Riverstone Park

I can say with confidence that Riverstone is the most manicured and landscaped park in Coeur d' Alene. My guess is that the reason the landscaping is bumped up a few notches is because there are so many "adult" activities and events that take place in this multi-use park. It could also be because the entire Riverstone development was built on an old lumber mill site and well, gravel just wasn't going to cut it.



The park itself is 14 acres in size which includes a man-made pond with "water features" - i.e., fountains. There are no water craft or paddleboats on the pond and I've not seen anyone swim in this body of water. There are some geese and ducks but feeding them is not allowed.



There is a paved path around the park and the pond and the paths also link up to the Centential Trail which will take you west to Spokane or east to Lake Coeur d' Alene. You can also hook up with the Prairie Trail at this park which will take you by the Salvation Army Kroc Center. The path around the pond has several benches as well as a couple of bridges and waterfall features.

There are about 50 parking spots in the lot, two of them accessible. Because of the access to multiple trails, people will often use the Riverstone parking lot as a trail head. This morning as I drove into the lot I wondered what was going on at 9 am on a Tuesday. Ten cars in the lot, not a single person in the park.

There are three distinct areas in Riverstone park - the playground, the stage and tiered seating area and another secluded sitting area overlooking the water. There are free concerts in the summer at Riverstone usually offering a variety of musical genres. In 2010, the concerts included rock, jazz, country and celtic!



The stage and seating areas are concrete and are accessible by ramps. There are stairs that lead from the stage to the water's edge so bringing a small child or a child obsessed with all things water will require a great deal of supervision and diligence. The secluded seating area is also accessible however the concrete path turns to paving stones at the bench area. The stone are very large and are still accessible. There is an upper and lower area to this "zen garden" and the lower area drops off into the water without any natural or man-made curbing. There are some large boulders in the this area and my water-obsessed kiddo is always wanting to walk on the rocks to get to the water.



The playground has the standard wood chips for a base but there is a ramp! I chuckle everytime I look at this picture. All I see is someone in their chair saying "great, now what" once they've rolled into the chips and need a 4-wheel drive to get out.



The play structure itself has a ton of climbing opportunities. Ropes, walls, rungs, more ropes, more rungs. There is a plastic curly slide, a triple-wide slide (also plastic) and a fireman's pole for getting back down quickly. There is a rather unique transom which allows kids to sit on a platform while others use a crank to make the platform move back and forth. Great upper body workout for sure! Two big-kid swings and one tire swing round out the playground.




There is a BBQ Pavillion with picnic tables and BBQ grills and aside from the abundant landscaping, the pavillion is the only shade area.



The restrooms are "real" which is always a treat. They do however have heavy doors that open outward. These doors are not automatic and may pose an issue for someone with limited mobility. The only drinking fountains I could locate were at the bathrooom structure.

When I took my kiddo to Riverstone, he was most interested in the pond. We managed to walk the entire path around the pond but it took a long time because we needed to watch the waterfall, find rocks to throw into the water, try to get into the water every two feet or so..... Needless to say, the water features of this park are a bit of a distraction for my water-obsessed kid. I take him to this park when I know nothing else is going on because I know he is going to want to interact with the water and he wouldn't understand why he couldn't just walk behind the band and start playing in the water by the stage. Eventually he'll have enough practice to attend community events at this park but for now, I stick with mid-week days in the spring, fall and winter.

Riverstone Park will be the location of the Buddy Walk, September 25th. The Buddy Walk was created in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month and to promote acceptance and inclusion. I'll be there and I hope you will be too! There will be refreshments, gymnastics demonstrations, face painting and other great activities for the kids. Did I mention there will be snacks?

For more information about the Buddy Walk, you can visit Ds Connections NW.

It's Hot - Let's Go Swimming!

One of the best things about living in Coeur d' Alene is the availability of lakes and rivers for swimming and other water sports. Amazingly enough, there is quite a bit of diversity when it comes to beaches and water access. Each area seems to have its own 'culture' so finding an area that suits your tastes and needs may take a while. My hands-down favorite spot for enjoying Lake Coeur d' Alene and the Spokane River is the Dike Road beach (AKA NIC Beach).

This beach is mostly enjoyed by locals and their families looking to enjoy the water in a relaxed environment. Gooseberry Road (its official street name) winds up around NIC along the river; parallel parking is available on the left hand side of the one-way street and the Centennial Trail is on the right hand side. The speed limit is 15 mph and the road is busy during the summer days with cars, walkers and bicycles. Luckily, NIC offers free parking for the beach at their parking lots so if you can't find a spot on the road, you can find one a short distance away.



