In 2017 I rode the first 2 or so miles west from St. Regis. It was so bad that I got on I-90 to Haugan. I picked up the trail again there and it was much better. About a mile after the trestle at Saltese there is a connector road that takes you down to the NorPac Trail. Took that trail all the way to Lookout Pass then descended on I-90 to Mullan to start the CdA Trail to Wallace.

In 2019 I did the Hiawatha after camping along the St. Joe about 8 miles east of Avery. The old right of way up to the Pearson trailhead was really nice. The Hiawatha itself was amazing, but I was like a salmon. I think I saw 3 other people heading up. Riding fully-loaded, I got a lot of looks from people going down.

There was a thread a year or two ago started by someone complaining about the trail use fee and the shuttle cost. (He was going to be in the area with his family.) I tried to convince him that it’s totally worth it, especially for the kids. Don’t know if he decided to open his wallet.

I have worked in the rail industry for more than 20 years. Riding the Hiawatha was a pilgrimage. I’ve also done the GAP a few times and the Mickelson once. The latter was a tough piece of railroad, reaching some 6,000’ in altitude at its highest point. The Hiawatha was even tougher, albeit lower, Think of what it took to build those trestles and dig those tunnels in the early 1900s.