Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boat ramp at the Priest Lake outlet Unnamed in OpenStreetMap · two ramps 25 m apart | Access / boat ramp | 48.49106, -116.90196 | The uppermost launch on the Lower Priest, at the Priest Lake outlet above Coolin. |
| 2 | Priest River Raft Slide Raft slide at the Priest Lake outlet | Access / boat ramp | 48.48869, -116.90885 | Carry-down slide beside the outlet works; the usual start for the upper float. |
| 3 | Pataky's Bench Riverside park above Chipmunk Rapids | Park / conservation area | 48.42565, -116.90738 | Small county park on the left bank, roughly four river miles below the outlet. |
| 4 | Chipmunk Rapids Named rapid on the Lower Priest | Dam / hazard | 48.42271, -116.90941 | The one named rapid on the reach, immediately below Pataky's Bench. |
| 5 | USGS 12395000 — Priest River near Priest River USGS streamgage | USGS gauge | 48.20852, -116.91464 | Read the gauge before you go; it is the river's only real-time flow reference. |
| 6 | Priest River Visitor Center Tourist information · US 2 in Priest River | Agency / conservation office | 48.17983, -116.90782 | OSM records this node in lowercase as 'visitor center'. |
| 7 | Priest River Campgrounds Serviced campground · about 20 caravan sites | Campsite | 48.17931, -116.88898 | |
| 8 | Priest River Park City park at the Pend Oreille confluence | Park / conservation area | 48.17908, -116.88992 | |
| 9 | Boat ramp by Priest River Park Unnamed slipway · left bank near the confluence | Access / boat ramp | 48.17784, -116.89259 | The take-out for the whole river; unnamed in OpenStreetMap, 250 m from the city park node. |
Gauge: USGS 12395000 — Priest River near Priest River, ID. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brown Trout, Bull Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Westslope Cutthroat Trout
Regulations: idfg.idaho.gov/rules/fish
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Priest River Recreation Area at the confluence - the closest access to the gauge, with camping and a launch.
Highway 2 bridge in the town of Priest River - bank access and parking near the mouth.
Dickensheet Campground near Coolin - upper-river access below the Priest Lake outlet.
Eightmile Island access off Highway 57 - middle-river put-in for a summer float.
Binarch Creek road crossings - forest-road walk-in access to the middle reach.
Outlet Bay at Priest Lake - the head of the system and a common upper put-in.
McAbee Falls area pull-offs on Highway 57 - roadside access to the faster upper water.
Spring: heavy snowmelt from late April into June, with the river high, cold and largely unfishable.
Summer: the main trout season once flows drop, with cutthroat above and smallmouth in the lower miles.
Fall: cooling water, good streamer fishing and bull trout moving before the closures tighten.
Winter: low flows, ice in the slow reaches and very little angling pressure anywhere on the river.