Where is hiawatha trail

Joe River. Taking the shuttle first then being able to bike down right to the truck was perfect. I wasn't quite so fond of the long tunnel at the top. It was a little too dark and wet and cold for me. Bring a sweatshirt even if it's August if you get cold easily. I loved the shorter tunnels and all the trestles. Spectacular ride, but because of the time to drive to it, I'll most likely only be doing this every few years or so. I had grand ambitions to start at the bottom of the trail and then coast back down rather than take the shuttle.

So I cheated and just did the downhill run. The first thing you do when you start at the top is the Taft Tunnel. All plus feet of it. I had two lights: one on my bike and I held a flashlight. I did not enjoy it at all. At the end of the ride when I cycled back through with a group and met numerous cyclists coming the other way it wasn't freaky at all. So I suggest going through in a group. The rest of the tunnels are much shorter and less scary.

The trestles are fabulous. There are enough potties and a lot of trail marshals. The day I rode the trail marshals had brought huge jugs of water and placed them at a midpoint rest stop. That was appreciated!

The last couple miles are kind of blah but you can look back and see where you came from. There's also lots of historical posts along the trail to stop and read. I took the shuttle back up which takes about 20 minutes. Overall a pleasant jaunt. Starting at the East Portal of the Taft tunnel it hits you how real the experience you are about to undertake really is. Human beings are stopping you to clarify some things.

With dazed eyes I look upon my group, they are no different. We are all so excited and it feels like airline stewards explaining what to do in case of a wreck. I know this is real and the information important, but can see my group just can't focus. The last 14 days of thought and 6 hours travel have taken the toll, we are ready to ride and are being held back with information. Flotation device in tact we are set free.

Really listen As humans we need this kind of wake up call. Away we go free at last, through the tunnel, and start on the journey. I travel with the younger group leading and we successfully make it through the tunnel, waiting now for the others. We are only beginning, but there is so much more to see. Once our group is full we continue, a deer crosses the path we stop and watch it.

Tunnels, trestles, forests, cliffs and creeks. It is stunningly beautiful the enjoyment continues as we pull ourselves down the hill. In our group no one has a problem, which is a rare occurrence in a group of 10 someone usually has a chip on their shoulder. We read the signs of the past and roll on down the road. You can ruin the whole trip with a bad start listen to those explaining how to proceed from the beginning. Slow down have a light on your bike, and enjoy the tunnel.

Other tunnels will come and you will need this light again. Enjoy the scenery. Stop, eat some Insert snack here and look around you this is about as beautiful as life will ever get. Arrive at the bottom and load up onto a school bus, enjoy the ride to the top.

Now once more go through the tunnel by bike. I hope you get the chance to experience the same pleasure. You don't have to be a hard core mountain biker to succeed at this ride, simply to follow the warnings, take it easy and enjoy the experience; it is not one you will soon forget! This will be a long post. If you want a concise and accurate synopsis If you want to read about an experience, please continue to utilize your eyes and imagination.

I hope I can deliver some prospect on what it took for our group to ride this delightful trail. I'll do my best to speed up the boring parts. Our family leaves Klamath Falls by car at am. Eat lunch in Bend at At 2 we push forward on a route that takes us to Condon and the smallest branch of Powells book store. They have ice cream and life is cool again. Several hours and 10, wind turbines later we are at ecousins house in Tri-cities. Dinner and farm fresh corn First light.

As we agreed in a stupor the night before, I am chugging water and packing my wife's car in it's new "surveillance" role. Ecousin and my wife have plenty of space up front. At least I had a window seat. As the "probe", we left first to make sure that we found a camping spot in that popular Montana forest.

Other members of our party including my daughter were rolling out later to join us for dinner and a soak at Quinn Hot Springs Resort. When we found our spot, an idyllic pasture just 5 miles from the hot springs, we thought we had options. We investigated several other spots and got back just in time to claim our tent site.

