A couple of months ago I wrote a post about the Spokane River Centennial Trail, specifically the first fourteen miles and how it was going to be closed for the summer for a much needed rebuilding. Well they finished the project much sooner than originally scheduled so I checked out the results.
I rode the entire section out and back plus three and a half miles each way on the North Idaho Centennial Trail so I could get to the new pavement from my house. Here’s the trail at the Harvard Road bridge.
It was really nice pedaling on a smooth surface after all of these years. Hopefully it will stay that way for a while.
I did notice about a dozen Lime Scooters abandoned along the trail. I’m not sure why these things are even allowed on the trail. I’m not a fan of E-bikes either. They are consistently misused by many of the knuckleheads that drive them.
Since I started riding on this trail seventeen years ago many improvements have been made to it.
It’s always a thrill to watch trains pass over the trail.
Now if we can get the first four miles of the trail on the Idaho side of the state-line rebuilt. Actually I heard that this might be in the works as the local managing agencies are working with the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation to secure a grant for this project. Let’s hope this happens.
Yesterday I drove over Fourth of July Pass to explore the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. My primary goal was to combine a couple of bike rides on the public roadways that follow the river with maybe a short hike or two and an overnight stay at one of the National Forest Service campgrounds along the way. The first day, I rode the Old River Road from the Bumblebee Cutoff to The Coeur d’Alene River Road “Forest Road 9” and took a side trip to Shadow and Fern Falls. Todays plan was to ride another section of the river road here signed as Forest Road #208, this time from my campground to the end of the pavement and back and maybe check out an old fire lookout tower.
It was still very cool when I started the ride at 7:30 AM, so I had to wear a pull over. Without gloves my hands were numb the first few miles. Just north of Kit Price the roadway passes by some pretty cool overhanging rocks.
The road follows the river upstream towards a place called McGee. For much of the way the river is right next to the road. Early in the morning there was very little vehicle traffic to contend with.
The roadway crosses the river several times. At most of these crossings there were fly fishermen trying their luck. I was on the lookout for moose but didn’t come across any today. Across this bridge You can see a large area of the forest that burned down a few years ago. Stand replacement fires are a natural part of the environment in the Northern Rockies, however they have become much more common due to human caused fires in the past century. This one was human caused.
Sometimes the results of wildfires are the creation of meadows along the river.
Even the largest of trees aren’t immune from becoming ghostly skeletons due to fire. This one was particularly eye catching. Within a couple of more miles, I was no longer in an area that experienced a recent wildfire.
Along the way I rode past numerous back water channels off of the river. Places like this are prime moose habitat and believe me I was looking hard for one to snap a photo of. I see them so often that a friend of mine told me they must be my spirit animal. Not today however.
There are big views in this big country. As on my other ride, traffic was very manageable, however it did build a little towards the end of the ride as it being a Friday, lots of folks were heading out to the woods for the weekend. It might be a little busy for bike riding on summer weekends.
Towards the last few miles of my ride, this prominent feature dominated the landscape. I believe this might be Sion Kop Rock, a well known landmark.
At sixteen miles I called it good. I would liked to have made it to the end of the pavement, but I had a deadline on when I had to be back to the campground and didn’t want to push it. I turned around just short of the trailhead for the Coeur d’Alene River Recreational Trail, a place I visited years ago. It was a nice place to take an early fall hike. This picture is from that visit many years ago.
On the way back I detoured though the other two campgrounds to check them out. Big Hank and Devils Elbow both had sites that back up to the river, but I liked the one I got at Kit Price better. I ended up with a thirty two mile ride by the time I got back to my campsite and it was just an hour before check out time. Another party had the site reserved later that day.
If you can make it on a weekday or on a shoulder season weekend this is a great bicycle ride. Between riding the Old River Road and this one, I was in for sixty miles in two days on a hybrid trail bike. I would not recommend that anyone try to ride the ten miles or so on Forest Road 9 from the end to Old River Road to where traffic thins back out at around the Shoshone Work Camp. It’s just too busy and has higher speed traffic.
