Hiawatha Bike Trail - WITH KIDS!
The Route of the Hiawatha is a 15-mile, mostly downhill, scenic bike trail located in the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho- Montana border. It is famous for its 10 dark tunnels (including the 1.7-mile-long St. Paul Pass Tunnel) and 7 massive, sky-high trestle bridges.
We planned this trip about 2 weeks before we left. It has been on our bucketlist for years and we were finally going to make it happen. My friend brought her 3 youngest kids, I brought my 2 youngest and we hit the road from Utah, to Idaho, to Montana where we stayed the night in Missoula, then up to the tip of Idaho-Montant boarder to ride the Hiawatha Trail. Back to Missoula for the night and back home! We did the trip in 3 days. One day up, one day for the trail and exploring Missoula, and one day back home.
I was worried it would be too long of a drive for the kids (age 4-12) but they did great! Its a beautiful drive!
I am not a bike rider, so I was a little nervous if we could do this trail, especially the kids, but it's slightly downhill the entire way, so you barely have to peddle. Its also so slights that I only used the brakes twice.
Things I would pack again:
I did wear padded shorts which helped a ton! Brit didn't and she was dying a few miles in.
Brit had a rain jacket with a hood, which I wish I had HERE.
I had a waterproof jacket that was lined in fleece, SUPER warm and kept me dry HERE.
We brought glow sticks for the tunnels, the kids LOVE this.
The tunnel is pitch black. You must have lights.
Your hands get shockingly tired of holding the handle bars, gloves helped a lot, especially in the cold tunnel.
Stay dry and stylish with this packable rain jacket. Perfect for bike rides!
These bike lights are a game changer for night rides. Safe and bright!
You will need a bag with water, snacks, and your jacket/poncho/sunglasses/sunscreen.
These gloves are great for keeping my hands warm on those chilly days!
These glow sticks are perfect for any party! They last hours and are non-toxic. Fun for all ages!
And lastly, be sure to wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty. Even on a sunny day, the tunnel is wet and cold. If you ride fast, you will get muddy.
The trail begins with this 1.7 mile tunnel that is 44 degrees year round. If it's hot out, it might be a nice reprieve from the heat, otherwise, bring a jacket you can put in your bag.
We rented bikes because we couldn't bring 8 bikes with us, and we didn't want to deal with it. Brit brought her ebike with the kids seat for her 4 yr old. They did have tag along bikes for kids and trailers for little kids, but she was more comfortable with her bike.
The tagalongs a hard to ride if you arent used to it. But all of our other kids did great on the rentals. (rental info below).
Rentals came with a light, helmet, and bike. They have bike racks for rent to get to the trailhead, or they can take your bikes and drop them off for you.
They will also provide a shuttle pass if you don't have an ebike and want a ride back to the top. This is what we did. It was awesome!
We rode on a beautiful day in mid July and did experience some rain. Luckily it wasn't bad, but we did have a slight drizzle the entire day. Definitely pack a rain jacket or pancho if rain is in the forecast. The rain added a moody atmosphere with the low clouds. It was SO dreamy! 
The views were stunning!
This is the trail. You do need a trail pass, even if you bring your own bikes. (scroll to bottom for passes and details)
Lunch break! You will get muddy! Be prepared, I brought a garbage back to put our shoes and jackets in for the ride home.
Absoluely insane views!
Everyone loved it! Tired and happy, we made it to the end of the trail and got in line for the shuttle. It was about a 30-40 min wait. They did have hot dogs and snacks available for purchase, if you need food after your ride. They also have trail riders that make sure everyone is ok, they will stop and fix your bike if you have troubles.
After the trail, we opted to take the shuttle back to the parking lot. You have to buy you pass ahead of time, so be sure to plan for that. They load your bike and drive you the 15 minutes back to the first tunnel, you ride through the tunnel one last time, back to the parking lot. We left our bikes at the parking lot, since they were rentals, and a service picked them up there. It was definitly worth not having to load them up and drive them back to the rental location.
Wells got the most dirty, he was purposely riding thru puddles and going fast, I warned him, but he didn't care. Luckily it was just mud and it cleaned up in the wash
What to Bring
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Trail passes, bike rentals, and shuttles available HERE
You can take your own bike but you still need a trail pass.
Passes are cheaper on line if purchased at least 2 days ahead of time.
Getting There
Final Thoughts
It was definitly worth not having to load them up and drive them back to the rental location.Wells got the most dirty, he was purposely riding thru puddles and going fast, I warned him, but he didn't care. Luckily it was just mud and it cleaned up in the wash .
