POST FALLS, Idaho — The sizzle and smoke of grills filled the air at Q'emiln Park Beach Saturday, a welcome relief from the scorching oven it was a week ago.
"It was a bummer. It was really sad, the whole fire was just devastating to see," said Ronda Davis, who lives in Post Falls. "It was the closest I'd ever been to a wildfire before."
Davis and her family watched the Parkway Fire from a bowling alley across the river as what she counted as ten planes fought the flames August 4. The fire burned 80 acres of Post Falls Community Park which border Q'emiln Park.
The beach and boat launch reopened Saturday.
For Davis, it was a moment of gratitude to have one of their favorite summer spots back, especially with upcoming triple-digit temperatures.
"Gosh at least once a week," she said of how often her family visits. "If I could come more I would."
Tina Ledoux and her family made the trek from Saltese, Montana just over the Idaho border to one of their favorite beaches.
"I will say this is the emptiest I've seen this park. Usually it's packed," she said.
Ledoux's family worried the fire would ruin one of their last before-school trips.
"We planned this like a month ago to come here, then we saw the fire and we were really upset," she said. "We were gonna go someplace not nearly as nice."
While it was a relief for many that beach plans were saved, the fire did leave some lasting impacts in its wake. Much of Community Forest will stay closed as the city evaluates the situation. The hope is to reopen portions of the forest and hiking trails within a month, though any acres touched by the flames will stay closed the rest of the year.
While it may mean Davis's dogs have less room to romp in the snow this winter, she's thankful for the fire crews who helped preserve as much of her beloved spot as possible.
"If we only have to deal with the Community Forest being closed for a few months for what they saved, I think that's an easy sacrifice to make," she said.
Idaho Department of Lands completed cleanup efforts Friday, Aug. 11. Local firefighting services will continue to monitor the burn area for flare-ups, according to the City of Post Falls.