Cycling the Route of the Hiawatha
by Harley McAllister
Whether you are an experienced cyclist or just a novice looking to go ride a bike for the day, the Route of the Hiawatha bike trail has something of interest for you. And the same is true for young and old. For the adults there are stunning views of the surrounding mountains at almost every turn, and for children there are countless fun things to see in addition to the simple joy of riding a bike. There are dark spooky tunnels, towering wooden train trestles bridging the deepest canyons, and cool railroad history interpretive signs to investigate all along the way.
At 15 miles long, this may not seem like a good trail for beginners, but due to the fact that this is an old railroad bed, this is about the flattest and smoothest mountain bike path you will ever ride on. Furthermore, from your start on the MT/ID border to the final stop at Pearson, you will be enjoying a slight downhill slope the entire way. I'm not saying that you can glide the whole way down - you will be peddling but never climbing. At a leisurely pace the entire route can be completed in about 2.5 hours. The trail starts with a 1.6 mile long tunnel. Yup, you read that right. For this reason you will want to bring (or rent) headlamps or bring flashlights that can attach to your bike. You'll be in the dark for over 10 minutes, which is actually pretty cool. And speaking of cool, don't be surprised by how cold it is in these tunnels even on the hottest days of summer. Bring a sweatshirt... and maybe some gloves. After Abby had been simultaneously gripping a flashlight and handlebars through the cold air for 12 minutes, she almost had to literally pry her hands off her bike! Also, you need to prep your kids that they will be riding in the dark for a while, as it can be intimidating. Build it up, make them excited about it, and tell them it is going to be cool. Kids will usually follow your lead on these types of things. And one more tip, encourage them to keep their eyes forward when riding and not just focused on the spot of light in front of them. If you have headlamps for them it will really help. |
Ready to get started!
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There are many more tunnels after that one, but none nearly so long. As you descend further along the trail you will soon come to the first wooden trail trestle, the first of many. These engineering wonders held massively heavy trains at such great heights that you may start to wonder about the sanity of the engineers. But the views from these perches are wonderful, and the trestles themselves are nice and wide for bicyclists with a gravel surface overlaid on the old railroad ties. You will feel plenty secure.
All in all this is a really fun activity for families with children ages 7 and up (if everyone wants to ride their own bike). When we took our just-turned 8 year old he peddled the entire length fine, but he was pretty tired the last couple of miles and glad when it ended. That was due in part to him riding a small sized basic kid’s bike; the smaller the wheel the more peddling to be done to go the same distance. But unless you are a really serious biker, that is probably all that will be available for your younger kids.
All in all this is a really fun activity for families with children ages 7 and up (if everyone wants to ride their own bike). When we took our just-turned 8 year old he peddled the entire length fine, but he was pretty tired the last couple of miles and glad when it ended. That was due in part to him riding a small sized basic kid’s bike; the smaller the wheel the more peddling to be done to go the same distance. But unless you are a really serious biker, that is probably all that will be available for your younger kids.
As always with kids, you will want to bring refreshments and some sunscreen. A light daypack with ample snacks, water bottles, fruit, etc. will help keep the energy levels up. And don't sweat the weight of your pack, because it will allow the gravity to help you a little more as you glide down the winding trails of the Hiawatha trail.
If you would like to see a short video giving you feel for the trail, the terrain, the tunnels, and the fun, check out our video below from our family's bike trip on the Hiawatha trail.
If you would like to see a short video giving you feel for the trail, the terrain, the tunnels, and the fun, check out our video below from our family's bike trip on the Hiawatha trail.
When you go:
The official website of the Hiawatha trail is pretty well organized and helpful, so be sure to check it out.
Getting started is easy because the office for tickets and shuttle passes is at the Lookout Ski Area located right on the MT/ID state line on I-90. If you are resisting paying for the shuttle you could take two cars, park one at the end of the bike trail and at the end of the bike ride, use it to drive back to your starting point, but that would add over 3 hours to your day due to the remoteness of the trail and lack of direct roads linking the two. And you'd probably spend about as much on gasoline for the second car as you would on shuttle passes.
The official website of the Hiawatha trail is pretty well organized and helpful, so be sure to check it out.
Getting started is easy because the office for tickets and shuttle passes is at the Lookout Ski Area located right on the MT/ID state line on I-90. If you are resisting paying for the shuttle you could take two cars, park one at the end of the bike trail and at the end of the bike ride, use it to drive back to your starting point, but that would add over 3 hours to your day due to the remoteness of the trail and lack of direct roads linking the two. And you'd probably spend about as much on gasoline for the second car as you would on shuttle passes.
