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Fifteen miles of one of the country's most scenic stretches of railroad right-of-way was opened in 1998 as a bike/hike trail. Formerly the Milwaukee Road route over the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho and Montana, its flagship passenger train, The Hiawatha, sped enchanted passengers through 46 miles of magnificent scenery. The route was originally constructed between 1906 and 1911 at an unheard of total cost of $267,000,000 and required 9 thousand workers. Bankruptcy stopped the trains in 1977, and now, thanks to hundreds of volunteers and the cooperation of numerous organizations and government agencies, the former rail is a marvelous trail through magnificent wilderness scenery.
Spearheaded by the Taft Tunnel Preservation Society, 15 miles of trail, including 10 tunnels (the longest, the 'Taft" or St. Paul Pass Tunnel, being 1.66 miles in length) and 7 high steel trestles (one of which is 850 feet long and 230 feet above Kelly Creek), are open to the public. Above is one of the trestles with a tunnel awaiting at the far end. It felt a bit strange at first being up so high on the longer trestles, but quickly became fun. A powerful flashlight is required for the longest tunnel which curves once you are inside, making it difficult to not ride into the side of the wall. If you suffer from acrophobia or claustrophobia, this is probably not a bike ride for you.
Coming out of a tunnel provides a cathedral-like effect as you gaze upon the spectacular scenery. Tunnel interior walls were concrete-covered in places and bare rock in others. The biking surface inside was mostly flat and level, though some places had gravel accumulations or other impediments, which again necessitates carrying a good flashlight. I took a backpacking Petzel headlamp which was worthless in the deep darkness of the longer tunnels. I also carried a 3 "D" battery car flashlight which barely provided enough illumination to navigate the darker tunnels. I walked my bike through much of the first long tunnel and still had trouble navigating its curve without walking into the side wall. After I got the hang of it, I was able to bike through all the tunnels on the return trip back to my starting point at the top.
This photo exemplifies the scenery one sees all around you as biking and also shows another trestle off to the right as I biked back up the grade. It was interesting looking at the mountain on the other side of the valley and seeing where the trail was going (and had been.) I really developed an appreciation for this astonishing engineering and construction accomplishment those many years ago. My ride was so memorable in 2000 that I stopped here and rode the trail again in 2004 on my drive to Alaska.
MORE TRAIL INFO:
Volunteer trail watchers were stationed at several points along the trail to assist riders and check that the fee had been paid.
The elevation ranges from 3180 feet at the low end to 4150 feet at the top and climbs at a modest 2% grade.
Work is underway to refurbish the remaining 31 miles
of trail on the Montana side including 2 trestles. However, the Montana
section, when opened, will be a multi-use trail.
RULES: All riders need lights for the tunnels and all must wear helmets;
no pets allowed; children under 14 must be supervised
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E-mail Chuck at CMorHiker@aol.com