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All the United States Idaho Mullan Hiawatha Trail

Hiawatha Trail

Cross the Continental Divide through an old railroad tunnel, and ride back to the top on a shuttle.

Mullan, Idaho

Added By
slgwv
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Arch at Pearson.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Arch at Pearson.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel #29, a short curved tunnel right before Pearson (the trail end).   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Site of Falcon, an old railroad stop.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel #28   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Clear Creek Trestle #230.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Lookout Pass resort, where trail passes are sold and bikes can be rented.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Back at the top, at the East Portal of the Taft Tunnel (#20).   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
At the the site of Pearson, the shuttle pick-up point.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking along the North Fork St. Joe River. Wallace, Idaho is about 20 miles.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Off Clear Creek Trestle (#230).   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking back (and north) to Kelly Creek Trestle.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking south off the trail. The trail and a couple of trestles are visible on the opposite slope, toward the right. This is beyond the hairpin loop, back to the west, over Loop Creek.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Site of Roland, by the west portal of the St. Paul Pass (Taft) Tunnel, #20.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel #21, uphill (west) portal. This tunnel is on the part of the trail shared with motor vehicles.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking north to the part of the Hiawatha Trail just traversed.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
East gateway to the Hiawatha Trail. The St. Paul Pass (Taft) Tunnel, #20, is just ahead.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
East portal of the St. Paul Pass (Taft) Tunnel, #20.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking out the west portal of the St. Paul Pass (Taft) Tunnel, #20.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
West portal of the St. Paul Pass (Taft) Tunnel, #20.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Waterfall right by the west portal of the St. Paul Pass (Taft) Tunnel, #20.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
View south off the trail near Roland.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking east along the trail from Roland.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel #21, downhill (east) portal.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking east upstream along the course of Loop Creek. The right-of-way goes downhill on the left, makes a hairpin, and then continues down on the right.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Looking south off the trail to Clear Creek Trestle, which will be crossed later.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Moss Creek trailhead, where the motor vehicles have to exit the Hiawatha.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
View south off the trail.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Inside Tunnel #22, the second longest at 1,516 feet.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
1754 miles from Chicago!   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
View upstream (east) on Loop Creek drainage. The right-of-way makes a hairpin at the upper end and comes down on the right-hand side of the photo.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel #23, which is closed, downstream (east) portal.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Approaching Tunnel #24.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Small Creek Trestle (#216), looking downhill (east).   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Small Creek Trestle (#216), looking back uphill.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Barnes Creek Trestle (#218)   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
On the trail.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Kelly Creek Trestle (#220).   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel #26.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
Turkey Creek Trestle, #224.   slgwv / Atlas Obscura User
  RemillardJourneys / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Chicago, St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Pacific Railroad, more usually known simply as the Milwaukee Road, was a railroad that headed west from Chicago across the northern United States. By the early 20th century, it extended all the way to Seattle. The railroad had financial difficulties through much of its existence and went into bankruptcy in 1977. The line to the West Coast, the so-called Pacific Extension, was abandoned in 1980.

This part of the route, through the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest, included some of the most spectacular rail line in the U.S. Much has now been converted to hiking and biking trails, including the section crossing the Continental Divide at the Idaho-Montana state line. This is called the Route of the Hiawatha, or just the Hiawatha Trail, named after an express passenger train that ran in the mid-20th century. In turn, the train was named for the Iroquois leader, who was renowned for his swiftness and made famous by a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem.

The Hiawatha Trail begins with a tunnel across the Continental Divide, the St. Paul Pass or Taft Tunnel, 8,771 feet (1.66 miles) long. It is also called Tunnel 20, the tunnels on the main line being numbered in increasing order from Chicago. The bike ride traverses 10 tunnels, nine of which you bike through (#23 is closed due to unstable rock), and also crosses seven trestles. The bike loop is about 15 miles in total, but only drops about 1,000 feet, which makes for a mellow ride. The turnaround, where you pick up the shuttle back to the top, is at the former railroad stop of Pearson on the North Fork of the St. Joe River.

Related Tags

Tunnels Railroads Trails

Know Before You Go

The center for biking on the Hiawatha is the Lookout Pass Resort on Interstate 90 right at the pass, on the Idaho side. A ski resort in winter, it is open in summer for various activities including mountain biking. You pick up the tickets for the return trip on the shuttle here, and can also rent bikes.

You bicycle through the Taft Tunnel both ways, as the shuttle returns only to the west portal. A light (and a spare) is critical in the tunnel as there is no lighting otherwise. A headlamp is ideal, but bringing a flashlight too is recommended. There is also no water on the trail. The resort sells bicycle accessories, including lights and water bottles, if you need them.

To get to the trailhead, follow Interstate 90 into Montana and take exit 5. Proceed about two miles, following the signs. There is ample parking at the trailhead. Although the trail starts in Montana, most of its length is in Idaho.

The trail typically opens in late May, but check as it varies with the severity of the winter. Also check the website for shuttle schedules.

The Hiawatha is open to motor vehicles from the west portal of the Taft Tunnel to the Moss Creek turnoff, a stretch that includes Tunnel 21. Use extra caution through here.

Community Contributors

Added By

slgwv

Edited By

RemillardJourneys

  • RemillardJourneys

Published

November 16, 2023

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Hiawatha Trail
1-90 I-90
Mullan, Idaho, 83846
United States
47.456024, -115.697252
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