Traversing 73 miles through the wonderful wilderness of Idaho immersing itself between beautiful mountain scenery on one side and lake Coeur d’Alene on the other is the longest paved rail trail in the US, the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene. While there maybe a select few who know the secret of this trail, most will stumble upon its beauty because they were riding the Route of the Hiawatha and it was nearby so why not spend a day riding it just because they were there anyway. However after riding this trail, it becomes readily apparent this is no “tack onto something else” experience. The TCA rightly stands on its own as one of Americas top three rail trails.
After the Union Pacific railroad ceased operations in 1992 and removed the track, the heavy metal contamination remained unabated. Enter the Tribe of the Coeur d’Alene who filed a lawsuit in federal court to clean up the mess. Upon losing the suit, the Union Pacific teamed up with the Environment Protection Agency & the State of Idaho to remediate the damage caused by its operations. Over $30 million of railroad funds were used to remove the road bed, cap the area with fresh gravel and then cover it with asphalt. The result is 73 miles of smooth rolling rail trail that must be maintained in perpetuity by the Union Pacific precipitating a major win for the tribe, the people of Idaho and those of us committed to riding great trails along what used to be rails.
Early one bright, sunny and mostly smoke free morning, my ride started at the Cataldo Trailhead, continued to the Enaville Trailhead and ended after returning to the beginning of my ride. “Spectacular” fails to adequately describe the early morning magnificence I discovered along the Coeur d’Alene river as it flowed through forest & field on its way to Lake Coeur d’Alene. The following pictures provide a tantalizing taste of what has become one of my all time favorite rides.
The short 10 mile ride left me with almost the entire day to ride 8 miles along the lake between Harrison and Chatcolet. To say that this was the “stunning” portion of the ride would be a gross understatement.
OMG! No really, “Oh my God”!!!
A clear 3 mile wide blue water mountain lake running north/south while stretching over 25 miles on my left combined with gorgeous mountain scenery on my right under blue skies forced me to consider the possibility that I may have died and gone to bike riding heaven. This is one of those rides during which self imposed impressions alternate between “this is beautiful” & “is this really happening or a dream?” If only you could smell the pictures, hear the waves and feel the wind and sun on your face.
Just before the Chacolet trail head is a bridge that spans 3100 feet across the lake. It can be seen from miles away as a thin line between the eastern & western shores of the lake. Growing larger as one approaches it begging the question, “why would anyone build a bridge across the lake?” Is it like a chicken trying to get to the other side or just because this place is magic and that’s just the way things work here.
In the end I was too busy enjoyed the view, the day and the ride to care. In any case, ride the bridge if you ever come close to getting the opportunity. As the trail leaves the shoreline and the crossing begins something unusual about the bridge begins to reveal itself. The inclines leading to the bridge aren’t smooth curves, they undulate. So up a bit, level off, up a bit again, level off, a pattern that repeats itself until you reach the span. On the other side of the flat inside the bridge comes a repeat of the level off only this time its going downhill after the leveling off. Here’s a hint at the epiphany hidden in the bridge, it’s actually a bicycle rollercoaster in the middle of “gorgeous” and riding faster while highlighting the experience also tends to hasten it. So, ride faster then ride it again & again. I did and not only did I not regret it, I will never forget it.
Finally, some would argue there is no magic in the world anymore and if there is, it’s hard to find and fleeting at best. My advice to those folks would be to ride this trail; not only will you find the “hidden in plain sight” magic in this world but also the magic unrevealed within yourself.
