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One-Shot Charlie’s! Drove Idaho highway 97 on the east shore to Harrison. Beautiful drive and dinner at One Shot Charlie’s was an experience! Typical bar in a small lake town. The burgers were absolutely wonderful. The only problem? We had to drive back to town on a very winding road, with a lot of critters crossing the road, in the rain, after dark! Great experience along the road (before dark) and in Lake Coeur d’Alene Harrison.
So, here’s the place to go to eat in Harrison! Small town dive bar (kind of) but very good burgers. Typical of many small-town places. Bar, restaurant, outdoor patio, lakefront add to that image. Great place to have a “small” group get-together or just a quick meal. Or sit and drink! The beat-up floor and the rustic furnishing contribute to the ambiance of the place. I would love to come back here again sometime.
By the way, here is a link to an overview of the entire trip to Montana and Idaho.
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Lake map and explanation
Within One-Shot Charlie’s hangs a map of Lake Coeur d’Alene. As you can see, it’s a long narrow lake. The map doesn’t show the beauty of the lake and the mountains around it. But, it’s a great lake. (I mean it’s a “great lake” not a Great Lake, as in Lake Superior or Lake Michigan!)
And we thought about driving fully around the lake but it was getting late and starting to rain. But we were very glad we took the drive. Great scenery and fun to see Harrison and Hutton’s general store that I’ll get to below. Of course, Harrison is a small lake town and an old town as well. On the other hand, neither Harrison nor any other town in Idaho we visited was an old “cowboy” town or an old mining town. (More on that in another post as well.)
Hutton’s General Store
Hutton’s stocks lots of products. While the store opened many years ago, ownership belongs to a private condo and marina association just up the road. Among other products, a lunch counter provides a limited menu. As you can see, the outside retains the old-time, rustic look. And it is open to anyone, not just the owners/members at the private condo/marina. In addition to that private association, there are many private homes along this side of the lake.
General view – grill/deli in the back .. and all the candy you want! Even a patio out front
Hutton’s remains a great place to pick up snacks and small meals. Hutton links are part of the Discovery Marina website. Tripadvisor and Yelp also provide reviews. If arriving by boat, call the store for dockside delivery. But don’t miss the store visit if you can make it up there.
Coeur d’Alene Lake Harrison pictures
To emphasize, you can order from the dock for delivery. However, I wish we visited when the sun was shining but you can’t choose the weather during a visit! Time to move on tomorrow so today was it.
Want to see a shop for my road trip photos? You can have them printed as wall art or puzzles. They also work on coffee mugs, t-shirts and more! So, take a look. Maybe you'll see something you will like!
Late afternoon view of Lake Coeur d’Alene on the road to Harrison along with a great house. A beautiful drive along the lake. And as you can see, great homes on the lake along the way. This one has a dock down on the lake as well. In fact, most of the homes on the lake have docks. It’s hard to know if these are vacation getaways or if people live here year-round. Certainly hard to imagine where they all make their living. Of course, between retired and/or wealthy people and those who can work from home, explains the occupancy of many of the homes.
Harrison Bike shop
Harrison ID was incorporated in 1899 and grew to a population of nearly 1000 people by 1910. Today the population stands at just over 200 people. The Cycle Haus stands as the primary bike rental place in Harrison. Several other bike rentals, as well as trail outfitters and guide services, also prevail.
Bike shop with accessories Lots of bikes, will all be rented during the summer
The Cycle Haus rents bikes for the trails. They also serve food and drinks to hungry and thirsty bikers and other visitors to Harrison. When visiting or planning a visit, here is a link to the trails around Harrison. A map of the trails burned into the bar beneath the map is a great addition to the shop.
Harrison in general
Although Harrison’s population decreased to just over 200 by 2019, the city still maintains itself as an outfitter, service area and historical site. The summer sees many visitors who keep the town alive. As shown earlier, there are many homes around the lake to keep the town busy and thriving even in the offseason.
In summary, Harrison is an old town with very few new buildings. In the summer, businesses thrive on tourists. Many of them close in the winter months but the town continues to thrive with decreased services and the local people. It’s a great place to visit when seeing Coeur d’Alene Lake. By the way, here is a link to an earlier post about Coeur d’Alene.
“Small Town” by John Mellencamp
Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Probably die in a small town
Oh, those small communities
All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity
Written by: John Mellencamp – Link to Youtube video of the song