This beach is not easily accessible if one uses a chair or needs mobility assistance. There is a rather steep drop off from the road to get to the beach although there are a few rail-road tie stairs available. The beach itself extends for .7 miles and there are a couple of places that have a "gentle slope" to get to the beach. There is only one paved path - everything else is dirt, grass or sand. The dirt and grass however are pretty hard in regards to their surface. There is one place along the road that offers accessible parking and a paved ramp to a restroom. It's located at mile .5, just past the concession stand/boat rental shack. The path is VERY narrow (33 inches wide) and there is a sharp corner to negotiate. I have not been to this beach with anyone using a chair but I would imagine it would not be a comfortable ramp to negotiate.





The entire beach at NIC is lined with trees and then sand to the water. There are numerous picnic tables and BBQ pits available for use - first come, first served. Some of the tables are in the sun, some are not. The beach itself is rocky/sandy/dirt so expect to have some dirt in your car at the end of the day. The river bed is mostly sand which makes it great for swimming. As you move towards the mouth of the river to the lake, the lake bed becomes more rocky and swim socks are definitely recommended. There is occasional litter on the beach and I'm always amazed that I can still find the old-style pop-tops from cans (weren't those banned in the 70's?). Broken glass is also not uncommon. I always bring a plastic grocery sack with me to pick up litter that I don't want my kiddo to walk on or to pick up.

It should be noted, from .1 to about .5 miles, there are waterfowl. It is legal to feed them at mile .1 which is why there are so many. Navigating the goose poop is something that you'll have to get used to if you want to swim here. I try to remember to bring a cat litter scoop with me to clean up the area where we will have our towels.

There are two permanent bathroom structures, one at .4 mile and the other at .5. The women's bathroom has two stalls, one accessible and the men's room has one urinal and one accessible stall. Each bathroom structure also has an outside shower for rinsing off sand and dirt.




If you're thinking about heading to NIC Beach, here are some helpful hints:

1. Everyone else will be bringing water toys - air mattresses, buckets, floaties etc. My kid was so focused on trying to get other kids' toys that he didn't even want to swim the first time he went there. You'll probably want to bring something of your own for the kids to play on.

2. This is a community with a logging history and there are still logs in the water, washed on to the shore. These logs offer some great fun for kids as they play on them, sit on them while floating in the water, spin them etc. Not exactly what safety specialists would want kids playing with but they are there. As a kid, some of my best river memories are playing on those logs. If you're paranoid about your kid being near a beached or floating log, this beach may not be for you. One of my son's first 'social moments' with another child came last year while he was playing with a log in the water.

3. Parking and getting to the water with a child that finds it difficult to wait may be an issue. For many kids obsessed with water, once they see it - they need to get to it. I've weathered many a melt-down because kiddo didn't understand that we couldn't just stop in the middle of the road to go to the beach. Social stories about parking and walking might be in order, particular at the height of summer.

4. Avoiding crowds is still possible in the summer if you swim early or late. Plan on getting there before 10:00 am and you'll be able to find parking along the road. Same thing for showing up after 5:30 or 6:00 pm

5. People will be BBQ'ing so there will be food/smells/hot coals etc. that kids can be very curious about. It's a good idea to bring along some of your own food to keep the kids from wandering into someone else's picnic area.

6. The beach at mile .5 has a lot going on in regards to activities: beach volleyball, concession stand, boat rental and a boat dock. If you're looking for an area without a lot of distractions, best to avoid this particular spot on NIC Beach.

7. At mile .7, the water is more shallow and therefore warmer than the rest of the beach area.

8. There are no life guards at this beach. All swimming is done at your own risk and it can be risky. Life jackets for the little ones and the bigger ones that are not strong swimmers are definitely recommended. At the very least, they all need to be watched by adults while they are in the water.

9. Alcohol and dogs are not allowed.

10. It's all free and it's open 365 days a year. OK, so we're not swimming in the dead of winter but we do go to the river and lake year round to throw rocks, feed the geese and to walk along the shore.

I admit I'm partial to this beach because I enjoyed it as a kid and it's great to finally have an activity that my son enjoys just as I did at his age.

What have your experiences been at NIC Beach? Do you have a favorite beach on Lake Coeur d' Alene?