Heyburn State Park

Created in 1908, Heyburn State Park is the oldest park in the Pacific Northwest. Comprised of over 5,000 acres of land and 2,300 acres of water, Heyburn State Park features three lakes — Chatcolet, Benewah and Hidden Lakes, as well as the St. Joe River, which meanders along the eastern boundary of the park. The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes runs directly through the park.

Heyburn State Park in Idaho has a bird blind, display panels, and a boardwalk trail that leads to the park's wildlife interpretive location. The park also has a duck blind at the 1.5-mile mark on the North Loop trail. The North Loop trail goes through a cedar and fir forest with brooks and views of the lake and waterfowl. 

A Great Blue Heron rookery with 35-50 pairs of breeding herons can be found here. During the summer, Osprey, Wood Ducks, and Canada Geese use artificial nest structures, which have been monitored for 10-25 years. Red-necked Grebes and Soras nest here as well. At least 5,000-10,000 waterfowl use this site as a staging area from October to freeze-up. Most abundant species are American Wigeon, Mallards, and Canada Geese. There have been several records of vagrant birds here including Eurasian Wigeon, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Bewick’s Wren, Greater Scaup, and even a record of an Ancient Murrelet.