So I met my goal of two scenic bike rides and was still feeling energetic so I decided to try and drive to the Little Guard Lookout Tower. Apparently it is possible to reserve this facility for overnight camping The sign said it was a ten mile drive up the ridge on Forest Road 602. The first five miles or so were in excellent shape having been recently graded. Above that even though the Forest Service had just bladed the road, it got a little rough. My biggest concern on the upper four miles was the lack of pull outs to allow oncoming traffic to pass and I didn’t see much any place wide enough to turn my truck around if it got really bad.
At about nine miles in I finally came to a place with lots of room and coincidentally met a Forest Service employee on a side by side, the first vehicle I passed the whole way. He stopped me to let me know one more was heading down hill and I explained that I was planning to stop here and walk the rest of the way. He said that since I had stumbled right to the trailhead for the Shoshone Ridge Trail and that I liked hiking, I should take that much more scenic route instead.
Sometimes with free advice you get what you pay for but the man was right. The trailhead sits at about 5500 above sea level and the views are outstanding.
Most of the trail follows a high ridge with a very gentle incline and lots of open views of the surrounding mountains.
Looking back across the Coeur d’Alene River (the north fork) valley I could see a nearby snow capped mountain. My best guess is that it was Grizzly Mountain in the middle of the Coeur d’Alene National Forest.
Most of the trail was routed just below and to the west of a very pronounced ridge. Above it loomed large rock formations.
I was on the lookout for wildlife but only managed to scare up one whitetail and a momma grouse. I had the trail completely to myself and was surprised at how well it was maintained.
The trail headed towards Bennett Peak, a 6200 foot tall mountain on the ridge. The trail ended up skirting around this prominence as it gradually climbed up the ridge.
This is the view of Bennett Peak after you pass it on the way to Sentinel Peak. There was still snow in places, but none across the trail.
When you finally crest the ridge you can see the mountains towards the east and south. In the distance are the St. Joe and Bitterroot Mountains.
At the top of Sentinel Peak which sits at about 6100 feet, there is an incredible view of the Cabinet Mountains with little Sentinel in the foreground. I could clearly see A Peak and Snowshoe Peak in Montana as well Scotchman Mountain, the highest peak on the Idaho side all still covered in snow.
Here is where I turned back. As soon as I did, I noticed the first sign or marker of any kind on the entire trail. It let me know I had 3.3 miles to go to get back to the trailhead. Overall it was a very scenic trail with about a six hundred foot elevation gain and a very mild grade except for the last couple hundred yards.
I ended up completing a seven and a half mile hike after a thirty two mile bike ride. After some challenging driving back to the pavement, I still had well over an hour on the highways until I was back in what passes for me as my base camp in Coeur d’Alene. Not a bad way to wrap up a two day trip.
I drove over Fourth of July Pass to explore the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. My primary goal was to combine a couple of bike rides on the public roadways that follow the river with maybe a short hike or two and an overnight stay at one of the National Forest Service campgrounds along the way. On the way I stopped at the Fernan Ranger Station in Coeur d’Alene right off I-90 to pick up maps. I ended up buying my lifetime America the Beautiful pass as well. Turns out you get fifty percent off on Forest Service campgrounds too. It should more than pay for itself this year.
My first stop was near the intersection of Forest Road 209 (the Bumblebee Cutoff) and Old River Road near Kingston. I parked in a large parking area that is usually full on summer weekends as it’s used by those floating the river, a very popular past time on this stretch of water. This morning the lot was empty.
I biked a fourteen mile stretch of the road, out and back. Old River Road is across the river from Forest Road 9, which is the main route used to access all of the recreational opportunities in the region, therefore it gets much less traffic.
The first part of the road goes through a rural area and the first ten miles are paved, well kind of. There are a lot of pot holes and patch jobs on the road. I pedaled pass a couple of cattle ranches along the way and lots of private RV spots on the river. Most of the riverside property is flood plain and can only be used for recreational lots.
