Route of the Hiawatha
Rail-Trails are flat or gently sloping paths created from decommissioned railroad corridors. The Route of the Hiawatha is a very scenic biking trail that follows an old railroad right-of-way traversing the Bitterroot Mountains near the Idaho/Montana border. This railway, known as the Milwaukee Road, was an important stretch of the last of the transcontinental railroads to be completed. This line was built and operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul (CM&StP) Railroad. It provided the most direct route connecting Chicago with Seattle and circumvented the train transfers required by other train lines to complete this trip. It was known for its innovations in construction engineering and the relatively easy grades it provided for trains in this mountainous terrain. The journey through the Bitterroot covered 46 miles utilizing eleven tunnels and nine high trestles. The cost of building this route was more than $234 million (about $6.45 billion in today’s dollars) and required almost 9,000 men for its construction. Trains used this route from 1911 until it was decommissioned in 1961.
The Rail-To-Trail portion of the Route of the Hiawatha lies within the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The trail itself is an approximately 15-mile gravel/dirt path running through ten tunnels, over seven high trestles, and featuring a multitude of interpretive signs describing the route history and engineering innovations used in the building of the railway. Although this trail is touted for biking, it is wide, and you could potentially choose to hike it if biking is not your thing. The Lookout Pass Ski Area administers the trail via a national forest special-use permit.
The most common way to ride the trail is from the East Portal to Pearson, a distance of 14.4 miles. From the East Portal, the trail quickly enters the first and most impressive of the ten tunnels. This is the pitch dark Taft Tunnel that burrows through the St. Paul Pass at the border of Idaho and Montana. The banner picture at the top of this article shows a family about to enter the tunnel at the East Portal.
The tunnel is 8,771 feet or 1.6 miles long, and it is cold, damp, and muddy. This tunnel was constructed by two crews starting at the opposing sides of the pass, one crew from Idaho and the other from Montana. A race ensued with each crew trying to reach the midpoint (border between the two states) of the tunnel first. There is actually a notation of the midpoint in the tunnel if you can find it with your bicycle light in the dark. When the tunnel borers from each side reached the midpoint, the deviation from a perfect bore was only 3/4 of an inch…pretty impressive for construction in 1907! Incidentally, Idaho won the race to the midpoint.
If you want to bypass the Taft tunnel, you can continue about 5 miles beyond the turn-off to the East Portal parking area on Forest Service Road 506, over Roland Summit, and park at the Roland Trailhead. However, I would suggest that unless you are afraid of the dark, you would be missing a unique experience.
As you exit the Taft Tunnel at the West Portal, you are greeted by a pretty little waterfall. At this point, you are 1751 miles west along the route from Chicago. Pedaling for a few minutes takes you to the Roland Trailhead and what will be the return shuttle drop off location.
The trail has a firm, fine to medium gravel/dirt surface, with occasional small cobbles and is better suited to mountain-style bicycles than road bikes. However, my cross bike (mountain/road bike hybrid) had no problem negotiating the trail.
I had ridden this trail on a mountain bike about a decade ago, and this time, I was surprised at the very large number of people riding electric bicycles. NOTE: only Class I e-bikes are permitted on the trail. Class II and III e-bikes have a throttle that allows them to ride at speeds that exceed what is allowable on the trail so they are not permitted. With an electric bike, it is easy to ride the trail roundtrip.
There is no age limit for riding the trail although all children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult. I encountered a number of families with young children riding in small trailers behind one of the bicycles. There were also a number of older riders on the trail. I encountered a number of family groups containing both grandparents and grandchildren.
The mountain views are so stunning that I had to remind myself to pay attention to the trail. This photo shows a distant view of one of the trestles crossed farther down the trail.
As you ride the trail, you encounter nine additional tunnels of varying lengths. Most of these tunnels are fairly short, however, some are dark and require the use of a headlamp. On a warm day, the tunnels provide a cool break from the heat and sun. This photo shows my trusty steed by one of the tunnels.
The tunnels are fun, but the most amazing features of the trail are the seven high trestles constructed to allow the railway to maintain a gentle grade rather than having steep drops and climbs over the mountainous terrain.
For most people bothered by heights, the trestles should not be a problem. The trail is wide, and you have to stop and step up onto a boardwalk to see over the edge. The edges are well protected by cables to keep anyone from accidentally falling from the trestles, especially those wanting that special selfie! In all, there are seven trestles along the route.
The construction of the trestles was a feat of ingenuity. A flat, stable base was needed for the framework supporting each trestle, a difficult engineering problem because of the rugged terrain. The CM&StP came up with a clever solution. It would divert water from a nearby creek down a flume into storage tanks located several hundred feet above a giant water cannon. The water would be released downhill from the tanks via a 12″ pipe with a 4″ nozzle at the end of the pipe. This was the water cannon. The force of gravity generated a powerful stream of water from the cannon that dislodged huge amounts of mountainside dirt and rocks which fell into the canyon below. This debris was then shaped to create a stable, level surface on which to place the trestle’s pylons. The photo below shows a bit of the wooden structure supporting one of the trestles. The Hiawatha utilized electric locomotives, and this photo also shows one of the electrical poles on the lefthand side of the trestle.
