At the beginning of July we ventured up to northern Idaho and biked the Hiawatha Bike trail.
The Hiawatha is an old railroad route, that starts in Montana and goes into Idaho. 15 miles of it has been turned into a bike trail. All the railroad ties and tracks have been removed and a well maintained gravel road is what is there now. The trail is set in some of the most scenic mountains. With 10 tunnels to go through and 7 bridges to cross, this trail is a must do if you are an outdoor loving family.
Recap of our biking experience: Once we were all geared up and ready to ride, we started off at the East Portal, with our headlamps, and entered the tunnel pictured above. This first tunnel was cold! But what an experience to bike through it with the kiddos and our friends. It is nearly two miles long. Once you are out of this tunnel, there is a slow downhill grade nearly the entire trail. If its not going down, its flat. This makes the trail very family friendly. After riding for an hour or so, there was a nice big lookout that has an amazing view of the mountains. Well, the whole ride is one amazing view. But the point is, there are places to stop along the way. We stopped and enjoyed our sack lunches and good company. Then we got back to the trail. Along the way we saw dear, chipmunks & butterflies. As we rode across mountain bridges, the views were incredible. The nine remaining tunnels are not nearly as long as the first one. You will need your light on for most of them though. And that is part of the fun of this trail and makes it so unique! Once we got to the end, there was a bit of a wait for the shuttle. Being with friends and having plenty of snacks for the kids, the time passed quickly and we were on the bus headed back up the mountain. This ride takes about 20 minutes. Once off the bus, we grabbed out bikes from the shuttle trailer and found ourselves in front of the first tunnel. My six year old looked at that tunnel, looked at me and then said, “Mom, where is the car?” I explained that we needed to go through the tunnel one more time. He was less than thrilled, as it had been quite the day for his little legs. But he did it! I will say that the tunnel was not nearly as cold in the late afternoon as it had been in the morning. It felt rather refreshing the second time around in terms of temperature.
This was an amazing experience for our family. It took a little hard work, determination, but was overall so much fun! I am so glad that we took this trip and made these memories.
There is quite a bit of information on the website for the Hiawatha Bike trail. I’d love to share our family experience and things you can do to make biking the trail easier with your family.
FAQs
Who had their own bikes? All our kids except our toddler! Our youngest is 6 and he biked the whole trail. The entire trail has a small downhill grade, so it is not hard. Although it is long! So keep the stamina of your kiddos in mind.
How long did the ride take and where did you start? We got to the East Portal trail head entrance parking lot at 10am. You will want to start here. If you start at the other end, you will be biking up hill the whole time. By the time we geared up, got our tickets, stood in the bathroom line, and took the obligatory “start” picture, it was 11am. We had a large group with 6 parents and 15 kids, with the majority of the kids being under the age of 10. We finished around 4pm. Had it just been the adults, we would have likely finished in 2-3 hours. We stopped for lunch along the way, snack breaks, and several pep talks to convince the 5-6 year olds that they could finish.
How does ticketing work? Since we had 15 people, we were able to purchase a group ticket and get a discount. One friend purchased all the tickets and we paid her back. I would recomend purchasing the tickets here, ahead of time. It just saves time. The trail ticket also includes your shuttle pass. Once you arrive at the East Portal trail head, you will show them your reservation and they will give you physical tickets that you zip tie to your handle bars. Even those under 5 that are not on their own bike get a ticket.
Lights are required! The first two miles are in a tunnel. This is such a cool (pun intended) experience! Since the tunnel is so long, it quickly becomes pitch black and yo cannot see any light. I preferred having head lamps. It is easier to control the direction of your light, as opposed to having a light on your handle bar. TURN OFF YOUR LIGHT when you are not in the tunnel. It is likely that your battery will go dead if you do not. You will want a lamp with at least 300 lumens, like these. These are rechargeable add 1200 lumens and look like a great option too..
What kind of bike do i need? Just a regular bike will do for this trail. Because it is on gravel & dirt, I’d recomend against a street bike as traction could be an issue. In our group we had anywhere from a regular kids bike with no gears clear up to full suspension bikes. You can also rent bikes there, although we did not so I cannot speak to the quality of them.
What else should I bring? Spare tubes & hand pump. While the trail is well maintained, it is likely you wont need these items. But you hate to travel all the way there, get on the trail, and then need them! Out of all 15 of us, we had one flat tire that needed pumped up and then held its own. But you just never know. I’d goo all tires ahead of time as well. If you don’t take some goo with you. Helmets are required for all kids on the trail. Anyone 18 and under will be required to have a helmet. They do rent some out, but those helmet are on a first come first serve basis. So if they are all rented and your under 18 kiddos do not have one, you can’t ride the trail.
Food, especially with kids. We packed our lunches and at on the trail. Water backpacks or water bottles. Personally I’m fan of the camel back type backpacks with the bladder of water. For this distance and duration it is just hard to have a water bottle last long enough. I don’t recall seeing water refill stations. Plus the backpacks can hold your lunch and other small items.
Jackets! We biked the trail the first week of July. For most of the ride we were in jackets. The first tunnel gets cold, especially if you are there in the morning, Even at 11 am when we went through, that tunnel is cold. You can see your breath and by the end of it, I was wishing I had brought gloves for that portion of the ride. All the other tunnels are much shorter and not nearly as cold. You will want a jacket. Sunscreen & chapstick are a good idea. We did not need bug spray that day. There were no mosquitos. A padded bike seat is also a good idea.
Are there bathrooms? There is one at the beginning and one at the end. I recall seeing one in the middle and one at the end. Thats it. So there was definitely some squatting in the woods. You may want to bring a little bit of toilet paper. I do not recall seeing any water refill stations. They were just an outhouse type bathroom. Nothing fancy.
Staff along the way? There was one time when a biker who was a staff member was biking the trail to check on everyone. They had radios to communicate with other staff had there been an emergency. However, I only recall seeing/interacting with one the entire trail. There is quite a bit of people on the trail, and it would be easy to get some help if needed, I think.
Expect to get muddy! The first tunnel is wet! Water weeps in the walls of it, and the ground is dirt. As the day warms up and more people use the trail, it gets even muddier. The faster you go through that tunnel, the more the mud will flip up the back of you. One lady on her e-bike was completely covered in mud!! Head to toe. It gets a little slippery too, we had one kid who slipped right before exiting the tunnel and was covered in mud.
How does the shuttle work? The “shuttle” is a few old school buses with trailers to hold the bikes. But it does the job! There was an hour and a half wait to get on the shuttle at the end. I’m not sure if this is typical or not, but maybe expect it. While the trail did not seem crowded, there is definitely a crowd at the end! The shuttle takes you back up and drops you off right outside the first tunnel. So you go BACK THROUGH the first tunnel to get to your cars.
Cell phone service is not good! Maybe bring walkie talkies radios if you are in a group. These would have been very helpful and are the one item I wish we’d had.
Shopping list! Here’s all the links in one place for easy shopping.
Walkie Talkies
Water backpacks for little kids (8 and younger)
Water backpacks for bigger kids
Water backpacks for Teens/Adults
Head lamps (battery)
Head lamps (rechargeable)
Terms & Prvacy policy 