I rode past some pretty cool abandoned builds along the way and enjoyed a surprise appearance from the wild kingdom.
Turns out there’s a herd of elk that live in the area and they put on a show. While I was taking these photos several motorist stopped to admire them as well.
The elk didn’t seem to be too concerned with folks staying in their automobiles, but a man on a bicycle was another story altogether. They seemed much more concerned about me. I guess they’re used to cars and don’t have any idea what’s inside of them.
After a few miles, the scenery changed to more woods and cliffs than fields and cabins. They’re some pretty dramatic rock formations along this stretch.
The almost continuous views of the river are very beautiful with a different perspective around every bend.
Traffic on this road is very light and for the most part low speed. The road on this side of the river is mostly used by locals. I encountered one other cyclist. Lots of folks parked in pull outs along the road to try their luck at fly fishing and I did see a couple of drift boats floating the river.
After ten miles, the road turns in to a gravel road for a four mile stretch. Even though it is one of the best maintained gravel roads I’ve ever ridden a bike on, you still need to watch out for larger rocks. I rode my hybrid with skinnier tires and had no problems.
About half way through the unpaved section I came across this oopsy. As the son of a friend of mine once said, “it’s okay dad, we all make mistakes”. Hopefully they got help and got their car unstuck without dropping it into the river later that day.
Right next to the road there were a couple of the largest Western Red Cedars I’ve ever seen. The first was along the paved section at the entrance to a drive way. This monster was along the wilder unpaved section.
Here’s my bike next to it for perspective. I wonder how these giants managed to avoid getting cut or burned down all these years. They’re easily accessible. Now that they’re this large they are probably too big to be harvested since all of the lumber mills have retooled over the decades to process much smaller logs. I hope they stay here a long time to be appreciated by future generations.
I didn’t know what to expect out of this ride other than knowing it followed the river and it seemed ridable based on the traffic I saw. The whole ride was a pleasant experience.
The final mile of the road before it ends on heavily traveled Forest Road 9 is paved. This section seemed to be a popular spot for the locals to swim and was my place to turn around and enjoy the scenery from a new direction.
On the way back I stopped at the other giant cedar and posed my bike next to it also. It was hard to say which was bigger.
I rode through the farm area again and again saw one of the elk. Twenty eight miles and almost three hours later I was back at my trailhead.
I imagine that on summer weekends even this road across the river from the “busy” one gets enough traffic to make cycling it more of a challenge, but on weekdays and on the shoulder season when it’s too cool to float the river, I would give this ride two thumbs up. It felt like I found another bike trail with the low traffic, awesome scenery and ridable surfaces.
Now it was time to load the bike up and find a campsite. I headed to the Kit Price campground about twelve miles north of Pritchard. It’s the first of three formal campgrounds heading north towards the end of the paved road.
I selected and paid for my site and thanks to the America the Beautiful Pass it was half price. I got one that backed up to the river and this view. Before I set up camp I had just enough time for a side trip.
It had been well over a decade since I visited Shadow and Fern Falls. These waterfalls are a four and a half mile drive up a very challenging forest road gets you to a small parking area. A very short hike and you’re at Fern Falls, the smaller of the two.
Another short hike up a gentle switchback brings you to Shadow Falls with it’s twenty five foot drop. The falls are small but very scenic. The drive not so much. The road was in terrible shape. Recent gully washers created as you would expect, gully’s in the road bed and one of the mudholes was as deep as my running boards. My other rig is a Subaru which I highly recommend, usually. I’m glad I brought the truck this time. I don’t think the Forester would have made it. It doesn’t have the clearance.
A closer view of Shadow Falls. Since I spent the effort to get there, I wanted to enjoy the view for a bit. At least I knew how far I had to travel to get back down to get back to the pavement and I did get to test out the 4 wheel drive on my truck.
Now it was time to set up camp while enjoying the sunset. I spent a little time planning the next days adventure before I called it an evening.
