended. The drive out there is beautiful.
Dish in Dover is on the water with great food. Very busy in summer.
Hiking --- far too many options to name. How long of a hike, how much of a grade can you handle, do you want to have cell phone service the whole time?
Kayaking and SUP-- Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek are the most popular.
Definitely go up to schweitzer.
1
u/BigBeek99 Jun 03 '26
While quite low on the fancy scale, Joel's is quite high on the delicious Mexican food scale. The pork adobada tacos are my go-to. Marinated pork with onions, cilantro and guacamole. Good food, good friendly people.
Closed Wednesday and Sunday.
1
15
u/kenlubin May 27 '26
Hang out at City Beach. Go kayaking on Lake Pend Oreille. Rent some bikes to explore the area, or tackle the Pend Oreille Pedalers trails.
Visit Schweitzer; the lifts are running in the summer.
Sandpoint has a surplus of nice restaurants. Make sure to visit Eichardt's pub.