Riding the Route of the Hiawatha in Northern Idaho!

After a few weeks in Washington, we headed back to Idaho, but this time to the Northern part of the state to ride the Route of the Hiawatha. This 15 mile trail (one way) has 10 train tunnels and 7 trestles and has been named a "Hall of Fame" trail by the Rail-to-Trail Conservancy.
Since we do not own bikes, we rented eBikes, which proved to be a bit tricky to get into the van, and had the BEST time pedaling down the trail and then using the power to get us back up. The Route of the Hiawatha is so beautiful and unique and we had such a fun day!
NOTE: eBikes with throttles are allowed on the Route of the Hiawatha. Their website says they are not, but we spoke with the bike rental company and they confirmed that they were voted in last October at the state level, but the trail website has not been updated.
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ABOUT US
Hi y’all! We’re Adam, Kathryn, and Kona, an adventurous married couple (+ pup!) living on the road in our self-converted sprinter van! You can often find us driving all around the US and Canada, scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (we're a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature.
We created Adventures of A+K to help busy, budget conscious, and adventurous travelers maximize their vacation time and money wherever they go through detailed travel guides, vlogs, and resources. Our goal: to help you spend less time (and stress!) planning your trip and more time enjoying it!
We will be sharing 1-2 travel vlogs a week, so please SUBSCRIBE to follow along on our adventures! :)
Note: We’ve linked a handful of items so you can see exactly which products we take with us. Full disclosure--if you click on these links and make a purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We will only ever recommend products we truly love, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!

[@TheCb561]

Wow! Thank you so much for this post! Great tips! We are 60+ and just retired to full time RV - we are definitely doing this!!! Loved both of your enthusiasm too!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!

[@jamar959]

Beautiful trail! I'm learning so much from you two. Every time I watch your videos I make a list of locations!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We are so glad! We absolutely loved this bike trail and hope you get to try it some day!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Watch our other Idaho vlogs: kzbin.info/aero/PLZKRTK1yCEM7IsoCPx07lrhD4Lj8eBrDf Read our guide to Riding the Route of the Hiawatha: adventuresofaplusk.com/riding-the-route-of-the-hiawatha-trail-in-idaho/ View all of our Idaho travel guides: adventuresofaplusk.com/idaho NOTE: eBikes with throttles are allowed on the Route of the Hiawatha. Their website says they are not, but we spoke with the bike rental company and they confirmed that they were voted in last October at the state level, but the trail website has not been updated. Masks were worn outside whenever we were near people, when we picked up takeout, and if we went inside anywhere. Social distancing, hand washing, and sanitizing precautions were also all taken in the making of this video. Safety is our #1 priority and we want to stress that this adventure, and all future adventures, will be done responsibly and with the health of others in mind.

[@leighsirvent654]

We went to Hiawatha 4 years ago. We’re back with our ebikes and are thrilled to do it again!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Ahhh have a great time on those bikes!!!

[@cheerleaderE]

I own a fat tire e bike in Colorado! And I took it earlier this year to do the road to the sun Montana. Now I want to take it to Idaho! E bikes are the coolest!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

They are so much fun!

[@bw7471]

Let the negative people go elsewhere. I think you have a great van setup! Another enjoyable vlog, thank you for sharing, as always stay safe. Keep your eyes open for the light at the end of the tunnel........

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you, we think so too! It’s perfect for us and that’s all that matters! 🤗 And yes, always look for the light at the end of the tunnel! ❤️

[@debhervol9758]

So glad I found you guys. All videos are entertaining, educational, and beautiful. I have done this bike ride several times as I live in Montana and it is a hop, skip, and a jump away. Always a thrill.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you so much for the kind words! So jealous you live in Montana and close to here!

[@suzanneaydelotte801]

That looked absolutely out of this world fun! And, such gorgeous views! What a cool experience! I would stick to this type of riding and skip the mountain biking! 😜

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was crazy fun! Now we do kind of wish we had room for bikes in the van. Hahaha we shall seeeee about mountain biking 😜

[@davidnilles3117]

Looked like great fun. And the scenery was great!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We loved the eBikes!

[@angiev5414]

I loved all the Idaho vlogs! Looking forward to the one on Glacier. We went there a couple of years ago and its beautiful!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh my goodness Glacier was incredible! 😍 Excited to share what we were able to do!

