Nordman, Idaho — Near the End of the Road at Priest Lake

Nordman sits near the northwest side of Priest Lake, far enough into the Idaho Panhandle that getting there feels like part of the destination.

Timber and forest access brought work into the surrounding mountains. Priest Lake supplied another reason to stay: fishing, hunting, boating and summer recreation in country far removed from Idaho's larger cities.

Roads improved, but Nordman never became urban. Cabins, homes, lodges and small businesses remain scattered through forest near the lake and public lands.

Its relative isolation eventually became an asset rather than an inconvenience.

People come to Nordman for access to the enormous stretch of lake, national forest and mountain country beyond it. The road may keep going, but by then civilization has become considerably less insistent.