Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes Photo Trail

This PHOTO TRAIL follows the scenic Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes bike path 72 miles from Mullan to Plummer. This work in progress organizes Ed Renkey's photos by location and is a work in progress... a considerable number of photos are backlogged awaiting incorporation into the matrix. Other photos sent to us by members and friends are present in our Photo Album.

The physically easiest and most historically relevant way to traverse the entire Trail is to start in the mining town of Mullan, six miles from Lookout Pass and the Montana border. The Union Pacific and it's predecessors hauled ore from these rugged mountains from 1886 to 1992. They carried billions of dollars worth of silver, gold, lead and zinc ore west down the Silver Valley, first to Cataldo on the Coeur d'Alene River, where it was loaded on steamships that moved through the chain lake region to Harrison on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Tracks were then laid to Harrison and later along the lake shore to Chatcolet Bridge, where they crossed the lake as the St. Joe River flowed into it. From there it was seven miles to the railroad hub at Plummer on the Palouse Prairie.
Clicking on any of the following images will produce the larger version (800x600 pixels) in a separate window. Use this dropdown navigation box to go to the Trailheads and Wayside Rests shown on the map. Notice that there is no correlation between the numbers on this map that start in Mullan and the mileposts which start in Plummer.

The physically easiest and most historically relevant way to traverse the entire Trail is to start in the mining town of Mullan, six miles from Lookout Pass and the Montana border. The Union Pacific and it's predecessors hauled ore from these rugged mountains from 1886 to 1992. They carried billions of dollars worth of silver, gold, lead and zinc ore west down the Silver Valley, first to Cataldo on the Coeur d'Alene River, where it was loaded on steamships that moved through the chain lake region to Harrison on Lake Coeur d'Alene. Tracks were then laid to Harrison and later along the lake shore to Chatcolet Bridge, where they crossed the lake as the St. Joe River flowed into it. From there it was seven miles to the railroad hub at Plummer on the Palouse Prairie.

Clicking on any of the following images will produce the larger version (800x600 pixels) in a separate window. Use this dropdown navigation box to go to the Trailheads and Wayside Rests shown on the map. Notice that there is no correlation between the numbers on this map that start in Mullan and the mileposts which start in Plummer.

