The road to fame

The International Selkirk Loop, a 280-mile scenic drive through North Idaho, northeast Washington and southern British Columbia, has been added to the National Scenic Byways Program as an “All-America Road.”

Patterned after Washington’s Cascade Loop, the International Selkirk Loop was established in 1999 to develop tourism and recreational opportunities in smaller towns along the route.

A nonprofit association that also goes by the name International Selkirk Loop has an $80,000 marketing budget and nearly 400 members. It promotes events and attractions such as the Festival at Sandpoint, the Kaslo B.C. Jazz Festival and Nelson’s Summer Songfest.

More than 100,000 brochures and maps featuring the loop are distributed each year. The route has also been featured in Sunset and American Roads Magazine.

To be included in the National Scenic Byway Program, roads have to have scenic, historic and have cultural qualities of national significance. Judges who evaluated the Selkirk loop’s application said they were impressed by the two-country effort. The nonprofit’s board is equally split between U.S. and Canadian members.

The Selkirk loop will be added to future America’s Byway maps published by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It will also be eligible for federal grants, technical assistance and support.

“Being added to America’s Byways Collection is a wonderful validation of what we in Idaho already know,” said Carol Graham, the loop’s director of operations in Bonners Ferry. “We expect that our new designation will benefit our member businesses and communities over the coming years.”