Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Idaho / North Idaho

Upper Priest Lake via the Navigation Trail

Idaho Panhandle National Forests (Upper Priest Lake Scenic Area, north of Nordman)

Upper Priest Lake is a three-mile-long backcountry lake at the north end of Priest Lake that you can reach only by trail or by boat. The Navigation Trail follows its west shore through old-growth hemlock and white pine to two small lakeside campgrounds with views of the Selkirk Crest.

Visit North Idaho rates it easy, and it’s mostly flat.

The hike

Visit North Idaho says the trailhead is at the Forest Service Beaver Creek Campground, 11.8 miles north of Nordman on Priest Lake. Inland NW Routes says Navigation Trail #291 starts near Beaver Creek on the northwest corner of the lower lake. The Idaho Trails Association estimates the drive at about an hour from Priest River.

Visit North Idaho describes the 8.1-mile trail meandering through old-growth hemlock and white pine to the shores of Upper Priest Lake, which it says can be reached only by trail or by boat through the Thoroughfare. It calls the trail fairly wide and flat for the most part. Inland NW Routes estimates about 200 feet of gain, repeated on the way back.

For about three miles the trail winds through forest, then reaches Plowboy Campground at the south end of the lake, according to Visit North Idaho. Inland NW Routes says Plowboy has a nice view of the northern Selkirks and a few campsites. A camper review on Outdoorithm says the three miles to Plowboy have some ups and downs and small inclines but are manageable for inexperienced backpackers.

From Plowboy, Visit North Idaho says, the trail stays near the lake’s edge for about two miles. Near Navigation Campground, it climbs for a stretch before dropping to the campground. Inland NW Routes says that as you reach Navigation Campground, the views explode all around you. The Idaho Trails Association calls Navigation an open site right along the lake with awesome views of the Selkirks, 6.7 miles up the trail.

Inland NW Routes notes that the forest around the south half of Upper Priest Lake suffers from excessive fuel loading, and in early June it found mushrooms and fungi on display. North of Navigation Campground, the trail continues through thick forest with two creek crossings and ends at a forest road northwest of the lake.

The Idaho Trails Association says its volunteers have worked on the Navigation Trail for several years, removing logs and brush. The association notes that the old-growth forest means some very big trees to clear when they fall.

Boaters share the lake. Inland NW Routes describes the water as mirror smooth on its June visit, with only two fishing boats. The Sandpoint visitor guide lists four small campgrounds around the upper lake reachable by boat, canoe, or foot: Plowboy, Navigation, Geisinger at the end of the Thoroughfare, and Trapper Creek on the northeast side.

A steeper alternative, the Plowboy Mountain Trail #295, climbs over Plowboy Mountain and descends about 2,400 feet to end at Navigation camp, according to Hiking Project. It says the summit has the stone ruins of an old lookout.

Tips

Camping

Camping is at small primitive campgrounds on the lake. The Sandpoint visitor guide lists five sites at Plowboy on the southwest shore and five at Navigation on the northwest shore. Both have fire rings, picnic tables, and bear-proof storage boxes, with no drinking water and a pack it in, pack it out policy. One 2022 trip report found the picnic table at Navigation damaged and suggests bringing a sit pad. Third-party listings mention a vault toilet at Plowboy and rules such as leashing pets. From April 1 to Dec. 1, a Forest Service food storage order (01-04-00-24-001) covers National Forest lands in the Priest Lake, Sandpoint, and Bonners Ferry Ranger Districts north of the Pend Oreille River and Lake Pend Oreille. It requires unattended food and garbage to be stored in a bear-resistant way. The order doesn’t name Upper Priest Lake, so check its map or ask the Priest Lake Ranger District whether it applies here. Confirm current rules with the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

Inside Intel: Navigation is the one with the view. Inland NW Routes says the views explode as you arrive, and the Idaho Trails Association calls it open, right along the lake, with awesome views of the Selkirks. Plowboy is the easier choice at about three miles. One reviewer says an inexperienced backpacker can manage it, and campers praise its peaceful setting and bear boxes. Both are reachable by boat too, so expect to share the shore with paddlers.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Coffee on Upper Priest Lake:

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.