Idaho | TrailLink

The " Great American" Route Through Idaho

Idaho is primed to carry the Great American Rail-Trail across its state, with the vast majority of the preferred route already existing. When complete, the trail will create a seamless connection from Mullan to Plummer and the Idaho-Washington border.

The host trails that make up a majority of this route include two Rail-Trail Hall of Fame trails: the NorPac Trail and the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes—the latter of which was part of a historic environmental mitigation and cleanup effort led by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Known for their exceptional views of the rugged and beautiful Idaho landscape, the trails have helped to spur outdoor tourism and recreation across the Idaho Panhandle.

Awesome Gradual Climb up the Mountain

July 2025 mileskfarnsworth

I rode this in the reverse direction from Taft to Mullan as part of a bikepacking trip in July 2025. The NorPac was one of the highlights of the trip, with smoother gravel than the Old Milwaukee Trail or the Route of the Olympian. From Taft (the freeway exit for the Hiawatha Route), the trail is fairly easy to find. Just go back on the frontage road past some large industrial buildings, and the trail will start up the mountain underneath I90.

The Borax Tunnel is indeed closed, however, it would be very difficult to even access it. The bypass road is very clearly the only route to take, and while steeper than the rest of the trail, it is not long or too steep (6-7% gradient). The original trail to the tunnel is blocked by a huge piles of old trees at the bottom and a large berm at the top.

Lookout Pass has a few snacks, similar to the East Portal trailhead of the Hiawatha. Staying on the gravel road on the otherside of the parking lot, it eventually narrows and once again you're descending on smooth dirt down the Idaho side. It would be difficult to get lost. There is a major junction with a hard right turn and another instance where the trail bypasses the Shoshone Park road.

If you're coming from the Idaho side to start, the easiest way to describe how to access the trail is to navigate to the Fish Hatchery, and then make a 90 degree turn to the left and enter the trail through the trees.

Fantastic North Idaho Gem

May 2026 acoxak

I rode this trail with a few friends on May 2-3 2026. We had breakfast at The Gateway cafe, which is in sight of the trailhead in Plummer, and I would definitely recommend. Their generous breakfast portions fueled us up for the trip ahead. We parked at the Plummer trailhead, and on the first day we rode all the way to Wallace, which is a cool town with a beautiful historic downtown. On the way, we stopped for lunch at the Timbers Roadhouse in Cataldo, which had some great sandwich options and worked well with our pacing for a lunch stop. For the ride, weather was perfect and we enjoyed amazing views and saw deer, turtles, birds, and a moose alongside the trail.

On the second day, we rode from Wallace to the Mullan trailhead in the morning before returning to Wallace to pack up our Airbnb. This section mostly follows the road, but is separate and in the trees enough to still be enjoyable. The ride back to Plummer was as good as the first day and we stopped in Harrison for lunch at the Lakeside Grill and ice cream at the Creamery, both places I'd recommend checking out if you find yourself in Harrison.

If you're planning to ride the full trail as we did, be sure to take as much water as you think you'll need, as well as some snacks to keep your energy up. The towns with resources are pretty far apart, so you don't want to be caught out unprepared.

Everyone in my crew thoroughly enjoyed the experience and agreed that this would be a great trail to ride again.