Old Rail Route Being Turned Into New Trail Work Begins On 13-Mile Hike-Bike Path To Avery

Despite their efforts to promote one of the most unusual trails in Idaho, trail enthusiasts were barred from the route for three years.

On Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service opened the gates to give folks a glimpse of what’s to come.

This summer, workers will be installing guardrails and making other improvements to the Idaho side of the Route of the Hiawatha mountain bike and hiking trail.

“It’s been a long haul, but it looks like we’re finally there,” said Bill Dire, a Wallace bank manager and president of the Taft Tunnel Preservation Society. “Our whole organization is just ecstatic. There were times I wasn’t sure it would happen.”

Dire and owners of Lookout Pass Ski Area have been pushing for trail improvements since 1992, when they discovered the two-mile-long St. Paul Pass Tunnel and breathtaking mountain bike ride down the gentle railroad grade toward Avery, Idaho.

But while trail advocates pushed for promoting and improving the route, the U.S. Forest Service frowned on safety problems all along the 13-mile trail.

The old railroad grade passes through nine tunnels in various stages of decay and over nine high trestles, none of which has guardrails or other safety features.

The two-mile-long St. Paul Pass Tunnel, called the Taft Tunnel by locals, straddles the Idaho-Montana border and offers a challenging, dark and wet ride for mountain bikers.

The U.S. Forest Service blocked the tunnel in 1994, fearing drainage problems and aging would send chunks of rock and concrete crashing down on visitors.

“We’d like to take care of the problem before the decay moves into the crown of the tunnel,” said Jaime Schmidt, a Forest Service employee.

But the million-dollar tunnel repairs will have to wait.

The first phase of trail work calls for opening the Idaho side of the trail by next summer. One short tunnel on the trail will remain closed because it’s cost-prohibitive to fix it, Schmidt said.

Trail users can get to the east end of the Idaho trail - the west portal of the tunnel - on a road that crosses over St. Paul Pass.

While the trail is designed for mountain bikers and hikers, special use permits will be available for senior citizens, railroad enthusiasts and disabled people to drive the trail, Schmidt said.

This summer’s work is possible because of $450,000 earmarked by Congress. Aside from making the 13-mile trail safe, the money will be spent on trailhead facilities including toilets.

The next phase of the trail’s development will be to open the big tunnel.

The third phase will be to add interpretive signs on the history of the Milwaukee Road railroad line.

The fourth phase will be to make improvements to 10 miles on the Montana side of the trail from the St. Paul Pass Tunnel to St. Regis.

Only the first phase is funded, however.

The Taft Tunnel Preservation Society is looking for members and donations to help finance the work. The society also is selling T-shirts and railroad history books to raise money.

“There is enough money to get the trail open for people to ride on it next spring,” Dire said. “Once the trail gets open and we can get a lot more people experiencing this, I think we’ll get a lot more private and corporate donations.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Map of area

MEMO: For more information about the Taft Tunnel Preservation Society, call 208-556-1523.