Route of the Hiawatha

The Route of the Hiawatha is a 15 mile trail in the Bitterroot Mountains. Most of the trail is in Idaho but a portion is in Montana. It is well known for its 9 tunnels and 7 steel trestles. The first tunnel at the top of the trail is known as the Taft Tunnel and is 1.6 miles long. It is cool, wet and dark. You will need lights. Rental lights are only about 250 lumens, not very bright. If you choose to bring your own brighter light be very careful to not blind any riders riding in the opposite direction.

I rode the trail in September 2021. I used a bike rented from the ski area operators. The rental included a light for the tunnels. I also had a second light for the handlebars plus one for my helmet. The surface is packed dirt. It is very dusty, more than most trails. The rental bike was caked with dust making the shifting difficult. This is not a serious issue since the downhill incline is fairly consistent. It does become very important if you intend to ride back up. Be sure your bike shifts before you start down the trail.

An experienced rider that has ridden in tunnels will find the ride fun. If you have never ridden in the dark or in a tunnel you may be a bit stressed at first. After the first tunnel, the remaining tunnels are shorter and not so dark. The views from the trestles are awesome. The Kelly Creek trestle is 850 feet long and 230 feet high. Spectacular scenery means a bucket list worth experience that you will remember for many years. This is certainly a destination trail. It is included in Rails to Trails Hall of Fame.

There are several things to know if you would like to ride this trail. The trail is operated by the Lookout Pass Ski Area. It is also operated much like a ski area. You need a pass to ride on the trail. Only the east end of the trail is accessible. This entire trail is downhill to the end where a shuttle is available to return you to the top, for a fee. The drop off for the return shuttle is below the first tunnel so you will need to ride the long tunnel again to get back to your starting point. They offer equipment rental, bikes and lights, for a fee. Operating season is limited and generally runs from late May to late September but may be adjusted due to snow or other weather conditions. Hours of operation are limited. They sweep the trail (check for people) at the end of each day.

Make note that the trail spans two time zones. Be sure to note the time zone for hours of operation and other time considerations.

For more information visit the ski area's web site for the trail: ridethehiawatha.com or the US Forest Service site

Watch a video of my ride through the first tunnel, the 1.6 mile Taft Tunnel on my YouTube channel: Mark's Bike Tock 

Here is more of the ride: Mark's Bike Tock

Fish Lake Trail

Fish Lake Trail is a 9 mile paved trail starting on the southwest edge of Spokane, WA. This is an out and back since it ends in a dead end on the southern end. The northern end trailhead is at 47.64720, -117.45283. This flat, mostly shaded trail was a pleasure to ride. I rode in September of 2021.

More information may be found at Washington Trails Association or City of Spokane PDF.

Watch a video of my ride on my YouTube channel.

Duke Farms

Duke Farms is a privately owned nature preserve that has 12 miles of roads for cycling spread across 1000 acres. Several additional miles of roads are for walking only. The property has 9 man made lakes some including waterfalls. They host educational programs and research. The car free, beautifully landscaped roads make for some of the most pleasant cycling I have experienced.

The property is open for visits Tuesday to Saturday from 8:30 to 6:00. Visiting is free but Saturdays requires a timed ticket. The property includes a farm to table café and a bike share program. There is a parking lot near the main building at 1112 Dukes Parkway West, Hillsborough, NJ. The preserve is across the road. There is a traffic light and crossing guard to enhance safety. Paper maps are available or you can download their app.

I visited Duke Farms in August of 2021.

For more information visit dukefarms.org You can also find Duke Farms on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram.

For a video of my bike ride visit my YouTube channel Mark's Bike Tock

Henry Hudson

 I rode a short portion of the Henry Hudson Trail in August of 2021. The section is the southern most portion from Big Brook Park to Freehold, NJ. There is a gap in the trail above Big Brook. This section of trail is paved and mostly smooth. There are a few sections where roots create some bumps but if you pay attention, these are not a serious issue.

I rode midafternoon and didn’t see much wildlife. I did see two deer, and both seemed accustomed to people. They let me get very close before running off. The southern part of the ride nearest Freehold was nicely shaded. The portion closer to Big Brook Park was open and sunny.

I parked on the Freehold end but had a bit of trouble finding parking. I had used navigation to get to the trailhead but that took me to the end of the trail. This was just a road intersection without any parking. I eventually found a spot about ¼ mile up the trail at 40.27096,-74.25926. This was the parking lot of a Monmouth County police training facility. I did not see any amenities at this end of the trail. Big Brook Park on the other hand had plenty of parking, a porta potty, a map/bulletin board and a bike repair stand.

Along the trail there were several road crossings but only one was a major road. There was an incident as I was crossing that road. See 24:30 on the video below. There were a couple of spurs on the trail that were not signed. I had to open maps, bike layer on my phone to distinguish between the main trail and the spur to navigate. The segment was only 5.5 miles but that was all I had time for on this trip anyway. It was an enjoyable hour of riding. I hope to get a chance to ride more of this planned 24 mile trail in the future. Most of it is done now but two gaps remain. The northern end is near Sandy Hook, another nice ride.

For more information visit the Monmouth County Parks website.

For a video of my ride watch it on Mark's Bike Tock YouTube channel.

Alum Creek Trail

 

I was in Columbus, OH and had a bit of time so I checked a map and found a promising bike trail along Alum Creek, aptly named Alum Creek Trail. I parked in Wolfe Park and randomly headed north. The trail was paved and crossed Alum Creek several times. I was able to spot a variety of wildlife including turtles, heron and deer. One of the deer was a large buck; I counted 8 points.

When I rode the trail in July, 2021 there was some construction adjacent to the trail. It appeared they were working on a water line. The trail was open despite the construction. Some of the equipment was noisy but it didn't seem to bother the wildlife.

There were plenty of signs for wayfinding, overview maps, safety information and historical information. I only covered about 7 miles of trail but found several porta potties, a bike repair station and other amenities. I turned around at the CESA Soccer Fields across the creek from Champions Golf Course. I would have liked to explore the entire 25 miles of the trail plus many of the connecting trails.

More information about the trail may be found on the city’s website.  You can also watch a video of my ride on my YouTube channel, Mark’s Bike Tock.