Sandpoint, Idaho Guide to North Idaho Information and Media

It’s Pumpkin Season!

CELEBRATE AT HICKEY FARMS' FALL PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

Hickey Farms is getting ready for their eighth annual Fall Pumpkin Festival, starting the first weekend in October! Head on out to the family favorite farm every weekend in October for live entertainment, a large pumpkin patch, kids’ activities, food vendors and more.

Set in a beautiful valley just Northeast of Sandpoint off Highway 200, Hickey Farms boasts beautiful views of Schweitzer Mountain and the changing colors of the season while visitors wander the pumpkin patch and corn maze. The family farm—now in its fourth generation—has been in the family since 1923.

Each year, the Pumpkin Festival offers a place for families to come together and celebrate the best of fall. The farm is open Fridays, 3 to 5:30pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5:30pm. ...

The Inside Scoop: All About Apples

SANDPOINT ORGANIC AGRICULTURE CENTER SHARES LEARNING, RESEARCH ... AND FRUIT!

Nearly 50 acres of orchard land at the base of Schweitzer Mountain off Boyer Road is recognizable to locals as the former Sandpoint Orchard, with its diverse selection of varieties. Today, the orchard and adjoining acreage make up the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center (SOAC)—an organization with the University of Idaho Extension Office that provides a hands-on research and education facility for students and community members.

Established in August 2018 through support of a USDA grant and a generous donation from the Pence family, SOAC now covers 66 acres, including a certified organic orchard specializing in heritage apple varieties, dormitories, a retreat center and additional land for growing and research.

“Our primary goal is to attract organic agriculture research, as we are the university's only certified organic research station,” says Kyle Nagy, superintendent and orchard operations manager for SOAC.

CAMP OUT OF THE BOX

PANHANDLE FOREST PROVIDES MANY UNIQUE LOCATIONS

2020 was the summer of camping. Just about every RV sales lot you drove by was nearly empty of inventory as cooped up Idahoans fled to the woods. Campgrounds all across the Panhandle where one might typically pull in and easily find a spot were suddenly in high demand, and those who arrived late sometimes ended up driving around in hopes of landing anywhere to park a trailer or pitch a tent. It’s hard to predict whether this will be a one-off or the new normal in outdoor recreation.

While Idaho boasts many exceptional campgrounds, when at capacity, noise from other campers can detract from the sense of peace, quiet and serenity in nature that many campers seek. One place you are sure to find solitude is by booking some of the Panhandle’s more unique camping options, which can include fire lookouts, outposts and decadesold cabins. One such cabin is Red Ives, which provides a fun and unique shelter far from anything resembling a town.