364,000 and counting

COEUR d’ALENE — Tubbs Hill is well loved — and well used.

Monte McCully, city of Coeur d’Alene trails coordinator, recently told the Parks and Recreation Commission that 364,259 people visited Tubbs Hill from July 18, 2022,  to July 18, 2023.

The busiest day in that one-year span was July 4, with 6,226 visitors, while the daily summer average was 2,086.

“These numbers were all real eye-openers to me,” McCully said. “I knew we had a lot of traffic but I didn't think we had 364,000 in one year.”

At 165 acres next to Lake Coeur d’Alene, Tubbs Hill offers plenty of room to roam, viewpoints to admire the lake and numerous trails that lead around and up to the 2,500-foot summit.

To get an idea of just how many use Tubbs for hiking, running, exploring and walking dogs, the city installed a counter at the Third Street entrance last year. It went live July 18.

In 2022, there were 103,509 visitors July 18 to Sept. 10, a daily average of 1,917 which peaked at 3,643 on July 23.

This year, over the same dates, the counter tallied 91,191 visitors, a daily average of 1,658. The peak day was July 29 with 3,129.

"In 2023 you can see our numbers dipped a little bit," McCully said. "I think we were still getting some COVID numbers in 2022. We still had more people coming from out of state."

McCully said the city has formed a “trails and trees” team that keeps an eye on Tubbs Hill and carries out projects to maintain and improve it.

The Tubbs Hill Foundation, which is dedicated to the preservation of Tubbs Hill, has volunteers who help clear trails, remove fallen trees and smooth rough sections.

Last year, its members constructed nearly 1,000 feet of new trail to correct erosion issues and more than 2.2 miles of trails were trimmed to remove invasive brush.

“They get to it before we can, most of the time,” McCully said.

Parks Director Bill Greenwood said the counter records people coming and going, so it could be that about half of the visitors leave the way they came and are counted twice. But a group or a couple of people might only show as one if they are walking close together, so it balances out and still paints a picture that the hill is popular.

Greenwood said 364,000 visitors “is a big number, and yet the hill is doing well.”

    Visitors to Tubbs Hill enjoy a view of Lake Coeur d'Alene on Wednesday.
  

    A rising sun greets hikers as they follow a Tubbs Hill trail Thursday morning
  

    The trails of Tubbs Hill lead to views of Lake Coeur d'Alene.