Editor's Dispatch

Navigating to Cavanaugh Bay means trading the security of pavement for the high-reward reality of Northern Idaho backcountry flying. You are aiming for a 3,100-foot grass strip carved out of the timber on the southern shore of Priest Lake. It demands your full attention: there is no line of sight between the runway ends, 85-foot trees crowd the centerline, and you share the airspace with seaplanes landing in the adjacent bay. But the payoff for managing these hazards is immediate. You don't just land near the destination; you park in its backyard.

Coolin is a remote community defined by timber lodges, pristine water, and a stubborn refusal to adopt the frantic pace of modern resorts. The town itself sits four miles south, a laid-back enclave where huckleberry is treated less like a flavor and more like a regional religion. For transient pilots, though, the universe shrinks to the immediate footprint of Cavanaugh’s Resort. The grass parking area transitions directly into the resort grounds, creating a self-contained fly-in ecosystem where the aircraft remains in sight while you unwind.

The anchor here is Cavanaugh's at Priest Lake, a mere five-minute stroll from the tie-downs to an expansive wooden deck overlooking the water. The menu leans into upscale-casual lakeside standards, delivering excellent burgers and craft cocktails that taste exponentially better after a demanding arrival. If you manage to secure a ride into town, Ardy's Cafe serves a legendary huckleberry milkshake, and the 1906-era Leonard Paul Store stocks "Huckleberry Hootch." But the core experience remains firmly on-field, anchored to a deck chair with a cold drink, watching boats carve wakes into the bay.

Cavanaugh Bay is a definitive summer detour, demanding genuine stick-and-rudder proficiency in exchange for flawless cockpit-to-table access. Bring your own 100LL—there is not a drop on the field, making a fuel stop at Sandpoint essential. With winter currently holding the region in a deep freeze and turning the turf strip into an active snowmobile track, this is strictly a planning exercise until the ice thaws. Mark your calendar for mid-May when the restaurant fires up the grill, dodge the summer runway sprinklers, and enjoy one of the most satisfying meals in Idaho.