‘Soft adventure’ beckons
ENAVILLE, Idaho – After a hard day on the trail, Nancy Sim appreciates a bit of pampering.
So during a 33-mile stretch of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, the 54-year-old inline skater was looking forward to dining at a nice restaurant that evening, and stretching out in a comfortable bed.
“You get the real hard workout during the day, but luxury at night,” explained Sim, a marketing director from Toronto. “After a hot shower and a good sleep, you’re willing to do it again the next day.”
The travel industry calls that pairing of comfort and workout “soft adventure.” And it’s spreading prosperity along the 73-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.
The rails-to-trails route — a ribbon of asphalt stretching across North Idaho from Plummer to Mullan — is in its third year of operation. Last year, the trail was traveled approximately 100,000 times by bike, foot, and skates. Though no detailed studies have been done on the trail’s economic impact, the anecdotal stories are promising, said Bill Scudder, the trail’s park manager.
“It’s exceeded our expectations,” he said. “We’re getting people from all over the world who hear about us and come to ride this.”
Demographically, the trail users make very attractive tourists. Sims paid $1,500 for a five-day inline skating tour arranged by Zephyr Adventures of Red Lodge, Mont. She’s in a group of 26 who will be skating the trail this week, along with a segment of the Centennial Trail. Next week, Zephyr is bringing a second group of skaters back to the area.
The skaters’ average age is 48. “We’re not getting young, 24-year-old hotrods,” said Allan Wright, the owner of Zephyr Adventures. “It’s a middle-age, more affluent demographic.”
On Wednesday night, the group stayed at the Wallace Inn. The tour also booked nights this week at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, Templin’s Resort in Post Falls and the Oxford Suites in Spokane.
At the Wallace Inn, 20 to 30 percent of the bookings during July and August are related to trail use, said Rick Shaffer, director of operations. Many of the visitors ride both the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and 14-mile Route of the Hiawatha in Shoshone County, another former railroad bed converted for mountain bike use.
“They’re good people and they’re fun,” Shaffer said. “They’re biking all day. They want nice accommodations, services and amenities and they’re willing to pay for them.”
Zephyr Adventures checked out the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes last year, and was impressed by the gentle grade, views of the Coeur d’Alene River, and the smooth surface. Inline skaters are picky about surfaces. But Joe Sabatini had only compliments for the state of the asphalt Wednesday.
“It’s so smooth that when you get a rhythm going, you never have to stop,” said Sabatini, a 64-year-old retired restaurant owner from Pennsylvania.
The group stopped for lunch at the Enaville Resort. A few minutes before 12 o’clock, Gary Passon, an associate tour guide, warned the lone waitress on duty that 26 skaters would be arriving in shifts over the next hour and a half.
The table on the front porch of the rustic log resort was already taken. It was occupied by four cyclists from Las Cruces, N.M., who were also riding the trail.