Cataldo · I-90 exit 39 · Idaho state park and historic church
Old Mission State Park
Step inside the Mission of the Sacred Heart, Idaho’s oldest standing building, raised by Jesuit missionaries and members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe in the early 1850s, about 26 miles east of Coeur d’Alene.
Opens Idaho Parks and Recreation’s Old Mission page. Entry is $7 per vehicle, paid at the park; the museum exhibit costs extra.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Historic site & state park
Mission church, museum exhibit and grounds
Admission
$7 per vehicle
Exhibit extra: $5 a person or $10 a family
Hours
Summer 9–5 · Winter 10–3
Winter hours Nov–Mar; closed major winter holidays.
Time needed
About 1 hour
More if you tour the Sacred Encounters exhibit
Parking
Day-use lots
No RV-specific parking posted
Built
1850–1853
Idaho’s oldest standing building
What you’ll see
Idaho’s oldest building, and the story around it
The state park centers on the mission church, with a restored parish house, a museum exhibit, historic cemeteries and short interpretive trails around the grounds.
Photo: Steven Pavlov on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start here
The Mission of the Sacred Heart
Father Antonio Ravalli designed the church, and Jesuit missionaries and members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe built it between 1850 and 1853. Its walls are wattle and daub, willow saplings packed with grass and mud, and the timbers are joined with wooden pegs instead of nails. Ravalli also carved the altar. Ranger-led church tours are offered; ask at the visitor center.
RV tip: an Idaho State Parks Passport or the $80 out-of-state annual sticker covers the $7 vehicle fee, but the Sacred Encounters exhibit is a separate charge.
More to see
- Sacred Encounters exhibitThe visitor center’s 5,000-square-foot exhibit on Father De Smet and the tribes of the Rocky Mountain West includes artifacts on loan from the Smithsonian. It costs $5 a person or $10 a family.
- The 1887 Parish HouseThe restored parish house stands just east of the church.
- Historic cemeteriesTwo cemeteries sit on the grounds, and the main one holds more than 300 burials.
- Interpretive trailsPaths with interpretive panels and audio stations loop the grounds and overlook the old mission slough.
Why go
Where faith, the Tribe and the frontier met
Jesuit priests came to the region at the invitation of the Coeur d’Alene and Salish people, and the mission they built later served as a rest and supply stop on the Mullan Road. The church is a National Historic Landmark, and Idaho opened the state park in 1975 under a long-term lease with the Catholic Diocese of Boise.
For RVers it’s an easy stop right off I-90 at exit 39, about 26 miles east of Coeur d’Alene, so it works as a half-day trip from town or a break on a drive east along the interstate. It’s a day-use park, with restrooms and drinking water at the visitor center.
Each August 15, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe has gathered here for the Feast of the Assumption, a tradition of more than a century with Mass, dancing and a shared meal, and visitors have been welcome. Check with the park for the current year’s plans before you go.
Photo: Jeff Hewitt on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why it made our list
- Idaho’s oldest standing building, built 1850–1853
- Right off I-90 at exit 39
- Only $7 per vehicle
- Smithsonian artifacts in the Sacred Encounters exhibit
- Leashed pets welcome on the grounds
For RVers
Visiting Old Mission on an RV trip
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Plan your parking
Idaho Parks and Recreation doesn’t publish RV or oversize parking details for Old Mission. Groups and buses meet at the upper parking area, according to the park’s field-trip guide. If you’re driving a big rig, call (208) 682-3814 first, or come in the tow vehicle.
Know the fees
Entry is $7 per vehicle, Idaho’s Motor Vehicle Entrance Fee. An Idaho State Parks Passport ($10 a year for Idaho residents) or the $80 out-of-state annual sticker covers it. The Sacred Encounters exhibit costs $5 a person or $10 a family on top of that.
Pets on the grounds
Pets are welcome on a leash no longer than 6 feet, per Idaho Parks and Recreation. The park doesn’t say whether pets may go inside the church or the museum, so ask at the visitor center, and don’t leave pets in a hot vehicle.
Day use only
There’s no camping at Old Mission. Summer hours run 9 to 5 from April through October and winter hours 10 to 3 from November through March, and the park closes on major winter holidays. Drones aren’t allowed.
What visitors say about Old Mission State Park
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 28, 2026.
Oldest building in Idaho
Idaho Parks and Recreation, describing the mission · parksandrecreation.idaho.gov
What’s on the grounds
From Idaho Parks and Recreation
Mission churchParish HouseMuseum exhibitCemeteries
The review sites don’t show topic counts for Old Mission, so here is what the park itself lists: the 1850s church, the restored 1887 parish house, the Sacred Encounters exhibit, the historic cemeteries and interpretive trails.
What a visit costs
Fees from Idaho Parks and Recreation’s Old Mission page, checked October 28, 2026. Old Mission isn’t one of the parks with a higher out-of-state entry fee.
Good to know
Vehicle entry$7 per vehicle, per day
Sacred Encounters exhibit$5 per person, or $10 per family
Out-of-state annual sticker$80 covers entry, not the exhibit
Vehicle fee covered byIdaho State Parks PassportOut-of-state annual sticker
Fees from Idaho Parks and Recreation, checked October 28, 2026. The Idaho State Parks Passport ($10 a year) is for Idaho residents and is bought with vehicle registration.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Old Mission State Park
- Address31732 S. Mission Rd., Cataldo, ID 83810
- HoursSummer 9–5 · Winter 10–3
Winter hours Nov–Mar; closed major winter holidays. - Phone(208) 682-3814
- Fees$7 per vehicle; Sacred Encounters exhibit $5 a person or $10 a family
- Getting thereFrom Coeur d’Alene, take I-90 east about 26 miles to exit 39 and follow the signs to the park.
- ParkingDay-use lots at the park. Groups and buses meet at the upper parking area.
Idaho Parks and Recreation posts hours and alerts on the park page. Winter hours (10 to 3) run November through March, and the park closes on major winter holidays.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Old Mission State Park
These are the parks we have written up on the east side of Lake Coeur d’Alene, the closest of our guides to Cataldo. Drive times are estimates for a normal day.
CampCDA
Lakeside family campground on Wolf Lodge Bay, with RV sites under the pines, a heated pool and lake access. Open year-round.
Wolf Lodge Campground
Grassy, family-friendly campground on Wolf Lodge Creek right off I-90, with shaded RV sites and a fenced dog park. Open mid-April through October.
Beauty Creek Campground
Small, quiet Forest Service campground above Beauty Bay, with paved back-in sites and no hookups. Open late May to mid-September.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Summer 9–5 · Winter 10–3
Ready to see Idaho’s oldest building?
Take I-90 exit 39, pay the $7 vehicle fee, and give yourself an hour or more for the church, the grounds and the exhibit.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Steven Pavlov (church; CC BY-SA 4.0), Jeff Hewitt (Why go; CC BY-SA 4.0), Geoff Cole (interior; CC BY-SA 4.0), the National Park Service (parish house and cemetery, 1975; public domain) and Paul J. F. Schumacher for the Historic American Buildings Survey (1957; public domain); the images were resized. Video: Idaho Experience on YouTube (A Sacred Place). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Idaho Parks and Recreation or Old Mission State Park unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including Idaho Parks and Recreation’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, fees, rules and other details are set by the park and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with the park at parksandrecreation.idaho.gov or (208) 682-3814. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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