Find the top rated birding trails in Idaho, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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A lot of rough trail, would highly recommend at least fork suspension. Also a lot of total cell black zones, so have backup navigation and communication option if you’re worried. Long stretches are completely isolated and road is inaccessible, so if you need medical assistance or have a break down, it can be a long walk. Great variety of scenery, and all the small towns the trail passes through are good for an hour’s investigation and/or a meal, particularly in Midvale. Having just done the entire trail, I’d recommend Fruitvale to Tamarack and back for by far the best bang for your buck.
I did 22 miles total from Moscow to Troy. Palouse headwinds both ways so be advised. But it’s paved and in good condition. There is a section where maintenance did mow and left the tall grass trimmings laying on the trail for a couple miles. Not a big deal as the sun is drying it and it will be gone soon.
We had a great ride. Unfortunately there was smoke from wildfires. We rode down and back up; didn’t take the shuttle. We recommend not taking the shuttle. It is a very gradual grade. Be sure to have good lights. Wear layers; it’s cold in the tunnels. Finally watch for dangerous riders coming at you 2 and 3 abreast through the tunnels.
We loved this trail!! I would say it ranks up there with Hiawatha for scenery. We saw a cow moose and calf and SO many birds. The first time we did this trail, we started at Cataldo then about a mile or so into the trip there was a moose and calf in the left in the swamp. Beautiful, breathtaking scenery and in October the colorful leaves and weather are simply divine. ¿
For the sake of not giving too many spoilers, I’ll start by saying, you will NOT be disappointed with this. Just do this trail. By the end of the ride you’ll know what a Hiawatha stripe is. ;-) As a point of reference, I had no mountain biking experience. My family and I (4 kids in tow) did this in a day. We loved everything even the Rocky Mountain rain that drenched us from head to toe! A piece of advice for those hauling kids in bike trailers or pull-behinds. Have them wear goggles or something. Our mountain bikes were flinging mud all over the kids and it’s not fun when they get gravel in their eye. Lights are must, pretty sure they enforce it at the trailhead. We parked at the top and took the bus back up. The fellow who did our bus was very entertaining- had us laughing so much! On top of that he knew the area very well and gave lots of extra details, very interesting tidbits!
Stayed in Kellogg and rode most of the trail. First day Harrison-Plummer and back, then Harrison-Black Rock and back. Lots of dead trees from forest fires. Second day Kellogg-Black Rock and back then Kellogg - Osborn and back in the afternoon. Decided to skip I-90 part from Osborn to Mullan and went MTB instead for a day. Lots of wildlife - moose, birds, turkeys. Not very many people riding in the end of September especially during the week. Harrison-Plummer is probably the most scenic.
Loved this rail trail. The tunnels were a cool treat (especially on the way uphill) and the trestle bridges provided gorgeous views. We saw a few deer, a snake, and chipmunks along the trail. It’s 15 miles downhill and the. You can get a shuttle to take you back up or just ride your bike back up. The uphill is a continuous slow climb. We rented regular bikes from Lookout Pass and paid the extra money to have them transport the bikes to the trail for us. They do provide a free bike rack but our rental car didn’t have a spot for it. We rode downhill, then back up. Dropped our bikes off at the beginning of the trail and we were in our merry way.
First of all let me say I’ve been traveling the United States for two years now and ridden more than 60 rail trails with my wife. We were excited after hearing about this trail. We rode the trail on Friday and were required to buy shuttle tickets to bring us back to the top which we didn’t want. We have ebikes. Then they wanted an additional $10 because they were ebikes. We paid $60 for the privilege of riding their trail which included a shuttle service we didn’t want and couldn’t even use unless we gave them another $10. The trail itself is so bumpy my hands were knumb and the bathrooms are in the same condition.
As of today, September 4, 2021, the description of the Snake River Trail is out of date. There is now a continuous trail from Shoshone Falls on the East to Washington Street on the West. I’m not sure of the exact distance, but it’s at least 5 miles 1 way, maybe a little longer. I ride it several times a week, weather permitting. The ride up out of Shoshone Falls is quite steep with hairpin turns. I have an electric bike so I can do it easily, but would have a hard time otherwise. I’m a 72 year old female. Younger athletic folks with good bikes can come up with a bit of extensive effort.
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