North Idaho 5-day Rails-to-Trail & Hiawatha Bike Tour

Day 0: Arrival in Spokane, Washington

Make your way to Spokane, Washington, with flights available from most major U.S. cities for those who can’t drive, bus, or train from their home destination. Spend a day exploring the city at your leisure before the tour officially starts tomorrow. 

• Accommodations: Not Included (we recommend Centennial Hotel)

Day 1: Spokane to Coeur d’Alene

At 8:30 AM, meet your guide at the Centennial Hotel in Spokane and get ready to check out your bike. After a 30-minute drive west of downtown Spokane, we’ll kick off our adventure with a scenic ride through Riverside State Park, which spans 9,100 acres along the Spokane River. The paved trail meanders through a ponderosa pine forest, giving you a chance to admire the stunning basalt formations that were formed around 12 million years ago from ancient lava flows. 

Along the way, we’ll learn about the Spokane Tribe, the original inhabitants of the area, known as the “Children of the Sun”. We’ll also make a stop to discuss Camp 7 Mile, established in 1933 by the 949th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who were responsible for clearing land, building roads, and planting trees in what is now Riverside State Park.

Once we reach downtown Spokane, we’ll check out Spokane Falls and the site of the 1974 World Expo before enjoying lunch at a local spot. After a brief van transfer, we’ll once again hop back on our bikes and enjoy a short riverside ride before boarding our van to Coeur d’Alene where we’ll spend the night.

Biking Miles: 37 miles (all paved)

• Accommodations: Springhill Suites by Marriott (or similar), Coeur d'Alene 
• Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Explore Coeur d’Alene

Today begins with a morning ride along the beautiful shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene, with our destination being Higgins Point, the easternmost point on the Idaho Centennial Trail. After cruising for 18 miles, you’ll have time to grab lunch at one of the wonderful restaurants in Coeur d’Alene.

In the afternoon, you’ll have some free time to check out downtown Coeur d’Alene. Stroll between the shops and art galleries to browse the local wares or take a scenic two-mile walk around Tubbs Hill. If you’re into golf, you might want to see if you can snag a tee time at the Coeur d’Alene Resort golf course!

We’ll wrap up the day with dinner together and another memorable evening in Coeur d’Alene.

Biking Miles: 18 miles (all paved). Optional routes are available for those who want a longer riding day.

• Accommodations: Springhill Suites by Marriott (or similar), Coeur d'Alene 
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 3: Coeur d’Alene to Kellogg

This morning, we’ll head south for about 35 minutes to Plummer, which sits on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation and marks the western end of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. This area is the homeland of the Schitsu’umsh people, who were dubbed the “Coeur d’Alenes” by early French fur traders, a name that translates to “people with a heart of an awl.” Back in the early 1800s, fur trappers recognized the Coeur d’Alene folks as clever and savvy traders, with hearts as sharp as a sewing awl.

As we leave the trailhead park, we’ll cruise along a slightly downhill path surrounded by towering pines until we hit the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene. After crossing the lake on an impressive railroad bridge, we’ll follow the bike path that meanders along the lakefront to the quaint town of Harrison.

After grabbing a light lunch and maybe taking a quick dip in the lake, we’ll continue our ride on flat terrain, enjoying views of the Chain Lakes of the Coeur d’Alene River. The marshes here are alive with waterfowl and songbirds, making the area particularly appealing for birdwatchers. If anyone is feeling tired, they can opt to ride our shuttle from Cataldo to Kellogg where we will spend the night. 

Biking Miles: 42 miles (all paved)  

• Accommodations: Morning Star Lodge at Silver Mountain resort
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Route of the Hiawatha + Route of the Olympian

We’ll kick off the day with a quick drive from Idaho to Saltese, where we hop on the Route of the Olympian. This ambitious stretch of the Milwaukee railroad was built during a time when the railways were racing to carve out new paths to the west. Funded by the Rockefellers, the Route of the Olympian and Route of the Hiawatha came with a hefty price tag of $75,000 per mile, making it the most expensive railroad ever constructed.

After riding nine miles on the Route of the Olympian, we’ll reach the historic Hiawatha Trail and venture into the two-mile-long Taft Tunnel. Throughout the morning, we’ll cross seven trestles and navigate nine tunnels through the Bitterroot Mountains of the Rockies. The trail is in fantastic shape, featuring a gently sloping gravel path surrounded by forest. In the mid-afternoon, we’ll make our way back to Kellogg.

