Sharing a shoreline connecting communities

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Our Mission

The Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail are committed to a scenic and natural waterfront trail, creating public access and connecting communities along the north shore of Lake Pend Oreille. Our Communities are changing and growing, and as they do, our lake from access to public lands are becoming more precious.

Toast the Trail

 Scheduled for January 1, 2022

Due to the incredible efforts by our communities Ponderay and Sandpoint, sponsors, volunteers, landowners, and Bay Trail patrons the City of Ponderay and Friends of Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail are excited to announce our mission of connecting our communities is a couple steps closer!

We invite you to join us at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 1, 2022 as we celebrate the gate opening and the New Year! Remember to dress warmly, prepare for icy conditions and a two mile walk on the trail! If you plan on driving to the trail, you will need to park at the Windbag Marina, City Beach, or the Creekside Trailhead.

Come one, come all!

CANCELED

With heavy hearts, board of directors of the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail has decided to cancel this year’s Bay Trail Fun Run.

In the midst of a crisis at our hospitals, and in response to a call to avoid high risk activities, we acknowledge that an organized run along an unpaved and uneven trail with hundreds of people could potentially (however unlikely) result in an incident or viral transmission that could cause harm to individuals and further burden our health care system. 

So, in support of our overworked health care workers who are operating under crisis standards of care, we feel compelled to once again cancel this event for the second year in a row. This was not an easy decision and we are incredibly grateful for the support of our event sponsors and others for their understanding. 

As we navigate this pandemic, we are reminded that outdoor activity is a great way to support your mental and physical health. Yet we have decided to play it safe while our hospitals are struggling to provide care for the sick and injured.

All participants who paid in advanced will be reimbursed by our third party Race Roster. For any questions, contact our Race Director- Jean Vorhies.

Jrvorhies@hotmail.com 

 

Front Yard Project

The City of Ponderay and Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail are committed to creating a natural waterfront that extends to Black Rock connecting the communities of Kootenai and Ponderay and creating a stunning two-mile trail for everyone to enjoy.

Beyond that gate lies private property and Black Rock, the site of the former Panhandle Smelting and Refining Company (PSRC). Black Rock is a slag heap produced from the mining waste of the smelting operation. The ground in and around the site is dangerously high in lead and arsenic levels. Residents and visitors who access the lakefront at that spot risk their health and safety when they (illegally) cross railroad tracks and walk and play on highly contaminated soils.

The Front Yard Project will extend the POBT in a multi-phased project that will be messy at times. It will require community participation in the form of input and sometimes volunteer clean-up. It is an opportunity for us to show off our community, to enhance non-motorized transport between communities and a great place for us as a community to gather and play. It’s our front yard.

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Ponderay Announces Purchase of Lakefront at End of Bay Trail

Dec. 22, 2021 Contact: Erik Brubaker, City of Ponderay, (208) 946-1761 Written by Susan Drumheller Ponderay Announces Purchase of Lakefront at End of Bay Trail PONDERAY – The City of Ponderay Wednesday announced plans to use local option tax income to purchase...

Canceled- Bay Trail Fun Run 2021

CANCELEDWith heavy hearts, board of directors of the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail has decided to cancel this year’s Bay Trail Fun Run. In the midst of a crisis at our hospitals, and in response to a call to avoid high risk activities, we acknowledge that an...

Bay Trail Fun Run 2021

Event Scheduled for October 3, 2021 SANDPOINT _ The Bay Trail Fun Run is back after a one-year hiatus and is now scheduled for this October. The scenic waterfront 5K and 10K course gives friends and neighbors from all over the opportunity to walk and run side by side...

Bay Trail Reaches Milestone and Future Looks Bright-2021

Some trails meander around and fail to take the most direct route to one’s destination. Occasionally you may even wander down a side path until you realize that you have been led astray. Building a trail can sometimes be like that too. But then you reach a major...

Trail Head Parking Update-2021

Mixed news from a recent meeting with City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton regarding the parking lot closure: It could be a few months before the parking lot at the Sandpoint trailhead is open during the weekdays again. The reason given for the lot closure was the...

Trail Dispatches: Doggie Do’s

by Susan Drumheller The dog days of summer have arrived and with them come the perpetual joys and challenges of socializing and training our beloved pets so they can coexist easily with others on the trails and in other public spaces. The Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail is a...

Cleanup and Underpass Plans Move Ahead for Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail-2020

Susan Drumheller President, Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail PONDERAY – As the seasons change along the Bay Trail, bringing snow, mud, flowers and golden leaves, stiff breezes and gentle sunshine, we also have our corresponding seasons for planning Bay Trail...

City of Ponderay Wins Grant for Black Rock Clean Up-2019

We are very excited to be working with the city of Ponderay to clean up the black rock site along the Bay Trail. Read the full article in the Bonner County Daily Bee here:...

TIGER Grant Program – and Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail – At Risk-2017

For the last two years, the Friends of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail and the City of Ponderay have been preparing to apply for a federal TIGER grant to help fund a much-needed underpass for the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail. Without an underpass under the railroad tracks,...

Master Trail Plan Finalized-2016

After about a year of working with hired consultants, the Master Trail Plan for the Pend d'Oreille Bay Trail has been finalized. Check it out here! This plan will help guide future improvements to the trail that could include interpretive kiosks that would help tell...