Tea Hiawatha Trail on the Montana/Idaho border it is a gem of a rails to trails ride. This is part of the old Milwaukee Road Railroad. The trail begins 5 miles from the Montana Idaho border on the Montana side. Exit Interstate 90 at the Taft #5 exit on the Montana side. Then follow the signs about 2 miles to the parking lot.
The trail begins by entering the Taft Tunnel. This is the longest tunnel on the trail and is 1.8 miles long. You need to bring good lights to walk in the tunnel. As you enter the 1.8 mile tunnel, you will see a patch of light at the far end. It is very dark without light. Halfway through the tunnel it crosses the border into Idaho. Even in the heat of summer, this tunnel is cold.
From here the trail begins to descend the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. There are many lookouts and several smaller tunnels. The Hiawatha Trail has several old rail bridges. This portion of the railroad was built between 1908 and 1911. The US Forest Service rebuilt these bridges to make them safe for bicycling and walking. About every mile there is a little historic stopping place. Each will have a turn to get out of the way.
Who can walk the Hiawatha Trail? The trail has a very gentle slope of 2% from the exit of the first tunnel to the end of the trail. During the summer months there is a shuttle service where you can buy a ticket back to the top. It’s not a hard journey back. If you don’t ride a bike, expect to be riding the trail at about 10 miles per hour. It’s 14 miles, so it will take about an hour and a half of travel. This is very easy even for the most sedentary because you can easily break it up into twenty minute trips with plenty of rest stops. With all the scenic overlooks and signs, it takes most people two and a half to three hours to get down. The trip back up the hill will take a bit longer, probably two to two and a half hours of driving if you don’t do a lot of biking.
The Hiawatha trail is beautiful. The trail’s beauty comes in part from the fact that it runs through an area of Montana and Idaho that hasn’t changed much since Lewis and Clark trekked across the western United States. There are no phone lines, power lines, or cell phone towers within sight of the Hiawatha Trail. Although it can be seen almost always in this area, there is very little sign of man, except for the trail itself and the access road. It is a practically wild area that we can all enjoy without having to walk for hours.
Summary of the Hiawatha trail. A beautiful summer bike trip just off Interstate 90 on the east side of the Montana/Idaho border. If you’re traveling through the Northwest, this is another great reason to bring your bike. Any Comfort, Mountain or Cruiser bike will do. The roadbed is a stable, well-developed gravel road. I would not recommend riding a narrow road tire on this trail. The views, the tunnels and the bridges are impressive. Enjoy
Don’t forget your camera
Hiawatha Trail link to Zbikenut bike parts