I was a successful day. I did find a worthy bike ride for the future as I’m starting to get redundant with my rides on the local paved bike trails and now that I’ve seen Shadow and Fern Falls again, I think I’m good.I was looking forward to what tomorrow had in store.
On two rides over a three day period, I bicycled a thirty mile section of the trail out and back from Bull Run Lake to Springston and then from Pine Creek to Bull Run Lake. This middle section of Idaho’s best rail trail is by far the most scenic part. East of Pine Creek, the trail travels through the Silver Valley and all the small towns in it. West of Springston, the trail enters the Coeur d’Alene Reservation and follows the lakeshore and Plummer Creek to Plummer.
Friday, June 7, 2024 Bull Run to Springston.
The Bull Run Trailhead is just off of State Road 3 in Rose Lake about four miles south of the I-90 exit. It is close to mile marker 33. West of the Bull Run Trailhead, the trail passes through nice forested areas along the river.
Extensive wetlands are found on both sides of the trail between the State Road 3 underpass and Harrison.
The marshlands support a lot of wild life such as Great Blue Herons. Over the seventeen years I’ve ridden the trail, the State of Idaho has acquired much of what was once farm and ranchland in this area and is restoring the wetlands while mitigating heavy metal contamination which used to decimate bird life.
Around Medimont the trail passes along the shore of Medicine and Cave Lakes, part of a chain of shallow lakes connected to and on both sides of the Coeur d’Alene River.
Near mile marker 18 you come to the Springston Trailhead. Another three miles would put you in Harrison.
The old bridge at the Springston Trailhead has been condemned and is now closed to all traffic. Springston was once the site of a small town. No trace of it remains.
Sunday, June 9, 2024 Pine Creek to Bull Run Lake.
Right off of the Interstate there is a trailhead just outside of Pinehurst, the second largest town in the valley. A short spur goes right in to downtown and there is more parking there. The Pine Creek Trailhead is near mile marker 48.
About halfway between Pine Creek and the Kingston Trailhead an old railroad bridge carries the trail over the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.
Just past Kingston another bridge crosses the North Fork. You will usually see lots of folks floating this section of the river.
The next five miles into Cataldo is the most scenic section of the trail. In the background is Frost Peak. Some years it has snow on top until July.
There are several rock cuts along the trail.
Just before the Cataldo Trailhead you cross one more big railroad bridge, this time over the river after the south and north forks combine.
Cataldo Mission is not on the trail, but is close by. If one has time I highly recommend dropping by this little Idaho State Park and visit the oldest building in the state on your way back to Coeur d’Alene and Spokane.
Between Cataldo and Bull Run, the trail continues along the Coeur d’Alene River and its adjacent wetlands.
Another view of Frost Peak and the river.
You can’t go wrong with this trail. I usually try to start my out and back rides heading west into the prevailing wing so if it picks up later in the day it will be at my back.
And of course they’re moose. I saw one each day. My record is seven on one ride. I’ve seen them pretty much everywhere between Kingston and Springston.
The thirty miles between Pine Creek and Springston is in my opinion the nicest bike trail in the country and I have rode on the Mickelson, the Elroy Sparta and the C&O.
The Centennial Trail is really two trails that join together at the Washington and Idaho state line. The trail on the Washington side of the state line is officially known as the Spokane River Centennial Trail as it pretty much follows the river through the entire county. A couple of weeks ago, I posted a ride from the Idaho state line to Millwood. That is my favorite stretch, however it will be closed for the near future for a much needed rebuilding. Today I opted to ride the ten miles or so through the City of Spokane. It had been a few years since I had ridden this section.
I started my adventure at the John Shields Trailhead near the base of Beacon Hill. This Spokane County park site is very popular with rock climbers and mountain bikers. For me it was just convenient.
Immediately the rider is rewarded with views of Upriver Dam, a hydro-electric facility owned and operated by Avista Utilities, the main power provider for the Inland Northwest. Avista has some competition from Kootenai Electric and Inland Power, But they are the big dogs on the block and their footprint along this trail is extensive.
