Avery is located in the middle of the St. Joe District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. There are eight Forest Service campgrounds situated on the main river corridor. Countless disperse sites are also available for all types of camping experiences, from primitive and tent camping to large motor homes, and everything in-between.

General elk, deer, bear and cougar hunting are available on the St. Joe. Moose hunting is by permit. Resident and non-resident licenses and tags are available at Scheffy's General Store. Scheffy's is also a big game check point and has a meat cooler for wild game.

There is endless ATV riding on Forest Service roads - many with little or no other motor vehicle traffic. Scheffy's is a vendor for the Idaho Parks and Recreation where you can purchase your resident and non-resident off-highway vehicle stickers.

There are over 250 miles of groomed trails in the St. Joe area. You can ride straight from your motel room. Four trailheads leave from Avery. Two warming huts are available on the trail.

Scheffy's is a vendor for the Idaho Parks and Recreation for resident and non-resident registrations. We also sell county groomer stickers. Forest service maps of the groomed trail system are available. We are members of the Idaho State Snowmobile Association. Call for snow conditions or trail maps.

Numerous trails blanket the region and offer traditional foot hikers or horse riders varying levels of difficulty. Trails located in the St. Joe area follow deep valley bottoms or high, scenic ridge tops. Remnants of historic logging activites are scattered throughout the area.

The Pearson Trailhead of The Route of the Hiawatha Bike Trail is only 9 miles from Avery. Nearly fifteen miles of the route opened for mountain bikers in May 1998. The stretch between East Portal and Pearson Trailhead includes the 1.6 mile long Taft tunnel as well as nine other tunnels and seven high steel trestles. Trail tickets, helmets and lights are for sale at Scheffy's.

Another local bike route includes the Trail of the Coeur d'Alene's. This is a paved bike trail that begins in Plummer and travels east 72 miles through the Chain Lakes to Enaville, where the trail continues on to Mullan near the Idaho/Montana border.

Native westslope cutthroat and bull trout are a unique resource, and one of Idaho's living gems. The St. Joe River is catch-and-release for cutthroat. However, other species of fish may be harvested under the appropriate limits. Above Avery, fisherman may only use barbless hooks and no bait. Below Avery, barbed hooks and bait may be used. Traditional fishing, floating and fly fishing are abundant throughout the season. Easy acces to the river allows enjoyable fishing tales for any fisherman, regardless of age.

The St. Joe River contains over 120 miles of free-flowing river which offers challenging adventure to canoers, kayakers and rafters. All types of water can be encountered, from raging white water suitable only for teams of expert kayakers, to placid meanerings for the beginning canoeist or family tubing