Wood River Trail
ID - 36.1 miles
Surfaces: Asphalt
This is an update to my review of last year. The ride is still great and the same as I described then except that last fall's washout mentioned by TrailLink is indeed very serious. I checked it out yesterday. I talked to two bikers that lifted their lightweight road bikes over the barrier blocks on the west end of the washout but there was no way I could do that with my heavier 60 lb eBike.
Besides that, and more important, walking your bike along what's left of the trail is very dangerous. It is narrow (1-2 ft) and one slip and you are in the river, fatally for your bike if not you as well. On top of all that I had to fight blackberry brambles all along the washout edge. I only did it because I did not realize that once you start you are commited -- there is no way to abort and turn your bike around.
I strongly recommend NOT starting at Trafton -- unless you detour out to the highway and back (there are 2 roads available to do that). Instead start at Miller Shingle trailhead (35.5 mile round trip to Darrington) or, as I did yesterday, at a small (half dozen vehicle) parking lot at the west end of the Cicero Bridge (40.8 mile round trip), where you can access the trail (the short paved section of it). Alternatively there is some parking along the highway just beyond the east end of the bridge but you have to ride back across the bridge to access the trail.
We took this trail from our RV campsite in West glacier through the town of West glacier across the bridge where it’s a dirt road or just a quarter of a mile in a paved road all the way to Apgar then we rode through the campground and back absolutely gorgeous ride
We recently moved from Tennessee and this trail really surpassed all expectations. It was really well maintained and quite beautiful. It was an easy ride it’s nice and flat even though it’s tucked in the rolling hills of Guernsey County. This trail definitely rivals any you will find in Tennessee. Overall it was a wonderful experience.
The trail is a nice trail through the woods and connects to Rock Creek park.As others have mentioned, many people let their dog off leash and get annoyed when asked to leash their dogs. The trail is not good for cyclists as it is very rutted with many tree roots and easily flooded after heavy rains. The trail also has a very steep hill for most of it’s length.
Trail near Bonneville has 2 closures as of June 2026, one due to landslide, and another for new bridge construction. So, this segment has very limited continuous miles to ride. But the 2 miles west of Cascade Locks is very nice.
I have been going to different trails around my area and this was by far the nicest even with no pavement just a nice ride
We rode our tandem from GW springs to Aspen and back and had a great time. This is a well maintained trail with beautiful scenery. Strava stats were 83 miles and 3100 vertical feet.
We started downtown and rode out 25 miles and back. Lots invested in this concrete trail and well maintained.
We started at the north end and rode to Peru and found out the trail has been closed south of Peru for a few months because of a wildfire and standing burnt trees next to the trail. While it is only closed to honey creek the route around on county roads to get to Brownville adds quite a bit of climbing.
This trail is wider than most with pavement in great shape and park like maintenance.
We stayed in Preston overnight and the rode 6.7 miles of this trial to access the Root River trail and then east to Peterson and back for a 50 mile ride. While not as wide and well maintained as the root river trial this is still a nice shady trail with pleasant river views and Preston is a good Lodging option for the root river trail. Stayed at the Jailhouse Inn. The owners are very welcoming and the breakfast is top notch.
A great easy cruising trail. Wider than most and well maintained. Lots of shade but you can still get views of farms, hills, and the river.
Significant improvements to marking hazards (like dips, bumps and breaks in the pavement are painted with warning as to what is coming. You still have to slow through some sections. Vernonia to canyon section still has some issues with bridge/ trail transitions but effort to lessen the drop off or jumps up to bridge surface greatly improved. As I ride recumbent tadpole trike I found the switch backs In an out of the canyon require a slow approach and a watchful eye for rider coming g down at you. Some of the corner took the complete width of the trail to get around on the trike. I suspect a tandem would require getting off the trike to reposition the trike. The section from Stan Strward State park down to Buctonis by far the best pavement on the entire route. Particularly the section as you come off the hill foow. Intonation. Which has been reps ex .
We rode the trail from the trail head on the far South End (Pymosa) to Audubon and back.
Highlights: Very Flat, the old trestle midway where the trail diverted was very cool to see. Nice stretch around Exira.
For awareness: The Asphalt is very cracked in a majority of the trail. You can see efforts to repair and smooth it out but still some 2-3 inch cracks for most of the trail.
We enjoyed the trail, the small towns and drove over to Elk Horn for the Dambo troll after riding as a bonus.
Love this trail but rode today between Riley and Brigham County Park and found the trail to be in extremely rough shape on either side of Mt. Horeb. Lots of ruts, giant holes and loose sand. Slow your roll and pay attention to utility flags and sticks identifying some of the bigger holes. Stay safe!
