Name: Trail of the Hiawatha
Rating: 4.6

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Family Friendly It's easiest to start in the East. With a nice slope and optional bus ride back up for you and your bike, everyone can do this ride. (How you or the bike will be tired from coming down is unknown.)

Parts of the trail and some tunnel access are closed in winter. Memorial weekend is the official opening date each year. You must have a light, helmet, and a ticket to enter either end of the trail. (It seems to be a free-for-all if you park anywhere other than the two trailheads).

Need to Know

The cost for this trail in 2019 is $12 per person. A shuttle fee from the bottom is $10 per person and you still get to go through the 1.6 mile trail. Additionally, lights can be rented that are required for the tunnels. The parking lot is only 2 miles off exit 5, I-90 so no need to shuttle from elsewhere. If you are an experienced rider, you might consider the 17 mile drive on dirt/gravel road to start on the bottom and then go to the top and back. The altitude map does not reflect the first long tunnel goes through the mountain this is fairly flat. Be ready to clean your bike after this ride due to the mud and water in the tunnels.

Description

The Hiawatha Bike Trail is public property. It is on U. S. National Forest land administered by the St. Joe Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Like a ski mountain, it is operated by Lookout Pass Ski Area under a special use permit. There are "ski patrol" on the trail to help with breakdowns or injuries.

The official "Route of the Hiawatha Trail" is 15.1 miles, running from the East Portal, MT to Pearson, ID. (There is a lot of good riding out each end as well). There are 9 of 10 train tunnels and 7 of 8 trestles on this trail that are still accessible. (one tunnel is unstable and closed. One trestle burned and is gone). The longest tunnel is the St. Paul Pass Tunnel (Taft Tunnel or East Portal) at 1.66 miles. It is all downhill when starting at the East Portal, but not enough to ride your brakes. The trail itself used to be part of the railroad grade, so the way is well maintained, and you won't come across too many obstacles. The Route of the Hiawatha is one of only 15 trails to be named a "Hall of Fame" trail by the Rail-to-Trail Conservancy.

You can get your trail passes and bus tickets at the trail heads (bring cash) or get them at Lookout Pass Ski Area just off I-90 at the state line. They also rent bikes at the ski lodge. Phone: 208-744-1234. Theres also a shuttle bus service for an additional fee from Pearson, ID to the East Portal, MT.

From the bottom of the trail there are a series of Forest Service roads which are plesant and generally unchallenging if you're looking to get some more mileage in.