Within the time it took to park the car and find the tents another few travelers were attempting to enter our claimed domain. Luck was on our side. We established our small subdivision and played frisbee.

Nice site. Large river, railroad and mountains to the north, more mountains and forest to the south. Rafters quietly drifting by. Coal trains embracing and creating China. My family has now driven 15 hours to find what it is that separates Montana from Idaho.

What separates Oregon from Washington? Eventually, and not without confusion due to our complete reliance on what could vaguely be described as a phone some people call them "smart" phones , the remaining 7 people in our party arrived unscathed, and hungry for the summer camp feast. With bellies full we went to Quinn for a 1hr soak. Nice facility, but had to get back to roast marsh mallows.

Those things are loud. I awake with first light but my body has other ideas about how to navigate it's head so I roll from my bedding at 6. Tea, and soon Pancakes as the troopers arise and arrive. Dan is up already sketching in spite of the small rain cloud storm thingy drippy whatever Montana kind of thick air drizzle. I find a raincoat and promptly overheat.

Fast forward. Everyone knows what breakfast is An hour back east with the car loaded full again. East Portal entrance. We all made it through, but sadly someone didn't and she was walking east. I hope she is OK. Those troughs on the side are brutal. Pay Attention! They try to explain this at the entry, but I am sure one could never address all the variables of riding a bicycle through a man made cave that is two miles long.

I have to say that the staff at this facility are top notch pros. They know where to look. Good Folks! Fast through the 13 mile decent down to the shuttles. I think 3hrs 45min is pretty good for our 3 generations of cyclists. Our median age was 42, the same age I am. The mean was 34, the age I would prefer to be again if possible.

I think some deep anthropological extraction could occur by deconstructing our ride, but I only get so much space to bore my audience. For a good description of the actual ride experience refer to any number of fine posts on this page. I am not qualified to judge any trail. I take them all for how I find them. My ride was perfect! Seventeen stars and a rainbow riding a unicorn eating s'more's. At the shuttle we collected ourselves and on that lovely Thursday it was "Load and Go" on the bus.

We arrived back at the top and slid back through the portal. Wallace fed us well and we all drove without incident to our final destination for the day. How lucky are we? Completely worth it! I'd like to thank all the people, dead or alive, who made this trail possible. As we all get older I am finding that these rail trails are a meaningful way to bring folks from multiple generations together, and it is important to ride as much as possible, because The dead don't get to ride with us. We just got back from riding this trail the second week of June.

I could ride this trail over and over and over!! We left a little late from Coeur d'Alene and were in danger of missing the final shuttle, so I'd recommend getting there earlier than in the afternoon! We couldn't enjoy the last 5 miles because we were sprinting to the bottom in order to reach the last shuttle bus. Making sure you catch the last shuttle is rather stressful with young families.

If you miss it it's your responsibility to get back up the 15 miles to your car! Not cool. Parking at the bottom would've made the day much more enjoyable, not being on someone else's timetable. Particularly having my 6 year old son with me. However, if you park at the bottom you'll have to make sure to go back up through the Taft Tunnel at the top up to East Portal before you start down.

The shuttle only takes you as far up as Roland. You'll want to ride up to East Portal before you start down to experience that tunnel. It's almost 2 miles long and you can't miss it. If you prefer not to ride the tunnel then you can avoid East Portal altogether by just starting down at Roland. I pulled my son in a burley trailer behind me and we were in awe around every corner.

He followed the map and was my tour guide. We also brought headlamps to add additional lighting to the bike headlights we were required to have for the tunnels. Make sure you remember to remove your sunglasses before entering the tunnels. My dad failed to do so in one tunnel and he crashed from not being able to see his bike headlight well enough Be prepared to get very dirty as the tunnels drip mud on you as you ride through, and the dirt trails will cover you in a layer of dust.

Also check with park staff before you bring a burley trailer from home on the maximum width needed because the trails have poles that were barely wide enough for me to get the rented burley trailers through. I definitely ran into a few poles as I tried to get the trailer through the narrow openings! The tunnels are so amazing and the bridges are such beautiful engineering marvels.