The first couple of miles are underwhelming to say the least. Mostly bike lanes on relatively busy Upriver Drive. At least it’s a way to get from Point A to B.
Three to four miles in, I was treated to this curveball. The Spokane North-South Freeway is under construction and the detour was poorly marked. That being said, this is a much needed improvement to the local highway system. At least they installed a signalized light so I could cross Greene Street.
Since my last trip on this section a major improvement was made. Avista paid to remove a road and create a short parkway on what used to be one of the least pleasant sections of the trail.
This short section passes an old power substation and the kind of cool International style administration building for Avista.
I took a brief detour here over the old Iron Bridge that is now a bike/pedestrian trail in an attempt to go to Liberty Park and the Ben Burr Trail. I got discouraged by the maze of dead ends in an old industrial area so gave up.
Then I rode over the Gateway Bridge on the Washington State University Spokane campus.
After returning to the Centennial Trail you get to ride through the campus for Gonzaga University home to a noted law school and the best basketball in the west.
Next is Riverfront Park, Spokane’s signature public space full of amazing views and interesting artwork.
In 1974 this park was built specifically to host a worlds fair. Here is the site of what was the United States pavilion. The cable skeleton that supported the roof of the building is now an iconic landmark.
This used to be the location of railroad yards and other industrial buildings. They saved the clock tower from the old train station and it is now a landmark.
To be honest, I was prepared to write a negative review of this wonderful park based on my last visit there half a year ago. At that time homeless drug addicts were camping in the park and graffiti defaced many of the art pieces. Kuddos to the Spokane Parks Department and all others who cleaned up this mess.
Heading west out of Riverfront Park, the trail passes beneath the beautiful Monroe Street Bridge and enters Kendall Yards, a new urbanist mixed use development. As part of the development they preserved almost all of the river bank as public space and built a bike trail above it with amazing views.
The further you head west the better the views are.
At the 26 mile marker I turned around. I was getting close to Doomsday Hill and didn’t want to climb back up it. At that point there is still a short on road section before the trail enters Riverside State Park. I will have to explore that section soon.
The eastern twenty miles or so of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s is often over shadowed by the more rural and extremely scenic eastern two thirds of the trail. However this is a favorite ride of mine because of all the small towns it passes through and for the challenge of climbing the grade from Wallace to Mullan.
I started todays ride in Kellogg at the base of Silver Mountain. One of the worlds longest single stage gondolas hauls skiers to the top in the winter and is open in the summer on weekends for tourist. The top of the mountain is over three thousand feet above the town and the Silver Mountain Resort.
Kellogg is the largest town and the economic center of the Silver Valley. Unfortunately it has not been very successful in remaking its image from a center of the mining industry to that of a true winter sports destination. The bare bones are there with an easily accessible nice ski resort, tons of old historic buildings and a good infrastructure but old downtown (uptown) is kind of depressing.
There is a nice park and trailhead along the abandoned railroad through the city and the old depot is now a visitor center. Within a mile or so, you’re outside of town and the trail runs along the south bank of the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.
The area has a rural look.
The South Fork is pretty to look at, but isn’t really used recreationally. It was heavily polluted by the mining industry decades ago and all of the major towns in the valley are on it as is their storm water runoff. The North Fork and Little North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River are a different story and are extremely popular with fishermen, tubers and all outdoor enthusiasts.
Interstate 90 parallels the trail through out the Silver Valley. It is almost always within ear shot and often visible from Kellogg to Wallace, but for the most part is separated by the river and/or the small towns themselves from the trail. It does however provide easy access for the public.
The next town is Osburn. Unlike Kellogg which is an aspiring ski resort and Wallace with it’s amazing historic district, Osburn is simply a place were working class folks live and raise families. It has a small business district north of the trail and residential areas south of it. A large local park greets you as you enter the town limits.
The small downtown and laid back feeling of the place reminds me of a Midwest farm town, but hardrock mining is what made this town.
