Saturday, Oct. 10 is the busiest day of the month in St. Maries, and the busy part is split. At 9 a.m. the Elks Lodge Annual Autumn Market opens at 628 Main Avenue and runs until 3 p.m. The same day, Idaho's general any-weapon white-tailed deer season opens in Units 6, 7, 8 and 8A, the units around town. For the rest of October, the downtown calendar and the calendar out in the hills keep separate schedules. On the 10th they overlap, and how you plan that Saturday shapes the rest of the month.
Two Calendars, One Month
Most local event roundups list Main Avenue or list the backcountry. Here is the month with both side by side, using dates from the Gazette Record, the City Council, and Idaho Fish and Game's 2026 Hunt Planner.
| Date | On Main Avenue | Out of town |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 3 to Sun., Oct. 4 | Stan Seehorn Memorial 24-Hour Race at Christmas Hills | |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Elks Autumn Market, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | General white-tailed deer opener, Units 6, 7, 8, 8A. Panhandle elk B tag opens in Units 6 and 7 |
| Sun., Oct. 25 to Thu., Oct. 29 | Panhandle elk A tag, any weapon, antlered | |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Elks Trunk-or-Treat, Main Avenue closed 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. | |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Grant deadline for the proposed public range near the Emida–Santa junction |
The Elks Lodge appears at both ends of the Main Avenue column. Between those two Saturdays, almost everything on the calendar happens outside town.
The Market Opens at 628 Main
The Autumn Market is hosted by St. Maries Elks Lodge, B.P.O.E. No. 1418. The Gazette Record's preview says the market will feature a variety of members and is open to the public. It doesn't give a vendor count for 2026, so the best guide to what's coming is what past years offered.
A previous Gazette preview put the market on Saturday, Oct. 4, and described 30-plus vendor tables. Those tables had baked goods, jewelry, cups, gifts, home décor, Filipino treats, jams and jellies, and the St. Joe Valley Piecemakers. An earlier year promised more than 20 vendors. Its mix included farmers-market sellers, canned goods, soaps and scrubs, antler crafts, suncatchers and dream catchers, plus a T-shirt bar and chair massages.
The market is one of several Elks traditions on the town calendar. The St. Maries Chamber has listed the Lodge's pork-chop dinner and auction, which raises money for its scholarship program, along with an annual crab feed. On a normal Saturday the Lodge's lounge opens at 4 p.m., according to the Lodge's Elks page, which also suggests calling ahead to ask about kitchen hours.
The Same Morning in the Hills
On the 10th, the deer opener and the elk B-tag opener fall on the same day the market opens. Idaho Fish and Game's 2026 white-tailed deer listings have the general any-weapon season opening Oct. 10. Unit 7 closes Nov. 9, and Units 6, 8 and 8A stay open until Dec. 1. The Panhandle elk B tag's any-weapon season also opens Oct. 10 in Units 6 and 7. Unit 8A sits in the Palouse elk zone, where the B-tag any-weapon season runs Oct. 10 through Oct. 24.
The second elk date is the one people tend to forget. The Panhandle A tag's any-weapon antlered season runs Oct. 25 to Oct. 29 in Units 1 through 7 and 9. That's a five-day stretch in the last week of the month.
Forest access changes this time of year too. The Idaho Panhandle National Forests have explained that seasonal road and trail closures on the St. Joe Ranger District exist for elk security. Motorized access depends on the current Motor Vehicle Use Map, not on whatever was open in August. If you're driving forest spurs off the St. Joe River Road for fall color this month, the same maps apply to you. The Chamber notes the St. Maries-to-Avery stretch of the byway is open year-round. The upper 42 miles are usually open May through November.
For supplies, Blue Goose Sporting Goods at 621 Main Avenue carries hunting, fishing, camping and archery gear, and you can reach the store at 208-245-4015. Hughes Ace Hardware at 904 Center Avenue is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, so it's open the whole time the market is.