Biking Miles: 24 miles (packed gravel).

• Accommodations: Morning Star Lodge at Silver Mountain Resort
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Mullan to Wallace + Return to Spokane

This morning, we’ll ride all the way to the eastern end of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes in the quaint town of Mullan. Then we’ll turn around and cruise west for seven miles, riding downhill to the lovely town of Wallace. It’s packed with historic brick buildings and beautiful mansions that date back to the mining boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The highlight of the morning is an underground mine tour led by a seasoned hard rock miner who will share insights on mining techniques, machinery, and the area's industrial past. We’ll also hear about Edward Pulaski, a hero from the massive 1910 fire known as Idaho's “Big Burn”. After the fire, Pulaski created what would become one of the most crucial firefighting tools ever invented. 

After some free time to explore Wallace and enjoy lunch in the town, we’ll head back to Spokane around 2:30 or 3:00 pm. Our tour ends with a drop-off at the Centennial Hotel. 

Biking Miles: 11 miles (all paved)

• Accommodations: Centennial Hotel Not included
• Meals Included: Breakfast

*This itinerary is available for private charter groups only paying for a minimum of 10 spaces.

Day 0: Arrive in Spokane

Arrive in Spokane, Washington at your leisure and overnight in accommodations of your choosing. The preferred hotel is the Centennial Hotel in Spokane.

• Accommodations: Not Included - Preferred hotel is the Centennial Hotel in Spokane.

Day 1: Group Orientation, Ride from Spokane to the Idaho Border

Meet your ROW Adventures guide at 8:30 AM at the Centennial Hotel and check out your bike.  Depending on trail conditions and other factors, we either start our ride directly from town, heading west on the Centennial Trail, through the 9100-acre Riverside State Park and along the Spokane River. Or we drive to the trailhead at Nine Mile Falls and then ride east back into town. 

The greater Spokane area is home to the Spokane Indians, known as the Children of the Sun. They had villages and fishing locations all along the Spokane River.  In 1810 a fur trading post was established at Nine Mile Falls, where our ride typically begins. The trail follows the gorge carved by the river, passing through massive basalt flows in a spectacular canyon lined with towering ponderosa pines. Our guides explain the geology of the epic and massive Columbia basalt flows of 12-15 million years ago that created this inspiring landscape.  We emerge from the park still following the river and ride into downtown Spokane. The 1974 World Expo was located at the site of today’s Riverfront Park and we see firsthand the remarkable transformation that the Expo created from once-industrial ugliness to a beautiful park with Spokane Falls at its center. 

After a delicious lunch downtown, we take a van transfer to a trail that is parallel to the Spokane River until we reach the Washington/Idaho border. From the border, we hop in our van for a short shuttle to the lakeside town of Coeur d’Alene. After checking in to our hotel and resting, it’s time for a festive dinner in town.

Biking Miles: 29 miles total 

• Accommodations: Springhill Suites by Marriott (or similar)
• Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Ride to Higgins Point, Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes to Harrison

Our morning ride takes us along the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene to Higgins Point, the furthest eastern point of the Idaho Centennial Trail. After our morning ride of 16 miles, we enjoy lunch at another of our favorite spots in Coeur d'Alene. Coeur d'Alene is our home and we've watched over the past 30 years as the economy has transitioned from natural resource extraction and processing to a much more diverse economy which now includes tourism as the major player.  The big draw is the town's scenic location on the lake which is popular for boating, beaches, and swimming.  Downtown  Coeur d'Alene is a charming place filled with art galleries, restaurants, shops, and the town's greatest treasure, Tubbs Hill.  This 130-acre city park offers several miles of hiking trails and shoreline.

After lunch, we drive about 35 minutes south to the hamlet of Plummer, the western terminus of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. We embark on a lovely, gentle-sloping downhill ride through pines and wildflowers to the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene and Chacolet Lake on the converted Union Pacific Railroad line.  We cross the lake on a graceful railroad bridge and continue along the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene to the small town of Harrison where we spend the night in a historical lakeside inn.  Before dinner, you might enjoy a dip in the clear waters of the lake.

