The Pearson-Avery Figure Eight
was riden on Saturday, September 16, 2006.
This fun 22 mile bicycle ride on fairly flat terrain followed
both dirt roads that connect Pearson (the lowest
Route of the Hiawatha trailhead)
and the town of Avery.
A map of the Pearson Avery Figure Eight, complete
with milepost commentary and photos, is now on our
Other Trails
page.
The riders stayed at the North Fork (of the St. Joe) Campground.
To get there from Wallace, follow Forest Road 456 over Moon Pass,
and travel past the Pearson Trailhead. There will be
TWO trestles that you must pass over before getting to Avery:
one over Big Dick Creek, and the other over the North Fork of
the St Joe River. Take the ramp at the south end of the trestle over
the North Fork. The campground is ½ mile downstream,
near Milepost 24. It is well marked, as shown by the picture.
If you are coming from St. Maries, take Forest Road 456 in Avery,
but do not cross the first trestle, take the ramp instead.
This beautiful and isolated
route between Pearson and Avery
may be seen from the air... IF you have the
FREE Google Earth program installed.
Renovation work on the
North Fork Joe Campground has been completed
so there are 5 camp units available for summer 2008. Vault toilets.
"Pack It In, Pack It Out" refuse policy. No developed water.
Trailers are not recommended. Although not yet reflected on the
Forest Service website, the name has been changed to
"Telichpah Campground" after a local Indian woman.
Seven other campgrounds are nearby, beginning a few miles east of Avery
along the spectacular St. Joe River Gorge, which is known for great
fly fishing, white-water kayaking and rafting.
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The
Route of the Hiawatha
opened on June 7, 2008, two weeks later than usual because of
massive snow accumulations resulting from a spectacular ski season.
Remember that you may
bike and hike for free up Loop Creek, beneath the trestles,
as soon as the snow disappears in the spring and as
long as weather permits in the fall.
You may also freely travel from the
East
Portal to the town of Saltese, Montana, also on the
Milwaukee Road railbed. Or, you may ride free from
the East Portal west on the Northern Pacific railbed to
Lookout Pass, where you have the choice of
two
routes down to Mullan and the
Trail
of the Coeur d'Alenes. Finally, you may continue
on from the
Pearson
Trailhead to Avery and the St. Joe River
following the Milwaukee Road railbed south.
We are working with the national
Rails
to Trails Conservancy to place signs
along the rest of the The Old Milwaukee Road from the
Pearson trailhead to Avery and beyond.
This is the initial part of our effort to complete a
185
mile bike loop in our region.
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The FIFTH edition of 15,000
Recreational
Trails of the Idaho Panhandle
maps are now in circulation.
This is an increase of 5,000 from previous editions.
These 17" x 22", 20-panel color brochures
(with a front panel background color equal to the
background color of this panel) are
similar to the fourth edition, except for additional
information on the former railbed of the
Old Milwaukee Road,
which we are working
to enhance as a multi-use recreational road and bike
trail along the breathtaking St. Joe River.
The current edition includes information on
43
hospitality providers along
the Trail of the Coeur
d'Alenes from Mullan to Plummer, plus listings for
enterprises in St. Maries and Avery! As always, our maps
are complementary, and are
yours for the asking.
However, we do include
a membership form with
each map in the hope that
you will return the favor by joining us as we work
to build a unified 200 mile bike loop that includes
the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes (paved for bikes and
blades), the Northern Pacific railbed (dirt for multi-use),
and the Milwaukee Road railbed
(mostly dirt for multi-use),
which includes the Route of the Hiawatha (dirt
for mountain bikes and boots).
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Coeur d'Alene Audubon has compiled a checklist of birds for the
bike trail. It is available as a PDF file that can be printed out from
our website
www.cdaaudubon.org.
Thanks,
Lisa Hardy
Coeur d'Alene Audubon
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Remember,
Heyburn
State Park, on the west side of the Chatcolet Bridge,
is now charging a $4 parking fee.
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As stated on our map,
any group wishing to host a special
event on the trails must have authorization from proper
authorities.
Start by calling the Idaho Parks and Recreation office
at the Cataldo Mission, (208) 682-3814.
They will direct
you to Forest Service or Tribal authorities if
required by your event's location.
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Completion Report due out soon!