After negotiating ten tunnels, seven trestles, and 14.4 miles of trail, you reach the end of the route at the Pearson Trailhead. At this point, you can either ride back uphill to the East Portal, have someone pick you up here, or take the shuttle bus back to the Roland Trailhead. The shuttles are converted school buses that contain seats for passengers in the front half and bike hooks for transporting bikes in the back. Precedence on the shuttle is given to individuals with non-motorized bicycles. Electric bike riders have to wait until there is room for their larger, heavier bikes on an unfilled shuttle so many electric bikers choose to ride their bikes back to the top. The shuttle ride back to the Roland Trailhead takes about 30 minutes. Our shuttle driver was awesome regaling us with tidbits about the history of the railway and region. After disembarking from the shuttle, you ride back to the west entrance of the Taft Tunnel and through the tunnel returning to the East Portal parking area. This adds two miles to your ride for a total pedal of 16.4 miles.
Although there was not a lot of wildlife viewing to be had, I did spy a few subjects on the trip.
To ride the Route of the Hiawatha, you must obtain a rider’s pass at the Lookout Pass Ski area. The rider’s pass must be prominently displayed on your bike at all times while on the trail. The number of riders on the trail each day is limited. You can reserve a rider’s pass up to 24 hours before the 8 am opening of the trail for a given day here. Reservations are for a specific date only. If you do not have a reservation, you can purchase a pass at the ski area on the day of your ride if passes are available (typically not a problem on weekdays). The costs for Summer 2021 for trail and shuttle passes are shown in the following table.
| Trail Passes | Mon-Thurs | Fri-Sat-Sun |
| Adults (13 and up) | $15 ($14 with reservation) | $30 ($27 with reservation) Includes shuttle service |
| Children (5-12) | $10 ($9 with reservation) | $20 ($18 with reservation) Includes shuttle service |
| Shuttle | ||
| Adults (13 and up) | $15 ($13 with reservation) | |
| Children (5-12) | $10 ($8 with reservation) |
All trail riders must wear a bicycle helmet and have a bike lamp. The bike lamp should be able to be focused 10-15 feet ahead of the bike and be at least 300-400 lumens in strength for riding in the Taft Tunnel. Helmet mounted lights typically are not strong enough for good visibility. I did carry a headlamp in my pack as a spare in the case of a malfunction of my bike light. The Taft tunnel would be impossible without a functioning light! You can rent bicycles of all types including specialties such as tandems, 3-wheeled recumbents (for physically or balance impaired), and Burley trailers for young children who are not able to ride, along with helmets, and lamps at the ski area if you do not have them. An air pump and tire tube patch kit are other potentially useful accessories.
You can begin riding the trail between 8:30 am and 4:15 pm, and you may take as little or as much time as you wish to ride the trail. However, if you plan to use the shuttle, be aware that the last shuttle from Pearson leaves at 4:15 pm except on weekends, July-Labor Day, when the hours extend to 5:45 pm. A leisurely pedal stopping to read the copious interpretive signs typically takes 3-3.5 hours, a little longer if you wish to stop and picnic along the way. On a busy day, the wait time for the shuttle back to the Roland Trailhead can be 45 minutes or longer in the afternoon. To beat the crowds, I would suggest riding on a week day rather than on the weekend if possible. In all, I would plan to spend a total of 5-6 hours on your adventure. Be sure to bring food and plenty of water as there is no potable water along the route. Food and drinks are available at the East Portal as well as at the Lookout Pass Ski Area.
I have ridden this trail twice, once with a mountain bike and this time with a mountain/road-hybrid. On my first trip, I rode the trail with a group of friends, but this time I went solo (August 2021). On my first trip, we started mid-afternoon and had arranged to be picked up at the Pearson Trailhead. This time, I started fairly early in the morning and used the shuttle service. Both trips were thoroughly enjoyable. On my solo ride, I stopped and read all of the interpretive signs to learn about the construction of the route, how the railway played a role in forest fire fighting, mining in the region, and the sordid details of some of the communities that once existed along the route. I would highly recommend spending a day experiencing this trail whether you are a biking aficionado or not.
There are other activities that you can do at the Lookout Pass Ski Area in addition to riding the Route of the Hiawatha. After taking the chairlift up the mountain, you either hike or ride back down, enjoy family-friendly downhill mountain bike trails through the forest, pick some tasty treats in the extensive huckleberry fields or play frisbee golf on the 9-hole mountain top course.
Getting There
After getting your passes, return to I-90 and drive east to Exit 5. Follow the Hiawatha signs on a dirt road for two miles to the East Portal/Taft Parking Lot. The turn-off will be on your left.
To ride the trail you must obtain your trail pass at the Lookout Pass Ski Area. Heading east from Spokane or west from Missoula, take I-90 to Exit 0 at the Idaho/Montana State Line. The parking area is about 200 yards from the freeway. The trip from either city takes about 90 minutes.