The area around Coeur d’Alene is the original home of the Schitsu’umsh people. In the early 1800’s French fur traders named these people the Coeur d’Alenes meaning people with “heart of an awl” because they were shrewd traders with hearts as sharp as a sewing awl. For decades the Coeur d’Alene Indians traded with the fur trappers. They were introduced to Christianity by the Jesuit missionaries that came to the area in the late 1840s. In 1878, Fort Coeur d’Alene was established by General William Sherman (a famous Union General of the Civil War) on the land adjacent to the Spokane River’s source from Lake Coeur d’Alene. Soon the town of Coeur d’Alene was established and quickly became a transportation hub for logging and mining in the region.  

Biking Miles: 16 miles in the morning and 15 in the afternoon.

• Accommodations: Osprey Inn or Lakeview Lodge. Assigned by order of reservation. Those requiring two beds will stay at Lakeview Lodge.
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes, Cataldo Mission, Ride on to Wallace

Leaving Harrison, the trail passes through the Chain Lakes of the Coeur d’Alene River, a series of lakes along the river valley. As we pedal past marshes and water on the raised trail, we may see moose, deer, or osprey. Soon it’s time for lunch. We will shuttle in our van to Wallace. The brick buildings and yesterday-feeling of Wallace capture a moment in time when mining was the main activity of the area. Center of the Silver Valley, more silver was taken from the ground here than anywhere else in the world before or since. Today the town is home to a couple of breweries and some good dining options. We enjoy dinner in town together.

Biking Miles: 35 miles.

• Accommodations: Wallace Inn (or similar)
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Route of the Olympian, Route of the Hiawatha Trail

A short drive across the Idaho/Montana border to the hamlet of Saltese gets us to our starting point on the Route of the Olympian. We ride about 9-miles on the Route of the Olympian until we arrive at East Portal, the starting point of the historic and spectacular Hiwatha Trail.   In the day when railroads were competing for routes west, these two sections of the trail were part of the ambitious Pacific Extension of the Milwaukee railroad, creating an alternative tour west to Portland, Oregon.  Financed by the Rockefellers it was the most expensive railroad ever built at that point in time, costing $75,000 per mile. The most challenging section of the entire route was the 22 miles through the Bitterroot Mountains around today’s Idaho/Montana border, requiring the construction of 21 bridges, 16 tunnels, and seven high trestles.  It’s nothing short of thrilling to ride on this legacy trail!

Before starting the Hiawatha we will enjoy a lovely lunch spread to fuel for an epic ride to come!

Our Route of the Hiawatha ride starts a the East Portal trailhead and immediately we enter the two-mile-long, dark, and damp, Taft Tunnel. We go through another six tunnels and cross a number of breath-taking trestles that span deep and forested canyons of the Bitterroot Mountains. This is one of the most spectacular, if not the most spectacular, rails-to-trails trail in the United States. It is well maintained, and the gravel route and gentle grade make for an easy ride. Being on a railroad grade, this portion of the trail follows a mellow 1.7% downhill grade from 4160 ft. at the West Portal to 3175 ft. at Pearson, for a total drop of a little less than 1000 ft. in a distance of 15 miles. You ride all the way to the end where you will find a shuttle bus waiting to bring you back up to the top.

We enjoy another evening in this historic mining town.

Biking Miles: 35 Miles.

• Accommodations: Wallace Inn (or similar)
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Morning Ride on Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes, Enjoy a Wallace Mine Tour, Return to Spokane

We ride from Wallace about 7 miles east, to the eastern end of the Trail of the Coeur d’ Alenes through a steeply forested canyon.  There we turn around and enjoy an easy descent back to Wallace.  In the late morning, we take a short trolley ride to start a fascinating tour of one of the area's old silver mines. Led by a former miner, this is a rare glimpse into the history and reality of hard rock mining.  Guests love the experience.  Then we enjoy a final lunch together before our two-hour drive back to Spokane. We plan on returning to the Centennial Hotel in Spokane Washington between 4 and 6 PM.

Biking Miles: About 14 miles in the morning.

ROW Adventures operates under permits and licenses from Idaho State Parks and Recreation and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe; and the USFS, Panhandle National Forest.  We are also licensed by the the Idaho Outfitter and Guides Licensing Board.

• Accommodations: Not Included - Return the the Centennial Hotel in Spokane Washington
• Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch,