Where is Ponderay, Idaho?

Ponderay is in Bonner County, Idaho. Nearby towns include Kootenai (1.1 mi), Sandpoint (2.1 mi), Dover (4.7 mi).

What is the population of Ponderay, Idaho?

Ponderay has a population of about 2,011 (U.S. Census).

Are there jobs in Ponderay, Idaho?

There are 9 open jobs listed in Ponderay on Treasure Idaho, from 5 local employers.

What parks are in Ponderay, Idaho?

Ponderay has 2 parks, including McNearney Park, Pet Memorial Rose Garden.

Northern Idaho

Ponderay, Idaho

Bonner County2,011 people

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2,011Population

About Ponderay

Ponderay is a city in Bonner County. About 2,011 people lived here in 2024, by Census estimate. It sits at about 2,100 feet, 43 miles north of Coeur d'Alene in a straight line.

Places listed for this area include Schweitzer Mountain Resort and Picnic Point.

Moving to Ponderay

Start with homes, jobs and local services in and around Ponderay.

Cost of living

Ponderay is outside the Idaho metros with a 2024 federal price figure, so this uses the Idaho statewide level. A basket that costs $100 in the U.S. costs $95.49 here, under the U.S. average by 4.5%.

Open the calculator

Services for Ponderay

All services

DMV counters are the county offices. A gas utility appears only when its public list names Ponderay.

Ponderay · Vehicles
300 Bonner Mall Way Ponderay, ID 83852 Suite 24
· Mon. - Fri. 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Priest River · Driver's licenses
73 Eastside Road Priest River, ID 83865
· Mon. - Fri. 9:15 AM - 4:30 PM
Sandpoint · Driver's licenses
4001 N Boyer Ave Sandpoint, ID 83864
· Mon. - Fri. 9:15 AM - 4:30 PM
Priest River · Vehicles
75 Eastside Road Priest River, ID 83856
· Mon. - Fri. 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Avista · natural gas, on the company's town list. A main is not guaranteed at every address.

Allergy ratings in Ponderay

What a typical year looks like: Low, Moderate or High for each pollen season, plus wildfire smoke. Typical, general guidance. It is not medical advice. Pollen and smoke change with the weather every year, and what bothers you depends on what you are allergic to. See an allergist for testing.

Spring trees
March to June
High
Rating: High, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High, Very High. Peaks in June
Early-summer grass
Late May to July
High
Rating: High, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High, Very High. June to mid-July
Fall weeds and sagebrush
August to October
Moderate
Rating: Moderate, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High, Very High. Peaks in August
Wildfire smoke
Mostly July to September
Moderate
Rating: Moderate, on a scale of Low, Moderate, High. 6 days a year with air quality over 100. Worst year 10 (2021).

Regional rating. Ponderay has no pollen counter. These pollen ratings come from the Coeur d'Alene station in the North Idaho, 45 miles away.

How these ratings are worked out

Pollen is rated on the National Allergy Bureau bands for the grains of pollen in a cubic meter of air. Trees: Low under 15, Moderate 15 to 89, High 90 to 1,499. Weeds: Low under 10, Moderate 10 to 49, High 50 to 499. Grass: Low under 5, Moderate 5 to 19, High 20 to 199. The band is the one reached on the busiest quarter of counted days. A rating is typical, not a forecast: one wet or windy year can move it.

Spring trees, High. Coeur d'Alene NAB station, 294 counted days in 2010 to 2023: on the busiest quarter of days the tree count was 106 grains per cubic meter or more, which the NAB bands call High. On the busiest tenth of days it was 183 or more.

Early-summer grass, High. The NAB station in Coeur d'Alene reported grass in the High range in June 2017 (WSU), and the Spokane NAB station read 120 grains per cubic meter in late May 2026 (Spokesman-Review). NAB calls 20 to 199 High. Two reports, not a long record. The NAB grass bands: Low under 5, Moderate 5 to 19, High 20 to 199, Very High 200 or more grains per cubic meter.