The views the entire way were just breathtaking. Bring your camera! Can't wait until next time!! I'd recommend parking at the bottom, riding the shuttle bus up, and riding your bike back down to your car. Making sure you get the shuttle is rather stressful with young families.

It was such a gorgeous ride. I have done this trail many times and I will do it again and again. Brought my own lunch and started from the bottom. Road to the top and ate my lunch and turned around and road back to the bottom. It has 11 Tunnels and 9 High Trestles. Bring you backpack and your camera and enjoy the ride. If you are out of town, stay in Wallace, ID.

We are from California and it is worth the travel. Rode the trail from top to bottom in June Enjoyed it so much I went back in August.

Rode from bottom to top and went a couple of miles into the Route of the Olympian before turning around to go back to the bottom. Stayed in Wallace, ID. I guess twice is not enough either.

See ya on the trail. The trail is breathtaking. I went on the trail after Labor Day in I just returned. The Park Rangers were very nice and accommodating. I rode the trail up from Pearson to the East Portal. The shuttle service stops for week day trips but does offer the weekend service until the season ends. The uphill climb was nominal. Many stops for sure to take in the scenery. Went through all the tunnels and the St. Paul Pass is a cool 45 degrees with a head wind going into the East Portal in Montana.

The trail is a rough ride though. Large rocks over large size gravel. Bike should be checked frequently. Enjoy this great trail. It was worth the drive from Chicago. My girlfriend and I recently rode this trail and found it excellent. It was a beautiful sunny day, the scenery was mellow and beautiful, the trestles were awe-inspiring and the tunnels were a welcome cool-off.

Actually, the Taft tunnel at 1. We took the trail down, and rode the shuttle back up. I would have preferred to ride back up but my rental wasn't up to it see below. We found ourselves rolling slowly down the grade, stopping at every interpretive display and learning about the area. We were in no rush for the day to be over, and where in most cases a fifteen mile ride would seem pretty short, here you can easily spend all day, just to give yourself the time to savor it.

This is a rougher, rockier trail than most rail trails, although it seems fine for a hybrid. We rented from the ski resort, a couple of mountain bikes. I don't think I've ever ridden a more run-down, gnarly piece of "junk" in my life. Fortunately I only needed it to roll down the hill. Any attempt to ride this up the trail would've met in disaster.

Another rider on the trail busted his chain. But on the whole, a most excellent way to spend a day. We had much anticipated riding this trail with all of the hoopla surrounding it. Unfortunately, it did not meet our expectations. For those of you who have ridden "back east;" it reminded us of the Virginia Creeper Trail on a weekend, i.

From reading the reviews, it looked like our road bikes would not be the best for this trail so we rented mountain bikes from Lookout Pass. I was pleased that they were such great bikes Treks and the people were helpful and friendly. As for the ride? Well, it was everything the reviews said it would be and that first tunnel?? It was indeed long 1. We at first planned to ride back up since the grade was reasonable -- but the day was hot it made the cold tunnels welcome so we climbed aboard the shuttle an old school bus and returned to ride that tunnel one more time.

I road the Route of the Hiawatha "Hiawatha" in mid-August, On a sunny Saturday it was a fairly heavily used trail - especially considering the relative remoteness.

As noted on the TrailLink. There is a large parking area with facilities. As other reviewers have noted, the trail is compact gravel portions of the trail follow a forest service road.

On a mountain bike it's an easy surface to navigate. Note that helmets and lights see below are required. Almost immediately after leaving the main parking lot east end of the trail, off I, exit 5 , the trail passes through the Taft Tunnel that is 8, feet in length 1.

A headlight or headlamp is essential for travel through the tunnel. We'd all brought LED headlamps and these worked well.

The other essential item for traveling through the tunnel is warm clothing. On our ride it was in the mids outside, and probably lows in the tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, the trail has a gentle but noticeable 1.

