Trail of the Couer d’Alenes
Can you say: tranquil days of endless carving?
TrikkeWorld proudly presents our brand new feature, Trailsnet Trikke Trails, featuring great trails for Trikke riders, written by Trikke Trainer Kevin Purdy of Trailsnet.com, the most Trikke-friendly trail site on the Internet. Find trails and add your own at Trailsnet.
For our first installment of Trailsnet Trikke Trails, we journey to northern Idaho for a trip down the Trail of the Coeur d’ Alenes. If you’ve never carved the “Heart of an Awl,” you’ve never really carved. What’s not to love about 73 miles of smooth, Trikke-a-licious trail that hugs gorgeous lakes and rivers in northern Idaho? If you enjoy wide trails, fabulous scenery, and tranquil days of endless carving, then this trail may become your new favorite Trikke path. [See slideshow at the end of this story.]
Extending from the town of Mullan, Idaho, in the east, to Plummer in the west, the trail of the Coeur d’ alenes is built on remnants of the old Union Pacific Railway. As many rail-trail fans out there realize, this means the entire trail has a gentle grade that’s especially friendly for Trikke riders. If you start the trail in Mullan, you’ll be in for a downhill ride for the vast majority of your carving experience.
You’ll never grow tired of the scenery as you wind your way through the Silver Valley, all the way down to the massive Lake Coeur d’ Alene. Some of the highlights of the trip include wildlife viewing, drop-dead river views, and fantastic bridge crossings, including a one-of-a-kind trip over the Chatcolet Bridge on Lake Coeur d’ Alene.
In the unlikely event you grow weary of nonstop carving on the Trail of the Coeur d’ Alenes, other opportunities abound. You can visit the famous Route of the Hiawatha Trail, just to the east of Coeur d’ Alene. Although not a great path for carving, the Hiawatha is marvelous for biking and hiking.
However, if you want to stay on your Trikke for the entire excursion, head on over the Washington State border (just barely) and visit the Spokane Centennial Trail. It’s a great mix of rural, suburban and urban carving. But I’ll tell you more about that trail in another installment of Trailsnet Trikke Trails on TrikkeWorld. In the meantime, think seriously about visiting northern Idaho for your next Trikke trip. You’ll be glad you did.
More about Kevin Purdy and why he created Trailsnet:
Colorado Trikke Trainer Kevin Purdy is blazing trails
More Trailsnet Trikke Trails:
Georgia trail meets Alabama trail for 100 miles of smooth carving
Washington, D.C. trail is both patriotic and peaceful
Also:
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About Kevin Purdy
