Route of the Hiawatha Rail Trail

The folks at Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area don’t seem to mind when you saunter through their shop with drippy, wet mud on your entire backside. They know you’ve just experienced what the locals affectionately call the “Taft Tunnel Swipe.”
I had just ridden the Route of the Hiawatha in Northern Idaho and I was looking for that perfect celebratory memento to proclaim my feat to the world. There it was, hanging on a rack – a souvenir t-shirt that read Hiawatha Trail on the front and on the back of the shirt -- the self-congratulatory pat on the back I was looking for:

“We came, We saw, We rode it all”
1.8 Taft Tunnel

Montana to Idaho
7 trestles

Bitterroot Mountains

15 miles of trail

10 tunnels

Touted as one of the most scenic Rails-to-Trails in the United States, the Route of the Hiawatha lives up to its legendary accolades.

Montana to Idaho

Visitors begin their ride in Montana, albeit for a very short distance, at the East Portal Trailhead at an elevation of 4,147 feet. Before you can warm up your riding legs, riders immediately enter the 1.8-mile St. Paul Pass (Taft) Tunnel, which crosses between Montana and Idaho where, midway through the tunnel, an interpretative sign on the wall indicates the Montana/Idaho border – that is if you can see it.

The Big, Long, Dark Tunnel
This tunnel gets cold, dark and wet fast. Within minutes, I really had to rely on the front-mounted bike light of my rental bike. The only thing keeping me from bouncing off the walls were the reflectors added on the sides of the roadway. Along with the obvious sight deprivation, a rider’s sense of sound is heightened as you hear water running down small channels at the sides of the road next to the walls. And you can’t help but get wet. The slippery, cold, muddy water kicked up from your back tire deposits itself on your backside while the biggest, coldest drops from the roof of the tunnel slither down you neck. As you keep riding, you’ll notice the temperature keeps dropping and your fingers start to become numb. It’s best to wear a jacket.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel
Just when you thought you couldn’t enjoy more of this “one of many highlights of the trail,” riders burst out of the tunnel into the bright light of the clear Idaho sky. Just to the right of the tunnel, riders will be rewarded with a beautiful waterfall and surrounding wildflowers.





Learning The Stories
All along the trail, there are numerous detailed signs providing information about the rich mining and railroading history, culture, and geology of the area. According to Route of the Hiawatha website, riders will learn more about “the scenic passage way through the spectacular Bitterroot Mountains, famous between 1911 and 1961 as the “Route of the Hiawatha” on the Milwaukee Road between Illinois and Washington.”



Railroad Trestles
After exiting tunnel 21, stop at the scenic viewpoint on the west side of the road. In the distance, riders will see the first of seven steel trestles you will cross. The longest and highest trestle riders cross, will be at mile six or trestle 220 when they cross over Kelly Creek. It stands 230 feet high and is 850 in length.
Riders will find themselves stopping quite often to take in the breathtaking views along the trail. Even with the gentle downhill grade of 1,000 feet, plan on taking two to three hours for the ride and an additional half hour for the bus ride back up the hill if you plan to take the shuttle.





When You Go

The trail is located just off Highway I-90 about 56 miles from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Take the Taft exit, in Montana, and then turn right off the ramp. Turn right again over a small white bridge onto Rainey Creek Road and continue to the East Portal Trailhead. There will be signs directing you to the start of the trailhead.
Bike rentals, along with helmets and bike lights are available at Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area. A day use trail fee of $9.00 can also be purchased here or from one of the trail marshals. You can bike or hike the trail any time between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. PST from May 23 to October 4, 2009. For a $9 fee, you and your bike can catch the shuttle bus back to the west portal of the Taft Tunnel where you can then ride back through the tunnel again.
For more detailed information, contact Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area at (208) 744-1301, http://www.skilookout.com/ or the US Forest Service, Avery office, (208) 245-4517, www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/rec/activities/biking/hiawatha.