Ride The Hiawatha

THE "CROWN JEWEL" OF RAIL-TO-TRAIL ADVENTURES

The Route of the Hiawatha mountain bike is 15 miles long with 9 train tunnels and 7 sky-high trestles. The ride starts by traveling through the 1.66 mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel, also know as the Taft Tunnel.
It was called one of the most scenic stretches of railroad in the country. The trail is named after the passenger train "Olympian Hiawatha" which rode these rails. The name "Hiawatha" originated with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Song of Hiawatha" written in the 1800's. The last passenger train, the Olympian Hiawatha, passed through the Bitterroots in 1961.

We rented comfort bikes and equipment
from the Lookout Pass Ski Area.

First the St. Paul Pass Tunnel,
8771 feet long.
We started on the Montana side.
It took about 20 minutes of pedaling in
45 degree, damp, complete darkness with our
headlights on to get to the Idaho side.

The highlight of the trail is that it follows
the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains.

Virginia studies the map to keep us on
course and on schedule.

The third tunnel (#22) is 1516 feet long.

Kurt pedals through
tunnel (#24), 377 feet long. 

Trestle over Kelly Creek, 230 feet high

It's a long way down! 

Trestle over Clear Creek, 220 feet high.
This was originally built of
steel instead of wood. 

Emerging from Tunnel (#28)



This really wasn't the end. Next, a shuttle took us over a winding one lane, forest road back to the Idaho side of the St. Paul Pass Tunnel. From there we mounted our bikes to pedal back through the 1.66 mile tunnel to our car, since most tunnels prohibited motorized vehicles.

This was a gorgeous bike ride, the best we ever rode.

A Cruise on Lake Pend Oreille

Tuesday we drove about 30 miles north to the tourist town of Sandpoint, Idaho. After looking around the quaint town we boarded the Shawnodese at City Beach for the Lake History Cruise. Farragut State Park is at the south end of this huge lake, with Sandpoint at the north end. The lake has 111 miles of shoreline with an average depth of 1200 feet, making it the third deepest lake in North America, behind Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe. Departing at 1:00 pm, the sun was shinning and the temperatures were in the low 80's.

Our seats were in the bow for a great view.

Much of the lakeshore is undeveloped.
We watched Bald Eagles and Ospreys on their perch.

The only way onto the bow was through a narrow
hatch from the galley below.

Majestic homes sit on the hillside.

Returning to the Marina and beach area.

Late lunch and a beautiful view at
Trinity Restaurant at City Beach in Sandpoint.

Selkirk Loop - British Columbia

We took a three day trip into British Columbia to complete the International Selkirk Loop and two of the Super Side Trips on the Canada side. We made the Best Western Plus in Nelson, BC, our home for two nights. This small artsy town, on Kootenay Lake, was conveniently located at the junction of the two super side trips that we planned to travel.

Box Canyon Dam south of Metaline Falls, Idaho

Lunch at Kootenay Pass (5,820 feet)
In Stagleap Provincial Park on
Canada's Highest Year Round Highway

Glass House in Boswell, BC
constructed of more than 500,000 discarded
embalming fluid bottles.

Pilot Peninsula Lighthouse

Climbing the steep lighthouse stairs.

Beautiful View of Kootenay Lake

Highway 3A requires a 45 minute free ferry crossing of Kootenay Lake. This was a very scenic boat ride and quite a deal for the price.

Two ferries kept the schedule right on time.

The two ferries pass at the half-way point.

Silvery Slocan Super Side Trip
Monday morning we headed northeast out of Nelson along the Kootenay Lake shore. In our opinion, this turned out to be the most beautiful of the six Selkirk Super Side Trips. Lots of snow capped peaks and abundant wildflowers along the roadside.

Our first stop was Ainsworth Hot Springs and Caves.

View from the hot spring pool deck.

Hike to Fletcher Falls
near Mirror Lake

We stopped in the charming village of Kaslo for a self guided tour of the SS. Moyie a Canadian National Historic Site. This is the world's oldest intact passenger sternwheeler. Built in 1898 for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Moyie steamed on Kootenay Lake until 1957. This method of travel was very important due to the lack of roads in this area at the time.

SS. Moyie carried passengers and freight for 57 years.

Pilot House and Texas Deck (top)

Pantry on Board
Hot food was prepared on the deck below in
the Galley and transferred via
a dumb waiter in the center above.

Ladies Saloon

Pilot House

17 Foot Paddlewheel

1940 Canadian Pacific Railway Caboose.

Riding the rails

View of Kootenay Lake from the Texas Deck

Ever Present Flowers Gracing the Roadway

Stopped at the mining Ghost town of Sandon.

The little power plant is still generating
2300 volts of hydro-electric power.

They sell their electricity to BC Power

This is what is producing the power. The water
will eventually join the Columbia River,
flowing through 12 more hydro-electric dams. 

Our last stop of the day was in the town of New Denver to visit the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre. This is a memorial dedicated to the memory of the 22,000 Japanese Canadians interned during World War II.

Most internment camps were destroyed after the war,
this is one that was preserved.

Slocan Lake and Valhalla Provincial Park  

Rivers, Dams and Mines Super Side Trip
Tuesday we left our hotel in Nelson and started our drive back to Idaho taking our final Super Side Trip. We stopped in the Russian village of Castlegar. It is located at the confluence of the Kootenay River and the Mighty Columbia.

Suspension Bridge to Zuckerberg Island
In Castlegar, BC

Home of Alexander and Alicia Zuckerburg