Between Kellogg and Osburn and just north of the trail on Big Creek Road you will find a somber memorial to one of the worst industrial disasters in American history. The Sunshine Mine Fire still resonates in the valley. I remember hearing about it in the news when I was a kid. Most everyone who grew up here lost a loved one or had friends who did.
An interpretive sign gives a brief explanation of what happened. I highly recommend those who are interested to do some research on this event.
After riding through Osburn, the trail passes through more rural areas before the next town.
The next town is more like a small community. It isn’t incorporated and is across the interstate from the trail requiring a side trip. Silverton is however fascinating. It has some legitimate historic buildings and as it’s some of the only flat ground around, Wallace High School few couple of miles to the east uses it as the location for their sports fields.
I don’t know what the building in the upper picture is currently used for. The lower picture is of Silverton Mountain Manor, a boutique hotel and restaurant.
Continuing into Wallace, you cross the South Fork on this old railroad bridge. There is a business that makes industrial fiberglass duct work next to it and they installed their own interpretive sign to explain what they do. Very cool.
In Wallace the trail is located under the viaduct for Interstate 90. Wallace was the last place the interstate was completed and original plans called for leveling much of the downtown historic district. Opposition was so intense that the powers that be decided to build the highway over an active railroad line instead. Fun fact, a model of this viaduct was used in the eruption scenes from the movie Dante’s Peak which was largely filmed in and around Wallace.
This is some of what they saved by building the highway over the railroad. Wallace is amazing. In addition to being the county seat, the place has some most excellent shopping and dining. More on that later.
So only a few years later the railroad was abandoned and we ended up with a “covered” bike trail, at least for half a mile or so. I found refuge here years ago during a rare summer thunder storm.
From Wallace to Mullan, the trail begins a steep ascent. Even though this is still an old railroad grade, it is a six mile grind up the hill. Soon after Wallace you will pass the Restless Waters rest stop with restrooms and picnic tables.
The last six miles of the trail in addition to being very steep, is also located much closer to Interstate 90. That’s the highway bridge in the background and an old abandoned local road bridge I’m taking the photo from with the bike trail bridge in the middle.
Even then mostly the highway is buffered by the creek or a band of forest, giving a respite from the traffic noise.
Well not always. Sometimes the road is right next to the trail. The good news is you’re either working so hard to climb the grade or flying so fast down it that you don’t have time to think about it.
Finally you get the the last town on the trail. M is for Mullan. Mullan is a real mining town. One of the last big silver mines in the valley is the main employer. All along the trail you see evidence of the mining industry’s past, here you can see the present.
Mullan is the real deal. Nothing fake or made up about this place. It is where the miners live and raise their families.
The trail officially ends where you enter Mullan but you can continue to ride on the Northern Pacific trail through town. The bike trail does end at the football field for the Mullan High School Tigers, complete with paw prints. Just beyond is the Lucky Friday Mine.
Now it’s time to fly or coast depending on what motivates you the six miles or so to Wallace and then the rest of the way to Kellogg.
Well with one stop at one of my favorite places to indulge in a well deserved beer. After all they brew their own and if you’re hungry the food is amazing too. The City Limits Brew Pub one block north of the trail. More photos can be found at the website for the Friends of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s.
My last ride on the eastern most fourteen miles of the Spokane River Centennial Trail, at least for a while.
The Centennial Trail in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area is actually two separate trails that join together at the Idaho and Washington state-line. The trail in Washington is officially known as the Spokane River Centennial Trail and travels west from the state-line forty miles to and through Riverside State Park. The first fourteen miles of the trail is essentially a parkway along the trails namesake river and has no road crossings at grade making for a safe and enjoyable ride.
I recently found out that this fourteen mile stretch of trail will be closed to the public from April 15th (tomorrow) until sometime in mid or late summer for a much needed overhaul and rebuilding. The trail was originally built in the early 1990’s and since then the surface, despite regular maintenance has deteriorated. A multi agency project funded by the State of Washington, other stake holders and grant money will repair damaged sections of the trail as well as providing a fresh layer of asphalt over the entire length of the fourteen miles.