[@Diana-lo6cx]

What a beautiful place, I think I might be hesitant riding the bike but, it does look fun! Thanks for the video!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

I was a bit hesitant too, but it was a blast! I guess I’m becoming more daring haha!

[@jymnmeier3527]

What an awesome adventure. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you so much for watching Jymn! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@ahhitskatie9094]

Ah, I stopped in Wallace like 10 years ago. Such a unique little town. Beautiful video!!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It’s sooo cute! Can’t wait to go back and do one of the tours. Did you go on one when you visited?

[@daizymae5148]

It's so crazy to see you guys at places I've been before. It's awesome. I grew up in northern Idaho and live in central Idaho. Seen the sawtooth vid as well.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

How do you like living in Idaho? We absolutely love it there!

[@candacewortham8500]

I want to do this trail! I bought an e-bike this past year and I love it. Headed that way next year and now I have to re- work my itinerary to include this trail!!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was sooo fun! Especially on an e-bike!

[@lorrainec5097]

Thanks for always being transparent on how much your activities costs. It is always helpful to know. Great video! That SERIOUSLY looked like a lot of fun. I'm headed to Glacier the end of the month. Can't wait to see what you guys end up doing.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Of course! Typically everything we do (minus food) is free, but whenever things do cost some money we’re happy to share so people know what to expect. Flying up the mountain on those bikes was crazy fun, we laughed so much 🤣 Excited to share what all we got up to at Glacier! If you need any tips beforehand, let us know! 😃

[@joewyle6291]

I love you videos! The only thing I would say is I love it when you guys show us what you eat... even if it's a quick sandwich. Don't know why but food always makes the video complete

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We love including food! 🙌🏼 To be honest, I don’t think we ate anything that day until after filming...definitely got a bit hangry! Lol!

[@MichaelYoungblood1]

That was a really cool adventure. Great job capturing it. I have never heard of this one and, without this vlog, that would have continued. Added this one to my lists on AllTrails. It does reminder of a similar experience in Pennsylvania. There is an abandoned section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Breezewood that you can walk/bike. About a 10-mile section complete with two tunnels that are over a mile long. The views aren’t as dramatic as what is shown in your video but still really neat experience. This section of the highway was abandoned in the late 60s, so it has a very apocalyptic feel.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It is such a fun bike trail! We highly recommend it! The one in PA sounds super cool as well, we will have to check it out whenever we make it that way!

[@LivinginOurNow]

Another great episode! Idaho is so beautiful, and the e-bikes look so cool- what a fun idea!!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We are sooo happy we discovered the eBikes! COVID or not, they were sooo fun on the trail!

[@jayelliott564]

Beautiful trail. Definitely on my bucket list. I love your videos and the history lessons!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

That is a special trail! Thanks and thanks for watching!

[@sharischmidt4712]

That looked like so much fun!!!!! Good for you to keep on with your adventures but staying safe at the same time 😷 Looking forward to seeing your nexted video!!!😷🍁

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We almost didn’t go because we couldn’t figure out a safe way, but we are so thankful for those eBikes!

[@sharischmidt4712]

@@AdventuresofAplusK l just seen that Simon Cowell just broke his back riding on his e bike!! Happy you had a much better outcome😊

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh gosh! I’m so glad we did too!

[@joeret2896]

Beautiful so much to see in the lower 48 😮

[@meaghanslifeadventures2293]

What a unique experience, it looked amazing!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was sooo fun! Especially those bikes lol! 🚴🏻‍♀️💨

[@chayse3134]

You guys have an awesome Channel amazing all the places you go

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you so much! 😄

[@cathywarriner]

Wow so cool! Glad you guys had some fun 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️! Loved Adam laughing 😅, also Kathryn zooming 🚴‍♀️ by Adam 🥰❤🥰

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hahaha his laughing makes me smile sooo much! 🥰🥰

[@mcnater]

Loved this one...eBikes are seriously the best. My wife and I rented them a few years ago to cruise around Seattle and it was the best time. This trail looks an awful lot like the Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills of SD...if you ever get back there I highly recommend you check it out. It follows an old train line and is just gorgeous. My family did a 14 mile ride WITHOUT ebikes and I wasn't sure we would make it for awhile as the portion we did the first 7 miles is all up hill. Ebikes are the way to go.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

eBikes are the BEST! I sooo wish we could fit them in the van haha. It's fun to be able to use them like a regular bike or get some extra power. We will definitely have to check out that trail next time we are in the Black Hills!