Mullan Trailhead (#1 on map) 71.4 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 68 or 69 to Mullan business district 840 people in town 3250 foot elevation two wayside rest areas Golconda, 67.7 miles (#2 on map) Restless Rapids, 65.9 miles, restroom (#3 on map)	Mullan Trailhead use mouseover to see the "M"
Plenty of parking at the Mullan Trailhead use mouseover to see only intersection	Leaving Mullan, headed downhill use mouseover to emphasize the NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES ballard
view from Milepost 70... what freeway?	Compressor District I-90 Exit 65 is Very Dangerous!! Watch for I-90 traffic exiting. use mouseover to see key sign
Looking back at Exit 65/Trail intersection use mouseover to see the problem	Golconda Wayside use mouseover to spot lunch table
South Fork of Coeur d'Alene River from bridge near Golconda Wayside	Restless Rapids Wayside
looking upstream from Restless Rapids Wayside bridge	looking downstream from Restless Rapids Wayside bridge
Restless Rapids Wayside features a high tech toilet	Restless Rapids Wayside is 1.3 miles from Wallace
Wallace Trailhead (#4 on map) 64.6 miles from Plummer I-90 exits 61 or 62 960 people in town 2728 foot elevation	Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum in Wallace from the Trailhead
looking east from Wallace Trailhead use mouseover to see grocery store parking lot	looking west from Wallace Trailhead use mouseover to see Wallace Inn
looking toward Silverton at Argentine Creek bridge
Osburn Trailhead (#5 on map) 60.4 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 57 1,545 people in town
looking upstream at the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River near Shont Trailhead
Shont Trailhead (#6 on map) 57.4 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 54 (Big Creek)	Shont Trailhead use mouseover to get started on the Trail enlarge top photo
Sunshine Mine Disaster Memorial on frontage road across from Shont Trailhead	91 miners suffocated because of a fire on May 2, 1972, but 2 others were rescued 5 days later use mouseover to get closer enlarge top photo
looking west at Big Creek Bridge from Shont Trailhead	looking east, upstream, at the South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River near Elizabeth Park Trailhead
Elizabeth Park Trailhead (#7 on map) 55.2 miles from Plummer off frontage road between I-90 exits 54 and 51	Elizabeth Park Trailhead
Kellogg Trailhead (#8 on map) 53.8 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 51, Division St. 2,395 people in town 2220 foot elevation	former Kellogg passenger depot is now the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center
picnic area near Kellogg Trailhead	looking west from passenger depot rail carts to the old freight depot
looking down on the Trail from uptown Kellogg use mouseover for close up of former Kellogg freight depot, which is now Excelsior Cycle enlarge top photo	Main Street in Kellogg above the Trailhead -- follow it to Wardner (pop. 215), which lies beneath the Silver Mountain gondola
Silver Mountain Trailhead (#9 on map) 53.1 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 49, Bunker Ave.	Silver Mountain Trailhead
Silver Mountain gondola base and Trailhead	Kellogg Mining Museum above Silver Mountain Trailhead
looking toward the Central Impoundment Area from the Kellogg Mining Museum	Central Impoundment Area use mouseover to easily read sign enlarge top photo
all that remains of the smelter that helped make this "The Silver Valley"	looking toward Kellogg along the Central Impoundment Area
Smelterville Trailhead (#10 on map) 51.1 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 48, Smelterville 651 people in town	Smelterville Trailhead
Smelterville Trailhead	Smelterville Trailhead
South Fork of Coeur d'Alene River; looking toward Smelterville from Pine Creek Trailhead	Interstate 90 overpass; looking toward Smelterville from Pine Creek Trailhead
Pine Creek Trailhead (#11 on map) 48.7 miles from Plummer between I-90 exits 48 and 45, Pinehurst	Pine Creek Trailhead use mouseover get on trail enlarge top photo
South Fork of Coeur d'Alene river; looking toward Pine Creek from Pine Creek Trailhead	looking toward Smelterville from Pine Creek Trailhead in February
Pine Creek Bridge near Pine Creek Trailhead	Pine Creek looking toward Pinehurst
trail between Pine Creek Bridge and South Fork Bridge use mouseover to travel quickly enlarge top photo	bridge over South Fork of Coeur d'Alene River use mouseover to look over the side enlarge top photo
looking upstream from South Fork Bridge	bend in the South Fork just before Enaville
Enaville Trailhead (#12 on map) 47.1 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 43, Kingston, north to Enaville public restroom three wayside rest areas Backwater Bay, 45.5 miles (#13 on map) Gap Rock, 44.3 miles (#14 on map) Pine Meadows, 43.6 miles (#15 on map)	Enaville Trailhead use mouseover for close up of facility enlarge top photo
meadow and Trail at the start of Wall Road	meadow and Trail from a higher point on Wall Road
