Today we "Road the Hiawatha" a stunning rail trail like no other. The Hiawatha is a 15 mile stretch along the Idaho-Montana border close to I-90. The trail follows the railbed of the last transcontinental railroad to be built in the US around 1910. It ran from Milwaukee to Tacoma and was shut down in 1977.
Most folks do the trail from the east to west starting at the east side Taft Tunnel parking area. You do need a trail pass ($10). Also, most folks opt for the shuttle back ($9). The shuttle does not take you all the way back to your car, but drops you on the west side of the Taft Tunnel and you pedal back through the tunnel to your car. And to anticipate a question from some TCC riders, who just last week proved what a bunch of cheap pikers you are by coming in second to Colchester Dental in the Steeplechase, yes you can avoid the $9 shuttle fee do the whole thing without the shuttle. However while not steep, it is a long 15 mile uphill grind, to flip and coast back down much of the ride back.
The start is the Taft Tunnel a 1.2 mile long hole through the mountain. Rules for the trail are you need a helmet and you need to have a light on the bike. They give you a safety talk that tells you that most of the tunnels have water drains on the sides so you need to be more in the center than on the sides if you can. The tunnel is also about 45 degrees and over a mile in the morning, that is really cold so they advise a jacket or fleece. They also remind you take off your sunglasses, and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for a minute or two before you take off.
It was a ride like nothing we have ever experienced. Even before you reach the tunnel, the cold air flows out and you plunge in. It is so dark, you quickly lose perspective outside your small circle of light. You can't tell up from down and left from right. I was very grateful for the experience my handful of trips on the TCC Wednesday night rail trail rides gave me. You have to put you faith in your balance, bike handling skills, and that you will be able to roll along. You can hear the water running in the drains on the sides but other than that, you are in a small ball of light in expanse of black. It is not exactly scary, you are not freaked out, you are just in another world of being for about 15 minutes.
You exit the tunnel, and you are out in a very nice but steep valley of Idaho pines. Our views were obscured by fire smoke. There are many fires in the area, the largest being in north central Washington with one being about 30 miles away.
The trail is going downhill here, slabbing the side of the valley wall. You are riding with little effort beyond coasting, taking in the views. More tunnels arrive. None as long as the first, but long enough to require you to turn on your light and take off your sunglasses. Along the way there are interpretive signs about the history of the railway and the associated mining that took place along this section of the rail line. There is an abandoned townsite were a short walk takes you up along a creek were the foundations of a mining camp (with the location of the saloon and bawdy house).
Between tunnels you start to cross high arching trestles left from the railroad days. They offer longer open views down the valley. When you look down you can see other trestles way down below you that you will be crossing. The trail hairpins at the Loop Tunnel and you proceed down the other side.
The trail gradually flattens out. For a few miles you are rolling over the old railbed, cruising through the trees. The budda-budda-budda of the rough surface does get up into your forearms a bit, but wemwere on 700/28 tires on the touring bikes. A little fatter tires would have been better.
Soon you are at the trailhead that serves as the shuttle stop. You put your bike into the back of a school bus modified with hooks to hang bikes and you are driven back up the valley to the west end of the tunnel. So, your last mile is back through the tunnel to your car. Second time through was a little less freaky, but had a good deal of traffic coming at us as we were out early in the day.
The actual trail does continue both east and west beyond the section we did. On the west it connects with the Trail of the Couer d'Alenes a 72 mile paved bikeway that runs through pretty country in the Idaho panhandle. We will get out and do a bit of it before checkout time in the motel his AM.
Our bottom line is that if you are ever along I-90 at the ID/MT border this is worth a stop. Even if you do not have a bike with you there are easy rentals where most people grab trail tickets and shuttle passes at Lookout Mountain Ski area , right off the highway at exit 0. It is family friendly, kids can do the rides as it is mostly down hill. We got a good deal on a two night package on a motel in the funky town of Wallace that included trail tickets and shuttle passes.
Most folks do the trail from the east to west starting at the east side Taft Tunnel parking area. You do need a trail pass ($10). Also, most folks opt for the shuttle back ($9). The shuttle does not take you all the way back to your car, but drops you on the west side of the Taft Tunnel and you pedal back through the tunnel to your car. And to anticipate a question from some TCC riders, who just last week proved what a bunch of cheap pikers you are by coming in second to Colchester Dental in the Steeplechase, yes you can avoid the $9 shuttle fee do the whole thing without the shuttle. However while not steep, it is a long 15 mile uphill grind, to flip and coast back down much of the ride back.
The start is the Taft Tunnel a 1.2 mile long hole through the mountain. Rules for the trail are you need a helmet and you need to have a light on the bike. They give you a safety talk that tells you that most of the tunnels have water drains on the sides so you need to be more in the center than on the sides if you can. The tunnel is also about 45 degrees and over a mile in the morning, that is really cold so they advise a jacket or fleece. They also remind you take off your sunglasses, and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for a minute or two before you take off.
You exit the tunnel, and you are out in a very nice but steep valley of Idaho pines. Our views were obscured by fire smoke. There are many fires in the area, the largest being in north central Washington with one being about 30 miles away.
The trail is going downhill here, slabbing the side of the valley wall. You are riding with little effort beyond coasting, taking in the views. More tunnels arrive. None as long as the first, but long enough to require you to turn on your light and take off your sunglasses. Along the way there are interpretive signs about the history of the railway and the associated mining that took place along this section of the rail line. There is an abandoned townsite were a short walk takes you up along a creek were the foundations of a mining camp (with the location of the saloon and bawdy house).
Between tunnels you start to cross high arching trestles left from the railroad days. They offer longer open views down the valley. When you look down you can see other trestles way down below you that you will be crossing. The trail hairpins at the Loop Tunnel and you proceed down the other side.
The trail gradually flattens out. For a few miles you are rolling over the old railbed, cruising through the trees. The budda-budda-budda of the rough surface does get up into your forearms a bit, but wemwere on 700/28 tires on the touring bikes. A little fatter tires would have been better.
Soon you are at the trailhead that serves as the shuttle stop. You put your bike into the back of a school bus modified with hooks to hang bikes and you are driven back up the valley to the west end of the tunnel. So, your last mile is back through the tunnel to your car. Second time through was a little less freaky, but had a good deal of traffic coming at us as we were out early in the day.
The actual trail does continue both east and west beyond the section we did. On the west it connects with the Trail of the Couer d'Alenes a 72 mile paved bikeway that runs through pretty country in the Idaho panhandle. We will get out and do a bit of it before checkout time in the motel his AM.
Our bottom line is that if you are ever along I-90 at the ID/MT border this is worth a stop. Even if you do not have a bike with you there are easy rentals where most people grab trail tickets and shuttle passes at Lookout Mountain Ski area , right off the highway at exit 0. It is family friendly, kids can do the rides as it is mostly down hill. We got a good deal on a two night package on a motel in the funky town of Wallace that included trail tickets and shuttle passes.
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