The trail passes through several other shorter tunnels and crosses a number of trestles. There are stunning views along much of the route. There is also interpretive signage covering the history of the area, and the construction and operation of the railroad. A shuttle bus is available to return you and your bike to the trailhead parking area. Surprisingly, most people took the shuttle. We rode back. A couple of us took the forest service road FS that goes over the mountain through which the Taft Tunnel passes.

FS ascends steeply over 1, feet from the Hiawatha trail to the summit near the Idaho-Montana border, and then descends equally steeply to the trailhead parking area. Only recommended for strong legs and good brakes. We rode this trail in September Somehow I had the idea it was paved.

It is gravel so it was sort of bumpy going down on our hybrids. But, we did fine. Coming back up was easier since we did not have to control our speed on the gravel. This is a beautiful trail. The scenery is awesome. Lots of great interpretive signs to read and sights to take in. Take your time. When they say bring a headlight for the tunnels--they mean it! It is dark and cold in there. What a great adventure.

A different kind of bike trail. A must do ride. Put this on your Must Do list. In short, average well-maintained forest road. Not for high pressure roadie tires. Fat tires do fine. Try Paul tunnel, at Adair at the Big Loop half way down, and at the bottom trail head.

These are done in an attractive 19th Century Depot style. The same style is used for the information kiosks. Did not see any water points. Check out the videos and decide for yourself. These are very well done and quite educational. I was two hours on the trail and two and a half hours stopped, reading signs and taking pix. Allow enough time to browse. A trail where I could get a shuttle uphill for a change.

Money well spent. You can get them at the Lookout Pass ski area or drive up to the trail head, go through the tunnel and get them from a trail ranger they will find you. Those with endless time, energy, and fewer little people, may want to cycle the 15 miles back uphill. You may be shuddering at that thought, as I was. I was surprised at how many people I saw turn around and start riding back. It inspired me to perhaps give it a go on our next ride on the Route of the Hiawatha. Perhaps on an electric bike?

Thankfully, for the weary, there is a shuttle waiting for you at the end which takes you back to the first tunnel. Save your energy as you will have to cycle back through the 1. Be warned, there can be quite the line for the shuttle. We waited an hour once we finished our ride. All worth it though as it was one of our favorite things to do in Idaho! The Lookout Pass Ski Area is where you can organize passes, return shuttle services, and mountain bike rentals, including helmets and lights.

Lookout Pass Ski Area is located right alongside Interstate Take Exit 0, at the Idaho-Montana state line. It is:. The start of the Hiawatha is a short 7-mile drive from Lookout Pass.

You will need to drive there! There are numerous campsites primitive and paid in the Wallace area and closer to the trailhead. We stayed at the cozy Wallace Inn. The nearby historic town of Wallace, Idaho is the ideal base camp for you to explore the beauty and wonder of the Silver Valley and surrounding Bitterroot Mountains.

Wallace is also surrounded towering mountains and thick forest offering world-class recreation trails for mountain bikes, ATV, and snowmobile trails. It has a vibrantly, young college town feel with plenty of restaurants and bars with live music spilling out onto the pavement. We loved the access to the lake for swimming, paddle boarding and sunset cruises. Comment: Have you experienced a rail trail like this before?

I was told I had to drive on either 20 miles of dirt road or travel 20 miles East and turn off on 2 miles of dirt road. Anoying at this point but not a deal breaker.

So I traveled the 20 extra miles miles each way now for a mile round trip and made it to the trailhead excited to finally begin a hike. We approached the East side of the tunnel and saw a person dressed like a ranger stopping people.

Being told that I have to wear a helmet when I am hiking was as insulting as it was a crazy price. We now stand and talk about what we are going to do and the "ranger" comes over and tells us maybe we should just skip this part of the trail, drive over 5 miles of logging roads and pull into a little turnout to skip the helmet and light fees. It was like she knew it was as crazy as we did. We wanted to see the tunnel however so we paid.

