Two miles from Lake Pend Oreille, the Best Western Plus Ponderay Mountain Lodge, Ponderay, Idaho, is a comfortable North Idaho base for lake and mountain days, with welcoming rooms, free Wi-Fi, and a knowledgeable staff happy to point guests toward local restaurants and artisan boutiques.
The setting puts the lake's boating, fishing, kayaking, and scenic cruises minutes away, and ranks as the closest hotel to a major ski resort, with a concierge service that delivers ski and snowboard gear right to the door. A regional airport in Spokane, Glacier National Park, and the Canadian border are all within reach for a longer loop.
Ponderay sits beside Sandpoint in Idaho's far-north panhandle, on the shore of vast Lake Pend Oreille beneath forested peaks. Schweitzer Mountain Resort's slopes rise just above town for skiing and summer hiking, the deep blue lake invites boating and lakeside cruises, and Lake Coeur d'Alene and the wider Inland Northwest lie an easy drive south.