Explore the best rated trails in Saint Regis, MT, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Coeur d'Alene Trail and NorPac Trail . With more than 7 trails covering 3926 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Be sure to plan around wildfire smoke in the late summer.
Rode this trail in three segments with the Road Scholar group in early September. Beautifully maintained
If you want smaller crowds, come in September and be at the trail at 8:30am. This way I was pretty much the first to ride and third in the line for the shuttle at the bottom. First shuttle is at 11:45 so you don’t have to hurry. Do bring lights and warm jacket, it is chilly in the mountains and even colder in Tuft tunnel. I am disappointed that someone gave the trail one star. Seriously, pave it for “experienced riders” so “they can ride on road bikes”? It is a mountain wilderness trail, that’s the beauty of it. And yes, families also have rights to enjoy it. Besides, get hybrid bike and ride up, I have seen quite a few people doing it. If you want paved, CDA trail is like 10 miles away, all 90 miles of it.
Despite the name NorPac, the trail doesn't always follow the NorPac rail. Sometimes if follows the NorPac access road. Sometimes it follows the forest service roads created on the old NorPac rail line. Sometimes it follows forest service/County roads that don't have anything to do with the rail line. The maps of the route vary greatly. The one here on TrailLink seems as close as it could be. It matches what Garmin put into their biking map in the bike computer. It was easier to follow the Garmin map than any of the others. Most of the signs pointing out the route are gone so if you don't have a bike computer like the Garmin, it can be difficult to figure out where the trail goes in a couple spots like the pass, Taft, and Saltese. The Borax tunnel is collapsing so there is a bypass route. It's easy to find, just turn on the road when the big sign says road closed. You can still ride down to the tunnel to see the Borax tunnel. It's easier to see the collapsing from the bottom end of the tunnel. If you are coming from Mullan, the trail head from Larsen to the Yellowstone trail trailhead is really hard to find. Just get to the sign about the Hale Fishery and turn left. There is a good signage where it crosses the road to the snowmobile parking area/Yellowstone trail. The road was not difficult to ride. There are a lot of potholes but they are easy to get around. There are a couple of places where I'm not sure what the road builders for the forest service were thinking. With the exception of the bypass at the Borax tunnel, it's all easy to bike in both directions. The Borax Tunnel bypass is easy to bike down but going up is a hike-a-bike section. It's not long. The pass going from Mullan to Saltese is confusing if you don't have a map on your bike computer. The actual trail goes through the equipment parking area. The paved road to the left will get you down the pass to Taft, but it is not the trail. The trail swings out to some beautiful scenery, the paved road follows I-90 for the most part so it's noisy and not the best paved road I've ever ridden. At Saltese you can jump up to the Route of the Olympian. Do it at the sign about 1/2 mile before Saltese. Doing the hike-a-bike up the road at the trestle in Saltese is quite the uphill push. There is a sign telling you where to go up to access the upper route. It's a sign for four wheel vehicles, not bikes, so be aware of that. From there to St. Regis, the Route of the Olympian is fairly level, slightly downhill, and follows the St. Regis river for the most part. I parked at Taft and road up and over to Mullan so the trail made more sense. Then I biked back to St. Regis. 64 miles total but two beautiful trails. Neither trail had much traffic but they did have some so keep an eye out. In 64 miles I saw three ATVs and one group of six dirt bikes. Not much at all for that distance. I did ride on a Sunday so I expected more. I don't know how to post photos so some of this would be more clear. It was quite enjoyable and I'll likely do it again next year.
This is my top 5 of all time bike trails. It is paved and goes 73 miles one way. There are bathrooms every so many miles and fantastic views. There is a bridge with look out and other beautiful lake views. A must see trail!!
This trail had been on my bucket list since we rode down to the tunnel from the Hiawatha trailhead in 2017. That was at the tail end of our trip and we had run out of time to explore. Today we finally got to do at least part of the Olympian on our gravel tandem. We parked in Haugan and rode up to East Portal, then back down past Haugan about two miles, stopping for ice cream at the colorful trailer with the M&M's theme along the trail back at Haugan. Having sampled it six years ago and being experienced gravel riders, we pretty much knew what to expect in terms of difficulty and trail characteristics. The trail was in good shape overall; the section up to Saltese was a little chunkier than north of Saltese but we easily managed with our tubeless Maxxis Ramblers, 700x50c. The southern section also had numerous low spots, not really potholes, but they do give you a good jolt if you hit them wrong. They were pretty easy to steer around in most cases. The short section just north of Saltese trestle up to the new NORPAC trail access road is a different texture of rock--coarser and a little bigger--and it shook the bike pretty noticeably but again, very manageable. Speaking of Saltese trestle, it seems to be in pretty good shape; the gravel is deeper than on the trail itself but it's easily rideable. Glad to hear of the preservation efforts the locals have undertaken there, I'd say it looks succesful. Dominion Creek Trestle is just breathtaking and it's my new favorite. So peaceful and scenic. Tunnel 19 was a bit muddy at the south entrance so we elected to walk our bike through it both ways just to try and stay a bit cleaner. After reaching East Portal and resting for a short time we bombed back downhill and went past Haugan about 2 miles just because we felt like it. Along the way we encountered several ATV's, all of which were very courteous to us and very friendly. We also met another local couple riding their mountain bikes on the trail and had a nice visit with them as well. All in all, a great day on a fabulously scenic trail! Next trip we will do the remainder down to St. Regis.
My husband and I went on a biking vacation and rode most of this trail. Absolutely fantastic! Frequent restrooms along the route was a pleasant surprise. The views were amazing and the trail was clean of trash and homeless camps. Loved every minute of it. Stayed in an airBnb right on the trail which was so convenient. A+ rating for the trail. Fully paved and an easy ride.
Surprised to see this amazing trail that has great bed and breakfasts along it is not noted as part of the Great American Rail Trail. It sure would help demonstrate more GART completion if it was.
We rented bikes to ride(lrented ugh Less than ideal) but also got a permit for the ride and we paid for the shuttle. Best bike experience ever. Although the staf was friendly , things were not Ideal the bikes were in poor condition . we ended up driving our own truck with their rented bike to the trailhead. Right away you need a head lamp and flashlight to enter the first longest dark tunnel...which was amazing. Then we passed over the absolute highest tresseel bridges I ever been on which was spectacular. the weather was perfect. I would love to go again. I would prefer to bring my own bike---knowing my bike breaks and seat was comfortable for me..This ride we took our time and made numerous stops to drink and take pics so it was all day for us.
Wife and I went on our first exclusive trip just to complete the entire trail both ways. We completed over three days and enjoyed every minute of it. Scenery is beautiful. Loved riding easy grade paved trail along rivers, lake, and hills. Would highly recommend this ride.
With what they charge to ride this loose gravel trail, and the huge number of novice cyclists, families with infants in bike trailers and couch potatoes who need an electric bike with huge tires and an extra-wide seat to ride downhill, this thing should be paved. It's more of an amusement park attraction than a bike trail, so give the public what they look for in a Disneyland-like experience! They should re-invest their obvious huge profits in paving and more frequent shuttle services. If it wasn't loose gravel, experienced cyclists would ride it in both directions and not end up at the bottom, in lines 200 yards long, in the midday sun, with no shade, with all the young families with crying children, waiting for the bus that takes them back to the parking at the top. Or at least, stop selling tickets to ride down, when the line at the bottom is out of control. And despite what the promotional material says, do not attempt the descent on a road bike. It is by no means, "packed gravel." It is very loose and very dangerous on tall, skinny, high PSI tires. What could have been a glorious experience in breathtaking surroundings was ruined by the mess this "organization" has created.
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