The sign at the Harvard Road trailhead gives a completion date of early June, however someone in the know told me it may be closed until mid July and another source said they hope to have all the work completed by Labor Day. Either way, I won’t be riding this trail in the near future again, so I made it a point to make this the first ride of the season and I couldn’t have picked a better day, mid seventies and clear skies.
This part of bike trail has been my go to for exercise and relaxation for seventeen years. All three of my addresses since moving to Idaho were less than a mile from the trail and I probably have ridden this section close to a hundred times. I was looking forward to riding it daily after my impending retirement, but will find other bike trips to burn the calories. I can’t wait to see the finished product. Smooth pavement will be nice.
Heading west, I soon came to the Barker Road bridge and trailhead. Here you will find one of the only steep grades on the trail. As I said, there are no at grade road crossings. The trail passes under the bridge.
The trail is always next to the river and most of it goes through a nice mixture of ponderosa pine forest and more open habitat types.
Parts of the river have pretty decent rapids and in high water kayaks are often seen practicing around the rocks. Later in the season, this section of the river is popular with tubers relaxing while floating down stream.
Occasionally Mother Nature throws us a curve ball, but the folks who maintain the trail are on top of it.
After passing by the Spokane Valley Mall the rider passes under the first of two railroad bridges. Spokane is a major rail hub. This is the Union Pacific line, the less busy main line in the region.
Approaching Mirabeau Point Park, the trail enters a particularly scenic area. This beautiful park is owned and maintained by the City of Spokane Valley.
There are restrooms, picnic areas , parking and even a very pretty fake waterfall in this park.
After Mirabeau Park is the second rail bridge, this time the BNSF main line. They were in the middle of adding a second bridge to double track this busy section when work suddenly stopped. A little birdie told me that they needed the money for the CEO’s bonus. Building Back Better, I guess.
Next you come to the biggest hill on the trail and amazing views of the cliffs across the river at Arbor Crest, an event venue that has great views of the valley, trail and the river.
At the bottom of the hill you will find a very scenic stretch of river with basalt rocks. The locals sometimes refer to this area as the Little Bowl and Pitcher and it is very popular for sunbathing and swimming during the summer months.
From the bike/pedestrian bridge over the Spokane River you will enjoy the view of Antoine Peak. This is another Spokane County conservation area with miles of trails and outstanding views.
Just under fourteen miles in, the separated bicycle and pedestrian trail ends at the Donkey Island Trailhead. The trail continues for a few miles on local road shoulders before again becoming a parkway though downtown Spokane, but that’s a post for another day. The best thing about getting to the end of the trail is that you have to turn around and enjoy the view again.
That’s Arbor Crest on the bluff.
A very pretty stretch between mile markers nine and eight.
A half mile spur takes you to Orchard Park, owned and maintained by the City of Liberty Lake. In summer they have a nice splash pad along with a really cool playground for the kiddos.
Returning to the Harvard Road Trailhead you are treated to this view of Shasta Butte and Mica Peak, AKA Big Rock and Signal Point.
Overall this trail is an amazing resource and easily accessible to not only me, but to all the residents of the metro area. In an earlier post I stated that the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s was a factor in my decision to move to the Inland Northwest, well the truth be told, easy access to the Centennial Trail was a major factor in choosing the three places I have resided in Post Falls.
The Trail of the Coeur d’Alene’s is a seventy two mile long paved rail trail that almost crosses the Idaho panhandle from Plummer to Mullan. The trail was constructed on a former railroad that was primarily used to haul mining ore from the Silver Valley to Spokane as part of a remediation for a super fund site. This trail is consistently rated as one of the top ten bicycle trails in the United States due to its scenic beauty, accessibility to a major urban area and the variety of landscapes it traverses. The trail can be best described in four sections. From west to east, the direction of the prevailing summer wind, the first fifteen miles are almost exclusively located within the boundaries of the Coeur d’Alene Reservation and this part of the trail is managed by the tribe. The western terminus of the trail is located in Plummer Idaho, the largest town in the reservation and is just of off US95, the primary north south road through the panhandle. From Plummer, the trail crosses a couple of miles of mixed farmland and low density residential areas before it begins a five mile screaming descent (maybe 800 feet of elevation) to the lake were it passes through Idaho’s oldest state park, Heyburn State Park. It then crosses the south end of the lake on a modified railroad bridge and then follows the shoreline of the lake another seven miles in to the historic town of Harrison just outside the reservation boundary. Harrison is located on State Road 97 and is easily accessible (thirty minute drive) from Interstate 90.