[@thetianaolivia]

I found your video's recently and I loveee your channel! Your video's remind me of the shows I watched on the Travel channel growing up and I wished they still make. You both are so fun to watch! I live near Wallace and it's such a fun, quirky town! If you're ever back in the area, I highly recommend the mine tour and hiking the Pulaski Tunnel Trail.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Wow, what an awesome compliment, thank you so much! Wallace was such a cool area, we are in love with Idaho (and Montana) and will definitely be back. We really wanted to do the Pulaski Tunnel Trail and the mine tour sounds super fun!

[@doncolincreative]

Wonderful Vlog. Great content. And the center of the Universe. Yay!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thanks so much y’all!

[@stephenbarrie9050]

That looked so much fun.I think we are now veering towards trying to get to Glacier next year but spending more time in Idaho.Idaho doesn’t even have a guidebook available on Amazon in the Uk.Thanks for the eye opener.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was a blast! We highlyyyy recommend Idaho! There are a couple Idaho documentary type movies on amazon prime that are beautiful to watch!

[@WhenAdventureKnox]

The normal practice of riding down a slight incline the full way and then a shuttle back sounds perfect and this activity is completely up my street... you both have me 100% sold on visiting Idaho in a future trip stateside! So nice of the bike rental place to give you the pads, but as a European, I find any kind of customer service in the US to be a million times better than anything over here so it didn't come as too much of a surprise! Glad you both enjoyed the e-bikes so much. Our plans for next summer (pre-covid) had been to head to the Baltics. One of the things to do in Lithuania is to cycle along the Curonian Spit... but I wasn't too sure about whether I'd manage the distance to the Kaliningrad border or not. Even if we don't go next summer, we'll no doubt go in the next few years and now I'm sold on renting e-bikes to ensure I can physically make it out and back again! Very excited for the Glacier video next 👍

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We are SO thankful he had pads for us! The vlog could've easily ended within the first couple minutes had he not since we likely wouldn't have been able to get the bikes there without destroying the van. Ooo that bike ride sounds amazing! eBikes are awesome because you can get the true biking experience, but also get a little help if needed. We're excited to share what all we got up to in Glacier!

[@chrisharriman5245]

What a wonderful video. Loved it

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We’re so glad you enjoyed it Chris! Thanks for watching! 😃

[@bradgingerich6814]

Wow, this was so cool! The bikes look like fun! It reminds me of the time I planned to strap rocket engines to the back of my bike. Also sorry I can’t comment on any Instagram posts you may have recently...Instagram won’t let me log in anymore. Thanks for sharing and being awesome!!!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh my gosh they were a blast!!! Rocket engines on a bike sounds fun too 😜 Oh no! That is such a bummer! 😭😭 We hope it gets fixed soon!!

[@fleabrad]

Loved it!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@donstravelsandrants.]

Spectacular 😊. Love the E bikes.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

They are a blast! Have you tried them before?

[@donstravelsandrants.]

No Kathryn, but they are in our local town. Keep the videos coming, they are so great to watch 👍 💙😊

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Ooo you should give it a try! And we definitely will! We just filmed 6 new ones this week! 🙌🏼

[@dannyslaughter4845]

That’s great , the last time we road e biking was not allowed! I wonder when this change was made? The trail of the cda, changed its stance on ebikes just a few years back and now it has opened up the riding opportunities for so many.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

I’m not sure when this changed but we’re glad it did. It was a ton of fun to ride ebikes on the trail!

[@Albertoeeeeew]

This was so epic!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh man, it was soooo fun! 🙌🏼

[@johngoodwin8889]

Did the hiawatha 10 yrs ago, loved it myself, wife not so much

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

haha it may not be for everybody, but we loved it!

[@roderickdaniel9867]

I love your videos. I am a new fan

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you so much for watching, we really really appreciate it! 🤗

[@oliverjh1281]

Great video 👍 those bikes looked amazing 👌 I want one 😁

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We want one too! Haha

[@ellenmarkham6177]

what no ice cream...no tacos...i don't know what to say...except awesome as always :)

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hahahaha the options were a bit limited! But we have some coming soon!

[@PSAdventures]

Awesome episode you two! How crazy to be able to fly up the mountain like that. So K might be warming up to mountain biking?!? 😂

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hahahah I honestly really want to now! But definitely an easy trail. Unfortunately we are leaving the mountains soon, but next chance we get!

[@NarrativeEscapes]

I went on a tour through the desert and along a Pacific Beach on a cruise on an electric bike... and it was awesome. I just admit I was asking about prices.....

