Route of the Hiawatha: Where to Stay & What to Know
Fifteen miles, ten tunnels, seven trestles, and one of the great rail-trail rides in America. Watson's sits about an hour west of the trailhead, on Rose Lake in Cataldo, Idaho.
The Trail at a Glance
The Route of the Hiawatha follows the historic Milwaukee Road railway corridor across the Bitterroot Mountains, dropping from East Portal in Montana down a steady 1.6 percent grade to Pearson, Idaho. The ride is fifteen miles end to end, mostly downhill, entirely on packed gravel and cinder. It is also one of only a handful of rail-trails inducted into the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame, and once you have ridden it, you understand why.
The marquee feature is the St. Paul Pass Tunnel, also called the Taft Tunnel. It runs 1.66 miles straight under the Bitterroots, crossing the Idaho/Montana state line in pitch dark. Riders carry lights and a layer because the tunnel sits at a steady 47 degrees year round, even when summer temperatures outside are in the eighties. There are nine more tunnels along the route and seven high steel trestles, including a few that carry you out across wide valley views with the forest spread out below.
Drive Time
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Tunnels & Trestles
What Makes It Special
The Hiawatha is not a hard ride. The grade is gentle, the surface is forgiving, and there is no traffic. Families with kids who can ride confidently, casual cyclists, and serious riders all share the trail. What sets it apart is the engineering. The Milwaukee Road built this line in the early 1900s as the shortest electric railway across the Rockies, and the trestles and tunnels that survived are still doing their work, carrying riders now instead of trains.
The Taft Tunnel is the moment most riders remember. You queue up at East Portal, switch on your lights, and ride into a wall of black. The temperature drops as soon as you cross the threshold. For roughly twenty minutes, your headlamp beam is the only thing you can see ahead, and the rumble of bike tires on cinder is the only sound. When you come out the other side, you are in Idaho, and the trestles begin.
Planning Your Ride
The 2026 season opens Friday, May 22 and runs seven days a week through Sunday, September 13, with a final closing weekend September 12 and 13. Trail hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. The trail closes for fall and winter for hunting season.
Trail passes, shuttle tickets, and bike rentals are all handled through Lookout Pass Ski Area at I-90 Exit 0 on the Idaho/Montana line, or online at ridethehiawatha.com. If 2026 pricing has not yet posted, the official site is the authoritative source. As reference, 2025 weekday trail-only passes were in the low teens with weekend and holiday combo passes (including shuttle) running roughly twenty-two dollars. Season passes are also available.
Required gear is straightforward: a helmet and a real headlight. The Hiawatha staff recommend at least 300 lumens, and they are not kidding. The Taft Tunnel is dark in a way most road riders have never experienced. A second light, clipped to the handlebar, is a smart backup. Bring a layer for the tunnels, water, snacks, and a spare tube. No dogs are permitted on the trail except service animals.
How the Shuttle Works
Most riders do the trail one direction, downhill from East Portal (or Roland) to Pearson, then ride the shuttle back up. The shuttle picks up at Pearson and runs riders and bikes back to Roland, near the western mouth of the Taft Tunnel. From there you have two choices: ride back through the tunnel to East Portal where you parked, or call it a day and drive out from Roland. Monday through Thursday the shuttle starts loading around 11 a.m. and the last shuttle of the day leaves at 4:15 p.m. Weekend timing is similar, but check the official site before you go.
From Watson's to the Trailhead
Watson's Lakefront Resort is in Cataldo, directly off I-90 at Exit 40. From the resort to the East Portal trailhead at Taft is about an hour east on I-90, exiting at Taft (Exit 5 on the Montana side). Plan to leave Watson's with breakfast, bikes, helmets, lights checked, layers in the bag, and a cooler in the car. Tunnel temperature surprises riders every season, so it is worth carrying a light fleece or windbreaker even on a hot day.
Lookout Pass, where you pick up passes and rentals if you did not buy online, is right at I-90 Exit 0 on the way in. Restrooms, fuel, and last-minute supplies are all there.
Pair It with the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
Many cyclists who plan a Hiawatha trip also ride the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, the 73-mile paved rail-trail that runs from Mullan to Plummer and passes within minutes of Watson's. The Hiawatha is the once-a-trip experience: dramatic, downhill, gravel, full of tunnels. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is the daily cruise: paved, flat, lake and river views, easy out-and-back rides from the resort. Combining the two over a three-day stay makes for one of the better cycling weekends in the West.
The official source for the Hiawatha is ridethehiawatha.com. The U.S. Forest Service Idaho Panhandle National Forests page at fs.usda.gov/r01/idahopanhandle has additional context on the surrounding trail system and access roads.
Stay at Watson's for Your Hiawatha Trip
An hour from the trailhead, with bike storage on site, real beds, hot showers, and garden-to-table dinner at Red's Tavern when you get back. Cabins for couples, the apartment for groups, dome and safari tent for something different.
Pair the Hiawatha with the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and dinner at Red's Tavern.