Planning the 10th Around Both
Since the market and the openers share a day, the timing works out for you. The market runs through mid-afternoon, and several downtown spots keep daytime hours that fit around it. These hours come from an August 2026 check of local restaurants, so confirm before you go.
- Early coffee. Shift & Grind on South 1st Street and Whistle Stop on Railroad Avenue both open early. Shift & Grind is mostly a drive-through, and Whistle Stop also serves food.
- Breakfast on Main. Timber Lodge Cafe at 929 Main Avenue serves breakfast and lunch and closes mid-afternoon. Main Street Bistro & Espresso at 806 Main Avenue is an all-day café with an espresso bar, and it was open seven days a week as of the August check.
- The market, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's at the Elks Lodge, 628 Main Avenue, a short walk down Main from the Bistro at 806.
- Supply stops. Blue Goose is at 621 Main, and Hughes Ace is on Center Avenue until 5 p.m.
- Evening. The Grapple at 940 Center Avenue serves beer, cider and food and is closed only Sundays and Mondays. Priddy's Pub at 807 Main opens in the afternoon. Two Saints Brewing Company on Highway 3 South is open noon to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, though hours can change with the season.
Em's Place on West College Avenue isn't on this list because the same guide describes it as a weekday café.
Christmas Hills Shifts Toward Winter
October at Christmas Hills Recreation Area started a week early. The St. Joe Cycle Club closed open riding from Monday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 4 for the third annual Stan Seehorn Memorial 24-Hour Race. The race ran from 10 a.m. Oct. 3 to 10 a.m. Oct. 4. The club is a volunteer nonprofit founded in 1965, and it says the riding area is privately owned and leased to the club. The club hasn't posted a fall trail update since the race, so check its page before you load the bikes.
In winter the same ground becomes a snowmobile area. The Chamber describes more than 600 acres with a warming hut, restrooms and unloading docks. No 2026 grooming schedule has been announced yet.
Some Decisions Are Already About Winter
Before the leaves had turned, the city was already planning around snow on the hills. At its September meeting, the St. Maries City Council heard from Police Chief Tim Meagher and Public Works Director Shiloh Pfeiffer and then reversed its earlier decision to put stop signs at 14th Street and West College Avenue, 14th and Jefferson, and 13th and Jefferson. The main concern was whether vehicles could stop going downhill in winter, or get moving again going uphill. Pfeiffer is now pricing pedestrian crossing signs with grant money the city already has. The council will decide where they go at a later meeting.
Highway 3 is still under construction, and that affects any drive south. The Idaho Transportation Department is rebuilding seven miles of SH-3 between Fernwood and Clarkia. Traffic runs in a single lane behind pilot cars around the clock, from just south of Fossil Bowl to Clarkia, with delays of up to 20 minutes each way. The project is expected to wrap up by the end of 2026. ITD plans to replace the 1930s-era St. Maries River Bridge in 2027, keeping one lane open throughout. Check Idaho 511 before leaving for an early start on opening morning.
Two county items to watch this fall are both unresolved. At its Sept. 28 meeting, Benewah County Waterways raised removing about 22 hazardous docks between Aqua Park and IFI Landing, and commissioners put it off to a future agenda. At the same meeting they tabled the lease for the proposed public range near the Emida–Santa junction. Plans call for rifle lanes out to 500 yards, pistol lanes and archery facilities, and organizers face a Nov. 2 grant deadline.
Halloween Ends the Month on Main Avenue
The elk A-tag season ends Thursday, Oct. 29. Two days later, the Elks Lodge hosts its annual Trunk-or-Treat. The City Council approved the Lodge's request for street closures and a fee waiver for Saturday, Oct. 31. From 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., Main Avenue will be closed from 6th to 9th, and 7th Street will be closed from College to Center. That stretch includes the Lodge at 628 Main, Main Street Bistro at 806 and Priddy's at 807. If you're parking downtown that afternoon, plan on a side street.
If this month has you thinking about property where Christmas Hills, the St. Joe and the surrounding units are close by, Mia Suchoski at Timber Realty knows Benewah County land, access roads and seasonal closures. Let's Connect.