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh man, that sounds freaking epic! 😍 Definitely not the cheapest activity, but such a fun experience to have!

[@windmillcancersurvivor2568]

Think of the crews that cleared that tunnel for the railroad through the mountain, tough dudes! Mountain bikes will be the best life choice you can make, trust me. And a lot lighter. Camera work is top shelf and Kona is a star!! You make the extra effort to get up before sunrise to beat the crowd, get the good footage and still look good doing it.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We can’t even imagine! 😱 And we have plans to mountain bike later this year and cannot wait! 🙌🏼 Thanks for all the kind words, we typically look half awake at the beginning of every vlog (probably because we are lol), but it’s worth it to beat the crowds!

[@wendysmith2743]

Wow epic bike trip, the e-bikes are really lekker(South African slang for really great)😄

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Ahhh they are very lekker! Thank you for teaching us a cool new word. We cannot wait to visit South Africa someday! 🙌🏼

[@krystalanderic]

OMG - can't believe someone said that about your van LOL glad you showed them 😉 awesome vid guys, we're really enjoying following along! And love all the call outs about masks and social distancing, I feel like not enough people are calling that out. Love it!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Oh man if only y’all could see some of the comments we get (especially on van related videos)....🤬. Thankfully we have learned to laugh them off a bit more. 😅 And we’re glad you appreciate the COVID disclaimers and precautions. We want to make it super duper clear that we are taking it very seriously, even while being back on the road.

[@shannontn101]

So glad I found your video! We are planning to ride the Hiawatha in a few weeks and were planning on just renting the regular bikes, but have now decided to rent the E-bikes! One question - about what time in the afternoon did you arrive back at Wallace? Just trying to plan out the rest of our day after the ride. We only heave one day in the area and are wanting to see as much as possible. We plan on picking up the E-bikes right when the shop opens in the morning and going straight to the trail head. Thanks!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Ah yay!!! We picked up our bikes early so we could get to the trail at 8:30 AM. Highly recommend that if you're going on a weekend! It'll be a lot less busy. We got back to Wallace at around 1:30 PM PT I believe. The bike ride went from 8:30 AM-12:30 PM PT and then it took us about an hour to pack up the bikes again and drive to town. We did ride pretty fast though on the way up and didn't stop at all since we had to hit the road. Hope that helps!

[@nickstro]

Epic!!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

SO much fun!

[@caroljohnson4939]

This might’ve been answered already but how long did it take to go back up the trail? What a fun adventure!!!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

On the eBikes probably an hour! It was super fast, but we didn’t stop at all. It was an absolute blast!

[@pooger7778]

Hi we’re a couple haoles that lived on the big island for two years, so we named our dog Kona.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

That's awesome! It's the best name!

[@katiewelsh1590]

I appreciate your information in this video. We are preparing to ride the trail in a few weeks. Can I ask what you did with your pup while you were on the trail? We will be traveling with our pup as well and I’m not sure what to do with him while we ride 🥴

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hi Katie! Our pup was in our van since it was cool enough to leave her for a bit.

[@mt-tk5hp]

This is so cool! Am I correct that I should choose Spokane airport to go there?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Correct! That would be the closest!

[@mt-tk5hp]

Awesome! Thanks. I love your vlogs!

[@karinjones4380]

Do they have anything with 3 wheels? My balance is not so great.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

I unfortunately didn’t see any 😔

[@sheafan1971]

Hi Guys, Where are you going next, great video as always What time is it :)

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

The time zones confused us so badly here lol! We are off to Montana next! 🙌🏼

[@wendysuperfan1014]

Have you thought about getting a 2x bike rack for the back of your van?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Yes we have 😀 we actually bought bikes and put a rack on over the holidays!

[@staino46]

Never took you guy's for bad ass bikers. Looked so cool though. I've done a far bit of mountain bike and motorcycle riding and those ebikes seem awesome!! As for things wrong with you're van there's nothing except for maybe the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car 😁

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Hahahah not sure we are bad ass yet, but we’re getting there! 😜

[@cmferris1]

We are planning to do the Hiawatha but not sure what to do with our dog, what did you guys do and how long did the ride take you?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Our pup stayed in our van (it’s like a RV) while we did this. We started as early as possibly and we’re done in 2-2.5 hours, but we could go a lot faster on eBikes. If we couldn’t have left her due to temperatures or not having eBikes, we would’ve had to get an Airbnb or a sitter.