After leaving the not so fascinating 40 degree tunnel we emerged onto a large two lane gravel road. We hiked two miles of road shared with vehicles in a wooded forest with mediocre views before turning back and returning the 8 mile round trip to the car. I have had better experiances laying on my bathroom floor with food poisening than I had on this trip. I could have spent money more wisely at a pet psycic than this trip, at least I would have known I was getting scammed.

I have had better customer service at a that is about to become a Chevron than I got from these so called "rangers. There are two many beautiful trails, amazing summits and georgeous waterfalls in Washington, Idaho and Montana to waste your time at Hiawatha Mountain. I'll cast the dissenting opinion here. Yes, the scenery is beautiful. Instead, try the free! Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, which offers many miles of equally magnificent scenery around Harrison and Chatcolet, with pristine paved trails.

I've biked thousands of miles of paved and unpaved routes across Europe, Canada and the US, and this was hands-down the most unpleasant bike trail I've ever ridden on. I'm not surprised that my friend's family warned us before going that their friends had all been injured riding here -- one with a dislocated shoulder.

First, the surface quality is just awful. It's like they covered up a dirt road with railroad ballast, rather than smaller pebbles more suitable for hybrid bikes. So I found it hard to enjoy the scenery while you're moving, because I was always looking out for the many big rocks which could knock you off your bike or cause you to fall over.

The ride is not the least bit smooth, and was like being in a vibration chamber for an hour even with shocks. Next, the tunnels really are dangerous. They're not only completely unlit - but they're full of rocks and other obstacles that you have to negotiate while surrounded by two-way traffic that can't see where they're going including young children who lack bike riding proficiency even under non-adverse conditions.

Overall, there's no excuse for not providing at least basic safety lighting here. It's ironic that the current apparently for-profit managers of this trail are seemingly following the philosophy of the owners of the Hiawatha railroad during its derailment-filled twilight years -- maximizing profit by providing an unsafe experience at customers' own risk.

I would never return here unless they paved the trails and provided basic safety lighting in the tunnels. I would never recommend it to a friend, no matter how beautiful the scenery was. I saw so many scenic wonders in Idaho that I can only attribute this trail's popularity to having better marketing over free alternatives.

AStriefler Calgary, Canada 1, contributions. A trip to the past on a modern bike. We were in Coeur D'alene for a holiday and made the trip to Hiawatha because we had heard about it from friends. At the rental place you will be given a bike rack for your vehicle with the bikes to transport on your own vehicle we had three adults and luckily had a truck which made things easier. You then drive down the I to exit 5 in Montana and head up to the trail head. At the trail there is a trail ranger to give you basic instructions on the trail and to check you have a valid pass you can also purchase passes and shuttle tickets from them at the trail.

The trip begins through a 2 mile tunnel which is why lights are required. We were told the tunnel is 40' and as Canadians thought that was warm but it is in Fahrenheit not Celsius. A thin jacket is recommended. You will also get mud splatter up your back driving through the tunnel. Beyond the 2 mile tunnel, the trail is an additional 13 miles to the bottom. There are a couple of water coolers to refill bottles and get a drink.

There are no washrooms along the trail but there is at the bottom. The scenery is absolutely amazing. The ride is downhill the whole way and is doable in hours.

When entering tunnels make sure to turn your light back on and to take off your sunglasses. On busy days the shuttle runs non-stop from the bottom but you may still have to wait your turn. At the end of the tunnel make sure you leave your bike in the line before your walk around. Your bike reserves your spot in line several people passed the line and ended up having to return and wait longer as the line had grown since they finished it.

You can also turn around and bike back up the trail. It is a foot elevation gain but is a fairly gradual climb. The shuttle is an old bus and takes approximately 30 minutes to get back up to the top. You get dropped off at the West end of the Taft Tunnel and have to bike back one more time through the 2 mile tunnel to get to your car a total of 17 miles of biking.

