Idaho Rail-Trails
trail bridge over lake
If there’s a rail-trail heaven, then it may be located in northern Idaho. Two of the greatest rail-trails on the planet are located there. One of them is the Route of the Hiawatha and the other is the Trail of the Couer d’ Alenes. These trails are very different from one another:
- One is a paved trail and the other is a gravel trail.
- One of them travels through tunnels and over trestles, while the other wanders a long a river and around and over a giant lake.
- One of them is totally out in the boondocks while the other goes through small & large towns.
- One of them is a fairly long trail and the other is an extremely long trail.
All differences aside, you really should do both of these trails… if possible in the same trip. Either one is worth a trip to Idaho. Put them both together and they’re possibly the greatest trail tandem in the world. Feel free to visit the Route of the Hiawatha page on trailsnet. Below you will find an excerpt from the Trail of the Coeur d’ alenes web page:
trail follows river
This perfectly paved piece of peaceful paradise is a powerful path to plenty.
Let’s list its assets: It’s long, smooth, scenic, uncrowded, plenty wide, accessible by numerous forms of human-powered transportation, set amidst forests, rivers, and a huge lake, and is planned to connect with numerous other incredible trails including the amazingRoute of the Hiawatha.
Eventually, energetic travelers will be able to pedal from near Missoula, Montana all the way to the Pacific Ocean via a network of trails that are already well on their way to completion. It will be trail nirvana.
via Trail of the Couer d’ alenes rail-trail in Idaho » trailsnet.com.