Fall weeds and sagebrush, Moderate. Coeur d'Alene NAB station, 74 counted days in 2010 to 2022: on the busiest quarter of days the weed count was 16 grains per cubic meter or more, which the NAB bands call Moderate. On the busiest tenth of days it was 28 or more. That is a short record, so treat it as a rough guide.

Wildfire smoke, Moderate. The average number of days a year the EPA's air quality index passed 100 ("unhealthy for sensitive groups" or worse), 2021-2025. Under 3 days is Low, 3 to 9 Moderate, 10 or more High. That grouping is ours, not the EPA's. Bonner County has its own EPA air monitor. The count includes any cause, but across Idaho's monitors 86% of those days fell in July to September and 94% were fine particles (PM2.5), which is what wildfire smoke is made of (570 county-days, 2021-2025).

Not rated. Mold: no published mold spore counts for Idaho towns are in the data used, so there is no mold rating. House dust, pets and food allergies are outside this rating.

Sources

Today

Pollen data through 2003-2024, smoke data 2021-2025. Checked 2026-10-03.

Map of Ponderay

Parks, new home communities, homes for sale and stays listed in town. Select a pin to open it.

Ponderay
Park
Stays

Parks in Ponderay

2 named parks on OpenStreetMap.

McNearney Park
Pet Memorial Rose Garden

Parks, trails and things to do

All of Idaho

Places in and around Ponderay, nearest first: everything tied to Ponderay plus anything within 15 miles of town.

Things to do

Waterfalls

Grouse Creek Fallswaterfall · near Kootenai
14 mi
Hunt Fallswaterfall
22 mi

Lakes

Lake Pend Oreillelake · near Sandpoint
3.7 mi
Pend Oreille Lake Arealake · near Sandpoint
6.9 mi
Gamlin Lakelake · near Hope
8.9 mi
Lake Pend Oreillelake · near East Hope
13 mi

Historic sites

Amanda Nesbitt Househistoric site · near Sandpoint
2.0 mi
Sandpoint Federal Buildinghistoric site · near Sandpoint
2.0 mi

Parks (nearest 12 of 27)

Round Lake State Parkstate park · near Dover
11 mi
Pet Memorial Rose Garden
0.2 mi
McNearney Park
0.4 mi
Hickory Parknear Sandpoint
1.9 mi
Healing Gardensnear Sandpoint
1.9 mi
Farmin Parknear Sandpoint
2.2 mi
Condo Del Sol Parknear Sandpoint
2.5 mi
Pine Street Parknear Sandpoint
2.5 mi
Great Northern Parknear Sandpoint
2.6 mi
Centennial Parknear Sandpoint
2.7 mi
Triangle Parknear Sandpoint
2.7 mi
Travers Parknear Sandpoint
2.9 mi

Trails (nearest 12 of 84)

US 95 Shared Use Pathway0.8 mi long
0.4 mi
Pend d' Oreille Bay Trail1.7 mi long
1.0 mi
Creekside Trail0.5 mi long · near Sandpoint
1.4 mi
Mickinnick Trail3 mi long
2.1 mi
Sandpoint-Dover Community Trail3.6 mi long · near Sandpoint
3.2 mi
Greta's Segway1 mi long · intermediate bike trail · near Dover
3.7 mi
Gold Hill2.9 mi long · easy bike trail · near Sandpoint
3.9 mi
View-Ski Loop1.2 mi long · intermediate bike trail
4.2 mi
Bier Bridge1.2 mi long · intermediate bike trail · near Dover
4.3 mi
Butterfly1.3 mi long · easy bike trail · near Dover
4.3 mi
Chaos Theory0.4 mi long · difficult bike trail · near Dover
4.3 mi
Downward Dog0.4 mi long · intermediate bike trail · near Dover
4.3 mi

Distances are straight-line miles. From state and federal agency pages, the USGS place names list and OpenStreetMap contributors. Checked October 2, 2026. Check the official page for hours, fees and closures before you go.