The warmer weather has finally arrived on the Palouse and we jumped at the chance to head up to the Route of the Hiawatha with friends Tiff and Jeremy to take advantage of it. The Route of the Hiawatha is a 15 mile rail-to-trail gravel bike path crossing over the Montana-Idaho border near Lookout Pass. It promised scenic views, 10 tunnels, and 7 trestles as it wound its way through the Bitterroot Mountains. It was a fantastic day, sunny but not too hot, as we started the ride. We soon hit Taft Tunnel, a 1.6 mile tunnel requiring headlamps and bike lights. Inside, it was pitch dark with dripping water overhead, ice cold temps, and drainage ditches along either side carrying the water out of the tunnel. The ticket sellers warned us to stay away from the edges, ride in single file in a straight path, and stay away from little kids (who don't know how to ride in a straight path). It was awesome, but a bit unnerving.
John and Jeremy after the Taft Tunnel
The rest of the ride was amazing. We rode through tunnels (none as scary as the first), over trestles, and enjoyed the views of mountains and creeks.
The view from one of the trestles
After our leisurely ride, we took a school bus back to the starting trailhead--but to get back to the car we had to again brave the Taft tunnel (which, of course, we dominated). What an awesome day!
The Gang from Moscow. Check out the trestle in the background--we went over that later in the ride.