[@cmferris1]

@@AdventuresofAplusK THANKS!!

[@gmaneis]

Please don't take this the wrong way, because I'm not trying to bash your wonderful video, but the trail's website says it's under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service, which is not allowing bikes with throttles, so I think you got away with it there! E-bikes are allowed, but not with throttles that allow you to go without pedaling as you did. Glad you had so much fun and followed the rules for masks and distance. I think if everyone did that all the time, Covid could be brought under at least a reasonable level of control. Thanks again for posting. This was fun!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thank you for sharing this! We were not aware of this and definitely don’t want to spread false info with our video. We knew eBikes we’re allowed (and the rental company knew exactly what we were doing with them), but had not heard that throttles were not allowed. We read the trail website in detail beforehand, so I’m not sure how we would’ve missed that. We are avid rule followers and wouldn’t have throttled if we knew it wasn’t allowed on the trail. We will add a note in the description so no one takes a bike that isn’t allowed, thank you!

[@gmaneis]

@@AdventuresofAplusK Your video is proof the regulation is evidently not strictly enforced. I guess the shop that rented those bikes to you didn't care, either, and just wanted to make money. :-) Looks like they were extremely high quality bikes and worth the price. You also seem like the kind of people who would have slowed way down on the way back up if you had encountered families with little ones wobbling along on their little bikes! Other videos show lots of little ones out there, and lots of people big and small not really paying much attention to what's in front of them! Anyway, thanks again for sharing your adventure.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We definitely slowed down/stopped when near people, especially kids. We had multiple moments where people almost ran into us, even with us going a slow speed or stopped haha. Thankfully we went early enough and had huge stretches without anyone in sight. I’m asking the bike rental company about their bikes and if they are still allowed, just in case something has changed. We appreciate you letting us know! We never want to promote anything that isn’t allowed.

[@gmaneis]

@@AdventuresofAplusK I'd be willing to bet that bike rental place wasn't trying to do anything wrong. Most people don't read anything these days! I'm an old man (73) so I have time to sit around reading details of things I'm interested in. May never make it out to the Hiawatha from 2,000 miles away, but I love watching everybody's videos about it. Yours is great!

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We really appreciate that! And thank you for being so kind in pointing out the eBikes. We wish all commenters were as nice as you when informing us of an error! 🤗

[@TrishBenedict]

That’s on our list but it’s smoky up there right now so will wait until spring. We just got some small (40# w/o battery folding ebikes that fit in our van (Jupiter Discovery x7’s), so we can’t wait to try them out. But if it hasn’t been mentioned in the comments, Wallace figures prominently in an excellent book by Egan called “The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the fire that saved America.” How that horrific conflagration led to the creation of the US Forest Service.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Nice! So cool that you have your own! And good to know about the book as well!!

[@TrishBenedict]

@@AdventuresofAplusK BTW, I appreciated the nuts and bolts aspect of of the video. How to do it, where to find the trailhead, costs, etc…

[@stargazer5073]

Gosh, $10 an hour yikes! Do the bikes create power by riding? I know you started with a charge but how many hours do they last?.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

It was 100% worth it, especially to not be packed in a shuttle with lots of people. They are battery powered and have a motor you can engage by pedaling with the power on or you can use the throttle and not pedal. We did a mix of both going back up, but pedaled like a regular bike going down.

[@zenofthemoment]

Star Gazer, the length of charge depends on a lot of variables, like rider weight, elevation gain (uphills), air temperature, and power setting. Generally speaking, riding on the maximum power setting (level 5) will get you around 15-20 miles of range. The lowest power setting (level 1) will get you somewhere in the neighborhood of 80ish miles. But if you do run out of juice, you can still pedal them just like a traditional bike. Take one for a test ride at your local bike shop! They're truly awesome!

[@sadidiker]

🙌🙌🖒🖒

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

🚴🏻‍♀️💨

[@Smapdi60]

Couldn’t you have ridden up and back and avoided the van issue?

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

We still would’ve had to get the eBikes from Wallace to the trailhead even doing it that way.

[@asheerorvi8656]

Awsm

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

Thanks for watching!

[@roundsmail]

E-bike rules on this ride is that the throttle must be turned off.

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

This was filmed almost 3 years ago. We were following all rules that we were told at the time of filming this.

[@roundsmail]

@@AdventuresofAplusK ok gotcha. Thanks for clarifying! Cool video!