Coeur d'Alene River and Trail between Enaville and Cataldo from a high point on Wall Road	Wall Road is but one example of the many mountain bike adventures available on forest roads and "single track" trails that intersect the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. Some of these are documented and available for download as Microsoft Word documents.
Cataldo Trailhead (#16 on map) 42.0 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 40, Old Mission State Park at exit 39 normal river level: 2134 feet four wayside rest areas Latour Creek, 40.1 miles (#17 on map) River Bend, 38.6 miles, restroom (#18 on map) Dudley, 36.4 miles (#19 on map) Cedar Grove, 34.9 miles (#20 on map)	Cataldo Trailhead use mouseover for close up of facility enlarge top photo
Coeur d'Alene river a few miles downstream of Cataldo	Coeur d'Alene river a few miles downstream of Cataldo
wetlands between Dudley Road in background and Trail	Coeur d'Alene River near Dudley rest area
Coeur d'Alene River downstream of Dudley	Coeur d'Alene River upstream from Bull Run Lake
Bull Run Lake Trailhead (#21 on map) 33.5 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 34, Rose Lake, south on Highway 3 public restroom	Bull Run
osprey and nest near Bull Run	looking towards Bull Run from bridge near Black Rock
Black Rock Trailhead (#22 on map) 31.2 miles from Plummer wayside rest area Lane, 29.6 miles, restroom (#23 on map)	looking from Black Rock Trailhead at State Route 3 overpass
looking east at bridge to Black Rock (approx. milepost 30)	milepost 29
milepost 29 use mouseover to see another view enlarge top photo	milepost 29
RR milepost 42 = R2T mileage 26.5 use mouseover to see railroad milepost enlarge top photo	Medimont Road overpass, looking east toward Black Rock
Medimont Trailhead (#24 on map) 25.8 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 34, Rose Lake, south on Highway 3 public restroom three wayside rest areas Cave Lake, 24.2 miles (#25 on map) Gray's Meadow, 20.7 miles (#26 on map) Cottonwood, 19.6 miles (#27 on map)	bench and table at Medimont Trailhead
near Medimont Trailhead looking at Lamb Peak	near Medimont Trailhead, looking at Swan Peak
Cave Lake near Medimont Trailhead	cattle grazing near Black Lake
milepost 19	milepost 19
Springston Trailhead (#28 on map) 18.4 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 22, south on Highway 97 public restroom wayside rest area Anderson Lake, 16.6 miles (#29 on map)	Springston Trailhead use mouseover to see adjacent Springston Bridge enlarge top photo
Anderson Lake Wayside and US 97 bridge	somewhere between US 97 bridge and Harrison
looking up river from near Harrison	Harrison Marina
Harrison Trailhead (#30 on map) 15.3 miles from Plummer I-90 exit 22, south on Highway 97 267 people in town marina normal summer lake level: 2128 feet public restroom three wayside rest areas Steamboat Landing, 15.0 miles (#31 on map) Sqwe'mu'lmkhw, 12.1 miles, restroom (#32 on map) Hndarep, 10.0 miles, restroom (#33 on map)	group of riders at Harrison Marina trailhead
Steamboat Landing wayside	Lake Coeur d'Alene from the trail at mile 14
looking across Lake Coeur d'Alene at Carey Bay from Sqwe'mu'lmkhw wayside use mouseover to see the bay enlarge top photo	looking at Shingle Bay from Sqwe'mu'lmkhw wayside use mouseover to see the bridge enlarge top photo
Hndarep wayside and restroom	Chatcolet Bridge from Hndarep wayside use mouseover to zoom in on bridge enlarge top photo
the approach to Chatcolet Bridge from the eastern shore use mouseover to zoom in on bridge enlarge top photo	Lake Coeur d'Alene at dusk from east of Chatcolet Bridge
When it was a railroad bridge, 18 feet above the lake, it was turned by the man who lived in the house on top of the bridge to accommodate large boats. Originally scheduled for completion in the summer of 2003, the now rigid structure was finally finished and opened in April 2004. It was raised and rebuilt to give a 30 foot clearance to boats and long access ramps for Trail users.	Chatcolet bridge from Harrison side use mouseover to see bridgekeeper's house
Chatcolet bridge structure on Heyburn side use mouseover to see 1921 enlarge top photo	looking down ramp to Heyburn State Park use mouseover to see the shore enlarge top photo
Chatcolet Trailhead (#34 on map) 7.5 miles from Plummer public restroom located over the bridge on the western shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene and within Heyburn State Park	Heyburn State Park Headquarters use mouseover to see playground
the Marina at Heyburn State Park use mouseover to approach the dock	Round Lake and Chatcolet Lake from trail in Heyburn State Park use mouseover to see mouth of St. Joe River
Indian Cliffs Trailhead (#35 on map) 6.2 miles from Plummer two wayside rest areas Hnpetptqwe'n, 4.5 miles, restroom (#36 on map) Hntsaqaqn, 2.7 miles, restroom (#37 on map)	Heyburn Road crosses the trail at the Indian Cliffs Trailhead use mouseover to read the sign
Hnpetptqwe'n wayside and restroom use mouseover to find the restroom	Plummer Creek and Trail about mile 3 ½ miles from town use mouseover to see what's ahead
Plummer Trailhead (#38 on map) 0.0 milepost 990 people in town 2722 foot elevation a.k.a. Hn'ya)pqi'nn

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