The tunnel is flat and is not difficult to bike back up. Debbie Broomfield, CO 12 contributions. One of the best days of our trip. My husband and I read all the reviews we could find before leaving Colorado since we couldn't decide whether to bring our own mountain bikes to Idaho. When I read reviews about people running into walls and ending up injured, I almost decided this wasn't for me.

I'm so glad I didn't give up on it. We did take our own bikes and my husband went to Home Depot to buy a lumen LED light that attached to my helmet. He used a 40 watt on his which he thought would have been ok, but was also able to follow me and see with my light. We liked having the lights on our helmets because we could control the lighted area in front of us by raising or lowering our heads. The very nice ranger at the trail said we both had really good lights and that would make a big difference in our experience.

We had called ahead and were warned that we would get cold and wet in the tunnels. There was also a chance to get muddy. We dressed in light layers that we could remove as soon as we left the big tunnel. I wish I had remembered my bike gloves, but I was ok. Yes, it was cold and water dripped from the ceiling but that added to the fun. We took plenty of water with us in bike bottles and a camelback so water wasn't an issue.

We also took our own lunch which we ate surrounded by hungry and pesky chipmunks! I was impressed by all the kids of all ages having fun. There were plenty of older riders also. The first tunnel was scary, but in an adventurous kind of way, not sheer terror. We also lucked out and only met 7 or 8 riders coming towards us.

Otherwise we were able to ride towards the middle of the trail for most of the 1. There were a couple of other shorter tunnels that were pretty dark and wet, but most of them were easy. My biggest problem came in the 2nd or 3rd tunnel in which I forgot to remove my sunglasses. Not a good idea! The whole shuttle operation went really quickly.

We had to wait in line for the third shuttle but they loaded it in about 10 minutes and we were on our way to the top early. The driver was friendly and safe. I have been biking for years, but only recreationally. At 55 years old, I'm not a daredevil of any sort. But this trail is very doable with a good light if you have ridden bikes much at all.

The trail is rocky and you have to pay attention but it is in good shape. The trestles are amazing to ride across and to look over the side. It was just a beautiful and really fun day. I would definately do it again. SeniorTraveller Spokane, WA 5 contributions.

This is a rails-to-trails experience. It is heavily promoted. I was enthused by the idea of coasting through mountain scenery. The excursion included a 1. The promotional brochures are vague on a couple of details. I was glad I opted for the cushioned saddle. Another point that was unclear in the advertising is that you rent the bicycles at the ski lift, but the trail starts at another place, which is at a distance of five freeway miles and two more miles on a dirt road..

A rack comes with the bicycle rental to accommodate this logistical problem. It was a frustrating, time-consuming, and unnecessary arrangement. The tunnel was a horror. It is nearly two miles long, and you ride in total darkness, except for a feeble light on the handlebars. The floor of the tunnel is crowned to let the water falling from the ceiling go into drainage ditches on the sides.

That makes it easy to slip on wet dirt and go into the ditch. Since there are other bicyclists coming in the opposite direction, you need to stay on the side near the ditch.

I went into it. My hand was lacerated by the wall from trying to stop my fall, and my foot went into the ditch, which was full of muddy water. Since it was totally dark, I was unable to assess the damage to my rented bicycle or my injuries until I got out of the tunnel.

Fortunately, neither were serious, and there was a nice stream at the end of the tunnel where I washed off the blood and mud. On the return trip I collided with another bicyclist. Again, injuries were minimal. I also had to stop and help a panic-stricken little girl who, like me, had gone into the ditch. On the positive side, the ride outside the tunnel was scenic, the staff members were pleasant, and the interpretive signs were excellent.

Showing results of Is the trail suitable for a Tadpole trike with 26X1. Is the trail mostly gravel or pavement? I am old, are there any services along the trail. If I breakdown am I on my own? Are there spots along the trail where my rescue driver could pick me up?

My driver will drop me off at east end of the trail and pick me up at the other end. Where should I start? Thank you Jim.