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THE coolest "Rails to Trails" bike route in the USA. The crown jewel. A must on your bucket list at only 14.5 miles downhill!
Sample Itinerary:
Trailhead - 9 am
Rent Bikes (if needed) - 9-930 am
Bike - 10 - 2 pm + (shuttle buses stop running at 4pm)
Directions: East Portal Trailhead, Hiawatha Trail System, Mullen, Idaho (7 miles from Lookout Pass)
Cost:
Trail Pass - $18-20 (adults) $12-14 (youth) Mon-Thurs; $35-40 (adults) $24-28 Fri-Sun - includes shuttle pass
(mandatory - get online and they will give you a ticket for your bike at the trailhead)
Shuttle Pass - $17-20 (adults) $12-14 (youth) Mon-Thurs
(optional - you can ride the whole thing back uphill - recommending if you have an E-Bike)
Activity:
Road Biking - Route of the Hiawatha - 14.5 miles one way downhill. Dirt road through 10 tunnels (9 you bike through) and over 7 trestle bridges. First tunnel is 1 1/2 miles long and requires a bike light and/or headlamp. Trail is about 1/2 in the shade including tunnels and trees. End of the trail has about a 1 1/2 -2 hr shuttle wait. There is a bathroom and shaded pavilions. Video of riding the Hiawatha
Tips:
Renting bikes at the trailhead - easiest option, but bikes are trashed and frequently have bad brakes or shifting issues. Bring a repair kit. Double check bike rental quality. Meaning, take time before leaving the trailhead to inspect your rental bikes. Take a buyer beware approach here. The general public is hard on these bikes. Make sure everyone in your group has brakes that work. Gears that shift and that their bike is the right height. My experience was that these critical things are not thoroughly checked, but exchanging for better working bikes at the trailhead where they have many to choose from is the best practice over being stuck with something crappy the whole ride that you paid big bucks for. I still recommend renting from them as it is more expensive ($15-20/per bike more) to rent from neighboring towns of Couer D’Alene and Kellogg and then you still need to transport.
Can pay additional $15 fee to have bikes delivered to the trailhead.This is a flat fee that covers 4 bikes. Would recommend having them delivered unless you have a bike rack. If you have a bike rack you need to pick them up first from the ski resort, which opens at 8:00 am and is a 30 min drive from the trailhead.
Recommend starting on the trail early for cool weather and fewer people on the trail. Best to go on a weekday in the summer mainly because July and Aug. weekends you may find yourself waiting up to 2 hours in the shuttle line to be taken back up the hill to your car. No private cars are allowed at trail end. Another option is to bike back up the 15 miles you came down which is doable if you are fit, no kids and bonus have a mountain e-bike.
For kids 3-7 we don’t recommend this trail unless they are in a bike carrier. Biking 14.5 miles is a big ask for them even though downhill, and the other option is staying in a bike trailer which isn’t the most fun. This was the age bracket we saw having tantrums and a rough time on the way down.
Fun to bring a picnic and snacks. Stop along the trail. Take breaks. Drink water. Enjoy the bridges and tunnels.
Know that your butt is going to get a big mud spray on it and maybe even up your back so bring a change of clothes for after.
Remember to have a helmet and bike lights for the tunnels. These are a MUST. Company supplies them if you are renting. You may like to have an additional one that you bring as well.
E-Bikes ok, just no throttle.
Bring a simple card game while waiting for the shuttle at the end of the trail.
Regular gloves were better for kids instead of bike gloves in the tunnels because they get cold.
Pack the bike carrier full of treats for littles and easy access waterbottles.
Bathrooms - yes at trailhead and a couple along the way and at the exit trailhead
Cell Reception - yes
Dogs - no
Gear: Road or Mt bike (can bring own), helmet, thin T-shirt, thin long-sleeve shirt, rain jackets, shorts or yoga pants, running shoes or biking shoes, bike repair kit and hand pump, 2 L water or 2 water bottles, snacks, small backpack, sunscreen, sunglasses, biking gloves
Rentals:
Bikes and helmets (NOTE - can take 5-8 hrs to do Hiawatha trail depending on shuttles.)
At trailhead ($40-46 adult bikes/ride - also have youth bikes, carriers, etc Route of the Hiawatha Bike Rental)
Nearby - ($35/2 hr + depending on type of bike - Cycle Haus); ($40/4hr + depending on type of bike CDA Bike Co.); ($45/4 hrs or $75/8 hrs - Bike Wallace)
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