August 31, 2024—Every summer, I try to visit a new place in which to explore outdoor recreation possibilities. This year, my annual trip coincided with my annual bike rides in support of kids’ cancer research. I wanted to find a scenic location to kick off my annual rides where I could also cover a lot of riding miles. The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes fit that requirement.
Considered one of the top 20 rails-to-trails bike paths in the country and a Hall of Fame Rail Trail, the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes was calling my name soon after I first read about it. I felt that I had to explore the trail for myself to see if all the hype was true. The prospect of seeing moose along the trail also enticed me further.
About the Trail
The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes is a 73-mile-long, paved, multi-use trail that runs from Plummer to Mullan in the Idaho panhandle. It is situated along an former Union Pacific Railroad line. The rail bed had been constructed using contaminated mine tailings and waste rock from the silver mines near Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho. Before the multi-use trail could be constructed, the contaminated rail bed had to be removed through a partnership between the Union Pacific Railroad, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, U.S. government, and state of Idaho. The trail surface is thick to protect users from the contaminated soil underneath it, and users are advised not to venture off the trail except at the designated rest stops for that very reason.
The well-maintained trail takes users through forests, over the 3,178-foot-long Chatcolet Bridge spanning the southern arm of Lake Coeur d’Alene, along wetlands and marshes teeming with wildlife, including moose, and through the historic mining towns of Kellogg and Wallace.
Setting Out on My Ride
My plan was not to ride the entire trail, as time and the Cycle Haus shuttle schedule didn’t afford me the necessary time to complete the 73 miles. Instead, my ride would take me from Chatcolet to Bull Run Lake and back, which I considered the more scenic sections of the trail and included views of the southern arm of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Coeur d’Alene River. This stretch is also where riders spotted most of the moose. Eleven miles past Bull Run Lake, the trail passes under Interstate 90 at the town of Cataldo. The trail from that point on parallels the freeway to the trail’s end in Mullan. I didn’t want to listen to freeway noise, so I chose to avoid riding that stretch of the trail. The whole trip distance out to Bull Run Lake and back measured 52 miles and would make this bike ride my longest ever.
Not soon after hopping onto my bike at 7:20 a.m., I was crossing the St. Joe River channel and Round Lake by way of the Chatcolet Bridge. This was the only section of my ride where I did any climbing. The design of the bridge ramps is ingenious. They are staggered so that the ramp climbs a little bit, flattens out a bit, before climbing again. This staggered design benefits cyclists who are not very strong, especially young children riding up to the bridge deck.
I stopped on the bridge to take in the vastness of the lake. Lake Coeur d’Alene is a narrow but long natural lake. The lake increased in size with the building of the Post Falls Dam on the Spokane River that resulted in submerging Round Lake and Chatcolet Lake.
A little over a half mile, I exited the bridge and was now on the eastern bank of Lake Coeur d’Alene and headed for Harrison, eight miles away. Between the bridge and Harrison, I had two female white-tailed deer and several wild turkeys cross my path—my first wildlife sightings of the day.
I arrived in Harrison about 40 minutes after setting out on my ride. Harrison is a small town on the bank of the Coeur d'Alene River. I planned to stop in the town on the way back to check it out, but right now I was in a hurry to ride to Anderson Lake and Medimont where most of the moose sightings occurred. I was confident that if I was going to see moose it would be along the 10-mile section of the trail between Harrison and Medimont.
All along the trail, riders, walkers, rollerbladers, and other trail users will find plenty of rest stops with picnic tables or benches. These rest stops allow you to relax, stretch, eat some food, and view and photograph wildlife, and many include vault toilets.
Anderson Lake was the first lake I came to outside of Harrison. I slowed down to keep a watchful eye out for moose. I did spot a large beaver lodge in the lake, but sadly no moose. Other cyclists had spotted moose on the trail by the lake. I slowly rode on hoping my luck would change.
Farther down the trail, wetland remediation work was being done to clean up soil contamination and restore a section of marsh. There was heavy equipment along the trail, so that section wasn’t particularly scenic. I’m sure that will change once the remediation work is complete.
Shortly past the remediation work, in a marsh to the left of the trail, I spotted a herd of deer feeding in the tall marsh grasses. They were difficult to spot in the tall grass, their heads just barely poking above the tips of the grass. I was beginning to get disappointed I had yet to spot any moose.
My disappointment soon turned to joy when, just past the marsh where I had spotted the deer, I discovered three moose off in the distance in a pasture. They were too far to really capture on the video I was shooting of my ride, but I had brought along my good camera with a 300mm lens, so I was able to get a closer view of the moose, still not as good as I would have liked.
I continued farther down the trail and after 22 miles of riding reached the Bull Run Lake trailhead. I bumped into other cyclists there who had just returned from their ride. One of them mentioned to me that he had spotted a moose earlier standing on the trail next to Anderson Lake. The moose remained on the trail for about 20 minutes, he reported. I had missed out on seeing that moose because I came through that area later.
After a snack and short break, I turned around and headed for Harrison. Clearings along the trail gave me some nice views of the Coeur d’Alene River. I was starting to feel the miles after having ridden for 40 miles.
I finally reached Harrison, where I stopped for lunch at One Shot Charlies. The place was busy, the bike rack at the restaurant just about full. I managed to find the last remaining spot in the rack to leave my bike and went inside for a nice meal.
Following lunch, I went next door to get an ice cream at the Harrison Creamery and Fudge Factory. I feverishly licked the ice cream cone as the heat was quickly melting the ice cream.
After checking out the town a little, I retrieved my bike and headed back to Anderson Lake with the hopes that I might see a moose up close. While hanging out at the lake, my phone kept blowing up with emergency alert notifications. I didn’t bother to look at my phone, and perhaps I should have because the emergency alert notifications were alerting people near the town of Plummer to be ready to evacuate due to a wildlife burning just nine miles from my campsite.
I waited alongside the lake for two years. Having no luck at seeing any more moose, I decided to head back to the campground. The fire near Plummer was by then under control and the evacuation preparation notice lifted. After riding 54 miles, I ended my ride where I had started.
It was too hot when I got back to the campsite to do much of anything else, so I spent the remainder of the day just relaxing.
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