Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park

Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park

Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park
4.5
About
The Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park spotlights the oldest building in Idaho. The Mission of the Sacred Heart was constructed between 1850 and 1853 by Catholic missionaries and members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Sacred Heart Mission and the Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park provide an educational experience not found anywhere else, giving visitors an opportunity to examine the dynamics and complexities between Jesuit missionaries and the tribal people among whom they settled in a beautiful park setting. The park features the Sacred Heart Mission church, a restored Parish House and a historic cemetery.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles71 reviews
Excellent
40
Very good
28
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Trisha
Seattle, WA4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
Absolute worth the roundtrip hour drive from CDA. There’s an entrance fee to the state park and then you can pay extra to view the exhibit in the visitors center. The exhibit is worth the extra admission cost; thoughtfully curated with the help of the CDA tribe. So much in depth history on the CDA Native American tribe compared to the glossed over, settler-centric history in the Museum of North Idaho. The church and the grounds are beautiful and so well preserved. Highly recommend
Written 12 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marlene G
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
Very interesting to visit. Highly recommend you take the time to go. In the visitor center, one can see a movie which tells the history. Movie really needs updating. It is difficult to hear, and barely touches on any of the indignities and hardships suffered by the Native Americans.
Written 24 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrew V
25 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2017 • Family
I last visited this grand old building when just 8 years old and now I revisited again with my family of 4. We loved walking through the buildings and imagining what this place was like back in the old days. The walking trails were fun and we had a great time exploring. Had a picnic lunch with us and ate at one of the tables on the grounds in a cool shady spot. The kids even took some time to run through a sprinkler because it was a scorching day! While eating someone informed us that a moose was down in the river bottom below the mission, and sure enough there it was. The kids thought that was amazing! We did not go through the museum as we were trying to save a few bucks and $10 was not going to be worth it to be rushed through exhibits by hyper kids. But the quiet day and serene environment made this a most enjoyable stop on our vacation.
Written 31 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah M
Reno, NV607 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2017 • Friends
We went into the Visitor Center first and were looking forward to seeing the Old Mission up on the hill in all its glory. Frankly, the exhibits and photos in the Visitor Center (including the one on TripAdvisor) have either been cleverly doctored or taken many years ago. The Old Mission, and the Parish House next door, are well worn and needs some TLC. Their place in the history of the area is important, but don't have high expectations of their current condition. Both are in dire need of refurbishment.
Written 8 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jan D
Boise, Idaho, United States13 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2017 • Friends
Wonderful old mission to visit and imagine how life was when there were many more buildings to include school and orphanage. Walking path with markers is nice break complete with cemetery stones. The museum is much larger than you think and expanded on the relationship of the indians and the catholic mission. We stopped here on our way to Kellogg.
Written 15 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Randall B
Cookson, OK345 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Couples
My wife and I stopped here on the way to GEG from Missoula and we're so glad we did. The staff here is so nice and helpful. There's a 17 minute video explaining the history of the site, and then you're free to wander around, unassisted looking at the things you just saw in the movie. Also for an extra small fee (well worth it), there's an artifacts museum.
Written 13 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

OregonExplorers4
Albany, OR640 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2015 • Family
Literally, for decades, our family would drive by this beautiful building as we drove from Oregon to Montana every summer on I-90. Finally, this summer, we decided to stop and actually discover what was at "Cataldo". So glad we turned off exit 39 as we traveled east bound on I-90. (A little over 20 miles to the east of Coeur d'Alene.)

As other reviewers have stated there is a small, $5 fee to park in the lot near by. There is a well-marked walking trail where you can tour the grounds at your own pace. There is another small fee to enter the Visitor's Center and walk within the museum. There are numerous historical items to see on display.

As we walked within the mission itself, it was a beautiful, serene place to be in. The murals on display are impressive and beautiful. This is an amazing place to learn about the native Americans who lived here generations ago, and the missionaries who later arrived. How fortunate we are that this structure is preserved for all of us to see. To actually get to walk in the state of Idaho's oldest existing structure is amazing. The grounds of this state park are beautiful and well-cared for and clean. The "Old Mission" is located in such a beautiful, serene location.

We hope you will take time to discover this beautiful historical building. We are now asking ourselves, "Why didn't we stop here earlier?" Enjoy!
Written 22 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jim B
Grapeview, WA1 841 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019 • Couples
We have driven by here for years but this was our first time stopping in to visit. The setting is beautiful, sitting up on a hill, with a view of the mountains in the distance.

It was interesting to learn the history of how the native people actually requested the Jesuits to establish a mission there and the affect it had on their community.

They have done a nice job in restoring it to resemble what it would have been like back in the 1800's, when it was first built.
Written 18 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

entropy43
Idaho137 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Couples
We'd been here decades ago, stopped again and there was more to enjoy. We didn't know there had been priests buried under the church (but have since been reburied elsewhere).
Written 13 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Corvettemaniac
Pahrump, NV63 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2017 • Couples
I studied about Cataldo in Idaho history in the 4th grade. Some 65+ years later I finally got to see it. My wife and mother were with me.We were in awe with the construction methods! The grounds were spotless. The oldest building in Idaho will stand for 100's of years more. It is a MUST see on the I-90 corridor!
Written 11 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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COEUR D'ALENE'S OLD MISSION STATE PARK (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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