From our most recent issue featuring the Best of the Northwest, Elkins Resort on Priest Lake was in our lineup for the Best of Idaho Travel. For the full list of winners and travel features, click here to subscribe and order your copy today.
Established in 1932 on a pristine lake of northern Idaho’s panhandle, Elkins Resort on Priest Lake was originally a business deal gone awry. Local businessman Ike Elkins loaned a couple developers money for a camp and after they defaulted on the loan, Elkins went ahead with a rustic cabin resort of his own likings.
Today, with years of rebuilding and revamping under the belt, each cabin at Elkins Resort is unique to the time and style it was built in, from the creek-side cabins to the lakefront cottages. Breathtaking landscape for year-round weddings and exemplary for any getaway vacation from family reunions to private couples travels, Elkins Resort is a picturesque destination nestled into the Selkirk Mountains. Slow down for simpler times on the lake.
Hiking, biking and fishing, oh my! The activities at and around Elkins Resort are boundless, from floating around the lake on a pontoon or paddling on a kayak to building sand castles on the beach in the summer and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the winter. To boot, the resort hosts movies on the main lawn during the summer and live music and karaoke year round.
The cabins vary in design but can accommodate many and all—sleeping anywhere between two and 14 guests in one building and all are equipped with a fireplace, high-definition televisions, a kitchen, living and dining areas.
Although cooking in the private kitchen of a quaint lakeside cabin is its own form of luxury, take advantage of the seasonal cooking of the culinary team at the Elkins in the main dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Resort Owner and Executive Chef Mike Szybnski is the brains behind the operation that has received high regards from locals and tourists like, along with acting Chef Graham Byxbee who has worked seasonally at the resort since he was 14-years-old. Rack of lamb, Copper River salmon and Alaskan halibut have all graced the resort’s menu, while huckleberry daiquiris are not to be missed during summer months and hot toddys by the fire place in the winter should also be consumed. Of course flatbreads at Log Cabin Pizza are a must, order from the menu or customize—all pizzas come piping hot from a hot stone oven.
Elkins Resort on Priest Lake || 404 Elkins Road, Nordman || (208) 443-2432 || elkinsresort.com