At the Plummer Trailhead, the tribe memorializes all of its members who gave their lives in the defense of their nation from the the present back to and including their war against the United States in the 1800’s. Everyone should honor their heritage and the sacrifice of those who fought for their freedom. This should be a lesson for all of us.
The Chatcolet Bridge connecting Heyburn State Park to the eastern shore of the lake is a highlight of the trail. The original center pivot swing bridge was raised to allow boat traffic and the approaches were rebuild in a stair step design that makes climbing to the top easier and descending an adventure.
Along the eastern shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene the old rail road cut off several points to make the route smoother creating these scenic views.
This is the view heading north towards Harrison Idaho.
In Harrison, a short ride or walk up the hill will bring you to a small park, two nice restaurants and an ice cream shop. Just past the center of town one can still see the remnants of industrial buildings that utilized the old railroad.
Where the Coeur d’Alene River meets the lake is called Harrison Slough. You can see fields of water lily’s in bloom most of the summer.
The Hiawatha Trail follows the old railroad route of the Milwaukee Railroad from the Taft tunnel at the Montana and Idaho state line to Pearson’s about fifteen miles down the grade. The Olympian trail continues into Montana to about St. Regis and old rail line can be followed down to Avery on the St. Joe River on a forest service road through several more one lane tunnels and over a couple of high trestle bridges. The former transcontinental rout continues west along the St. Joe River and across Washington as the Palouse to Cascades Trail. Here are a few photos of the Hiawatha.
After navigating the one and a half mile tunnel under the Bitterroot divide, this is the Idaho end of the tunnel.
One of the high trestle bridges over side canyons.
And then straight into a short tunnel.
More high bridges for your enjoyment.
Wildlife
Some wildlife is epic and some not much so, but it is here to appreciate.
There are numerous short tunnels leading down to Pearson’s.
After turning the bend, you can see where you were.
Looking down across Loop Creek
If you’re heading up, you can also see the bridges you have crossed.
The view from one of the bridges. Vertigo.
Tunnel #28.
One the deck of one of the trestles.
Looking down off of one of the bridges.
At the bend looking down Loop Creek.
The view looking across Loop Creek.
Leaving one of the tunnels.
There is a significant fee to ride the trail that can be paid at Lookout Mountain or on site during the season. A shuttle is available to take riders from Pearson’s back up to the Taft Tunnel also for a significant fee. I prefer to drive over Moon Pass from Wallace Idaho to the lower trailhead at Pearson’s and grind it up hill through the tunnel and coast back enjoying the scenery and saving some cash. The official site is here.
The North Idaho Centennial Trail has its east end at Higgins Point on Lake Coeur d’Alene and travels west to the Washington Stateline where it changes its name to the Spokane River Centennial Trail. My favorite section to ride is from Falls Park in Post Falls to the end to the trailhead in Millwood, eighteen miles to the west. At this point the trail shares the road for a few miles until it crosses Mission Avenue in Spokane. Millwood is a good place to turn around to avoid riding with cars. East of downtown Post Falls the trail also shares the road with motor vehicles for a couple of miles.
The trail west of Falls Park in Post Falls.
Approaching the Spokane River Bridge and the state line.
The old railroad bridge over the Spokane River.
Lupines along the trail in Washington.
The trail just west of Barker Road in Spokane Valley.
The trail between mile markers 8 and 9 in Washington.
The trail closely parallels the Spokane River in Washington.
