The Tubbs Hill Natural Area is a 165-acre (0.67 km2) public park and natural area in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The park is located on a peninsula, with Lake Coeur d'Alene bordering the park on its west, south, and east sides and McEuen Park to the north with its main entrance and trail head at 210 South 3rd Street. An additional trail head is located at the southern terminus of 10th Street. The parks main attraction is a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) Interpretive Trail that takes visitors passed scenic vantage points and natural and historical sites of interest. Other activities such as climbing, cliff jumping, kayaking, fishing, sun bathing, bird watching and flower viewing are also popular things to do in the park.Precambrian schist and gneiss generally make up the almost solid rock formation, with topsoil depth rarely exceeding 5 inches (130 mm) deep. Despite the shallow soil depth impacting the health of the fragile ecosystem of the park, plant life is abundant and there are dense understories in areas; ponderosa pine and Douglas fir are the most common trees observed in the park. Tubbs Hill is a managed forest and the park is maintained by the Tubbs Hill Foundation and the Friends of Tubbs Hill.Dogs are permitted at the park with a leash but bicycles, motor vehicles, alcohol, glass containers, smoking, campfires, and fireworks are not allowed.Looking out from the peninsula with lithophytes in viewThe 165-acre (0.67 km2) public park and natural area is located on a peninsula within the City of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with Lake Coeur d'Alene bordering the park on its west, south, and east sides. The park has entrances located at 210 South 3rd Street where it meets McEuen park and at the southern end of 10th Sreet. The hill reaches a height of 2,128 feet (649 m) above sea level at water level and 2,503 feet (763 m) at its peak.Like much of the surrounding region, the lake and rock formations are a legacy of the Missoula floods. When the southward moving Purcell Lobe glacier shrunk and broke up after damming up the Clark Fork River 15,000 years ago, the resulting floodwaters from the backed up Glacial Lake Missoula pushed rock and silt across the Coeur d'Alene River and St. Joe River Valleys. The Precambrian metamorphic schist and gneiss generally make up the rock formation, which were created by the heating of sediments by rising basalt magma and the soil content consists mostly of volcanic ash which was deposited about 6,500 years ago by Mount Mazama as well as contributions from weathering rocks, soil blown in by the wind, and decaying plants and animals. The soil depth rarely exceeds 5 inches (130 mm) deep. Flakes of mica or "fool's gold" can be found in area lakes and streams.Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir trees are the most common trees observed on Tubbs Hill. Other trees such as the grand fir, western larch, and western white pine are present in lesser numbers. Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir are both conifers but have different growing conditions and the areas in the park where they are found often show notably different understories and habitat types. Ponderosa pine predominates on the south and western facing slopes of the hill where there is more sun and wind whereas Douglas fir is more common on the north and east facing slopes where it is more wet; the wetter habitats are dense with foliage while the drier areas are more open, grassy, and lacking in shrubs. Shrubs that can be found on the trail include kinnikinnick, ocean spray, thimbleberry, paxistima myrsinites, ninebark, Oregon grape, serviceberry, snowberry, and a variety of fern species. Different species of lichen and mosses can also be observed in the park.Tubbs Hill is a managed forest that is too small to maintain a healthy, natural ecosystem and the park must be regularly maintained. The park is maintained by the Tubbs Hill Foundation and the Friends of Tubbs Hill. Due to the challenges of the geography, most notably the scarcity of nutrient rich topsoil on the solid rock formation, the ecosystem is fragile and plants face many difficulties to survive. The topsoil can be easily displaced and washed downhill into the lake by rainfall events and is therefore highly susceptible to erosion. Plant root systems help keep the topsoil in place, which is why it is advised that parkgoers try to stay on the marked trails, avoid disturbing or stepping on the plant life, and to "take only photographs, leave only footprints." Other essential tasks include the removal of excesses of dead trees to prevent Douglas Fir bark beetle infestations and root rot, and keeping a healthy balance of tree diversity with tree plantings, things that would be done naturally by wildfires.
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