This is an awesome ride from the westernmost start at Rattlesnake Ledge all the way to the Renslow Trestle east of Ellensburg.

There's a few miles around Easton where someone in their "infinite wisdom" put the gravel on the trail so heavy that it made riding difficult, but it's doable.

Then there's the sand that the Army spread claiming "habitat restoration" from the Renslow Trestle across the last 20 miles to the Columbia River totally destroys the joy. Right, pure sand... does the Army think this is the Saharan Desert? To me, it seems pretty clear the Army did that in hopes to discourage bikers from crossing that section - you'll need fat tires to have any hope to ride it, and even then it will be a battle.

Forest fires still smoldering

Soft gravel and not very scenic from either side of CleElum. Rode 12 miles each direction. Could not sightsee as it was difficult to manage.

Glad we went on a weekday. And seeing 5 moose made our day. The bridge is awesome also. One of my very favorite rides.

Lots of detours! Nice view along the city river section but every direction there were detours. And then homeless coming out of the bushes.

Rode the trail in June, 2021 as the first leg of the 300k Bitterroot Loop. Left our car at Harrison, stayed overnight at the Lakeview Lodge, and rode next day from Harrison to Wallace. Stayed at the Wallace Inn & then next day continued East to Mullan, then continued on Nor Pac & Olympian trails to Haugan. Trail surface was paved & very smooth, no problem for road bikes. Great views of Coeur D'Alene Lake & River. If it fits with your schedule, ride on a weekday, it will be less crowded.

I love this ride. Rode the whole trail over several weekends, broken up into chunks. I'd go 20 miles out – 20 miles back. You are mostly out in nature on this trail. I've seen moose, deer, lots of ducks and geese, cranes, coyote, etc.. Along the way are plaques explaining highlights and history of the area. And should you need, there are clean restrooms and benches and tables (in the shade) along the way. Be sure to treat yourself to a refreshing stop in Harrison, Enaville, Cataldo, Kellog, and Wallace. I planned my bike ride so I'd hit a cafe in one of these towns at just the right time to refresh myself with a cold beer and pulled-pork sandwich. I plan to ride this trail, or at least sections of it, once every year.

I have ridden this trail twice. Very nice,relaxing,simply fantastic but that Harrison to Plummer section is one long uphill. The ice cream store in Harrison a wonderful break spot. I wish this trail was closer to my residence. Trail of the Hiawatha is also quite nice but buy or rent a very good light which WILL make or break your ride. All in all, these places are definite bucket list rides you do not want to miss!!

Well, the good thing about this trail is that it's paved and smooth. Otherwise, the trail is rather bleak, no scenery to speak of, unless you like highways. The Coeur d' Alene part is pretty much a frustration of cross traffic, stoplights, and more traffic. If you start off in Coeur d' Alene heading north, watch for right turn traffic at all the stoplights. Once you're away from CdA and past Hayden you lose the cross traffic and the ride proceeds with few interruptions. In Athol, the trail begins/ends at the Super 1. In CdA the trail begins/ends in some parking lot off Haycraft Ave. If you want to skip all the traffic lights and traffic you can start your ride from the Prairie Shopping Center. You won't miss much. Or go one block east to Government Way and ride that from Appleway to Prairie Ave. And you may want to plan your ride on a cool day. There is no shade on this route. There is a detour at E. Garwood for about a mile or so. (At least at the time of this writing.) Taken on a cool day and skipping the traffic in CdA it can be a nice straight forward ride.