Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
- How long does it take to ride the
Trail?
- That depends on who you are and your goals for the ride. The hard-core
road bike crowd will do the 72 miles in 3 to 8 hours depending on
weather and ambition. A family traveling together will want to spend 3 or
more days exploring the scenic terrain, with frequent stops in the small
towns found along the way. If you are planning to ride the
185 mile loop
that includes travel along the Saint Joe River, you will want to give
yourself five days for the adventure.
Other multiday tours can also be planned that cross the Idaho Panhandle
from Taft, Montana, to Spokane, Washington.
This four day 160 mile route is almost
all downhill or flat and combines the Hiawatha, NorPac,
Coeur d'Alene and Centennial Trails
- What is the best direction to ride the
Trail?
- From the standpoint of reducing physical labor and maximizing historical
insight, riding downhill following the path of the ore cars from Mullan to
Harrison makes the most sense. This is why the
Photo Trail was constructed
the way it was. However, those planning to do the "up and back" 144 mile
circuit, should start/finish in Plummer and spend the night in Wallace
or Kellogg. As may be seen from our sponsors
page, both towns have a lot to offer in the evening. For lodging, we suggest
contacting the
Wallace Inn (208-752-1252) or the
Morning Star Lodge in Kellogg (866-345-2675),
both members and located close to the Trail.
Likewise, if the 185 mile loop is being contemplated, Plummer would be the
logical start and finish point. A trip to the the Coeur d'Alene Casino
in Worley might be final night's activity, before departing from the Spokane
airport on the following day.
- We want to ride the
Trail,
but what else is there to do in the area?
- There are many fun things to do along the
Trail that don't involve bicycles.
For example, the little town of Harrison on Lake Coeur d'Alene offers the opportunity for
kayaking and boating.
The LakeView Lodge overlooks the
Trail and the Marina,
and is close to a host of interesting Harrison shops listed on our
sponsors page.
In Kellogg, Silver Mountain Resort naturally has lots of
activities planned for summer 2008; some are on the mountain, while
others are based in Gondola Village. For history buffs,
historic Wallace cannot be beat.
The Railroad Depot Museum
is just a few yards away from the Trail,
but the town of 960 also has two other museums, a mine tour and
a Melodrama during the summer. Wallace is also a good
jumping off place for hikers and backpackers; eleven nearby alpine lakes
and many rivers and streams provide opportunities for fishing and photography.
One of our members operates
The Mistress of Wallace, a vacation home
that might be ideal as a base of operations for a party of up to a
dozen explorers.
- What is the best time to ride the
Trail?
- September. The summer crowd is gone and the weather is
usually still nice, with less rain than earlier in the summer.
- Is there camping along the
Trail?
- No, for the most part. However, the Trail
runs through Heyburn State Park on Lake Coeur d'Alene where there is
camping. In Harrison, there is a small camping area next to the water,
near the City Park where there are restrooms. A few miles upriver from
Enaville is the Country Lane Resort by the River, one of our
sponsors.
The resort has a restaurant, B&B,
RV park, camping, and a lounge; their phone is 208-682-2698. Another
sponsor, the Blue Anchor RV Park/Campground in Osburn
(208-752-3443) has shade and actually prefers tent campers over RV'ers.
Something about bikers being better behaved.
In Wallace there is an RV park that is also tent friendly and within a block
of downtown, where you WILL want
to hang out to catch the night life in the
Silver Capital of the World.
- What does it cost to ride the
Trail?
- NOTHING! You get very few free rides in life - this is one of them.
However, be aware that the
Route of
the Hiawatha requires a $9 Day Use Fee for people over 13.
The fee is $5 for those between 3 and 13.
The optional shuttle from the lower trailhead, Pearson, back up to the
West Portal of the Taft Tunnel is an additional $9 for adults and $6
for kids.
- Do I need to bring water when riding the
Trail?
- YES! This need is most extreme between Cataldo to Harrison, the Chain Lakes
region, where there is incredible scenic beauty, lots of wildlife, but no
habitation and NO potable water... in spite of the fact that you are
surrounded by lakes. Remember why this Trail
came into existence in the first place: remediation of mine ore/waste
contamination along the railroad bed. Although this may not always be the case,
there is still too much lead in these lakes for it to be potable. Boiling
works well to kill bacteria; it only concentrates the lead.
On the rest of the Trail, you should be aware
that there is no potable water at any Trailhead, but that the Trail Marshalls
do carry extra water for emergency situations.
Once you are in the Silver Valley, there are plenty of "bike friendly"
businesses in the small towns along the
Trail that will be more than willing
to fill your water bottle(s). Naturally, one of those businesses is
Silver Mountain Resort, our Platinum member.
- Are there shuttle services available for the
Trail?
- Not yet, but we are working on it. Last year,
Pedal Pushers in Harrison,
208-689-3436, bought a little bus for this purpose, but found logistics and
costs to be troublesome. They have not yet decided yet how to proceed in 2008.
Call them to discuss your logistical problems, and you may be able to make
a deal. If your first/last destination is Plummer, then there is a FREE
CitiLink shuttle from Coeur d'Alene for your convenience. If you will spend
a night at Silver Mountain's
Morning Star Lodge (866-345-2675), they
would be delighted to pick you up at the Spokane airport and then cater to
your biking itinerary. Plus you get to play in their NEW indoor water park!
Alternatively, stay in historic Wallace and ride in all directions on different
days.
- Where may I rent bicycles for the
Trail?
- We have three full service bike shops who are members of the
Friends.
Great Cycles Bike Shop in Plummer (208-686-1568),
Pedal Pushers in Harrison (208-689-3436), and
Excelsior Cycle in Kellogg (208-786-3751) are close to the
Trail and carry a wide variety of bikes,
including recumbents and tandems. All three shops are very accomplished at
repairing all types of bicycles.
At Silver Mountain's
Silver Sports Shop in Gondola Village (208-783-1111),
both Kona Full Suspension and pavement bicycles may rented.
Recently, Silver Pine Trade Post,
a new business in Wallace and
member of the
Friends,
bought a dozen inexpensive town and mountain bikes to rent during the
summer and sell for half price in the fall.
- Are electric bicycles allowed on the
Trail?
- Only if you are handicapped. Below is the Idaho State Park Policy on
Motorized Vehicle use on the Trail straight
from the book.
2. Prohibited or Limited Activities
a. Motorized Vehicles
Except for 1) motorized wheelchairs used by the handicapped,
2) official vehicles used or authorized by Federal, State, Tribal
and /or local governments, 3) other motorized vehicles using direct
crossings or parking lots, and 4) snowmobiles in the designated groomed
portion of the Trail/ROW between Wallace and Mullan, motorized vehicles
are prohibited on the Trail/ROW.
Aaron Soggs, Park Ranger
Old Mission & Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes State Parks
- Where may I find food and lodging along the
Trail?
- On the map/brochure that we will send to you for FREE, but you have to
ask for it.
Our sponsors page
is another good place to look.
- May I copy and use the photos/maps found
on this website?
- Absolutely! But please give Ed Renkey credit if you use one of his pictures,
and the Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Trails
credit if you use information or maps from our website to make your
vacation planning easier or your presentation better. If appropriate,
a link from your website to ours would be appreciated. Better still,
become a member
and be a part of our team as we develop further resources!
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