Every morning, Dave Copelan, the coordinator of the Wallace, Idaho Chamber of Commerce walks to work at his home office on a portion of the Trail of the Coeur D’ Alenes. The normally 10-minute walk takes three times as long because he stops to talk to neighbors in this small Idaho town that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“They don’t make towns like this anymore,” Copelan said.
The Trail of the Coeur D’ Alenes is one of two trails that cross this part of Idaho, smack dab in the middle of the World’s Richest Silver District. The second is the Route of the Hiawatha. The Trail of the Coeur D’ Alenes is 73 miles and is operated by the Idaho Parks & Recreation Department. It is located in the North Idaho Panhandle from Mullan near the Montana border to Plummer, on the Washington border.
“These are Idaho’s only Hall of Fame Rails to Trails, and only two of 15 such Hall of Fames in the nearly 2,000 Rails to Trails in the USA,” Copelan said. “As such, we welcome cycling and hiking enthusiasts from around the world to use the trails during Spring, Summer and Fall. In Winter they get plenty of use from Nordic skiers as well.”
Richard Shaffer is the President of the Friends of the Coeur D' Alene Trails, including Coeur D’ Alenes. He moved to Wallace, a town of 784 people, from New York City about 27 years ago, before the Trail of the Coeur D’ Alenes and the Route of the Hiawatha were established. History was the major draw and it was a drive-through experience, Shaffer said. People seldom stopped to spend time in the area, except to visit the mining museums.
That has changed since the trails opened about 16 years ago.
“It’s hard to imagine now what Wallace would be like without the trail,” Shaffer said. The state estimates that the local economic impact on the communities through which the trail lies is about $19 million dollars per year.
Historic Chatcolet Bridge, a former swing Railroad Bridge originally built in 1921, now converted to be part of the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes in Northern Idaho. [Photo/Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation]
“Wallace is a storybook kind of place. It’s a picturesque town, nestled between un-dammed rivers, deep wooded canyons and abundant wildlife,” Copelan said. “Our place as the World’s Richest Silver District, 1.25 billion ounces mined and still counting, is a big reason why we are a national landmark.”
The trail has brought an increase in hospitality-focused businesses as well as more customers for the established businesses, Copelan explained. Two local breweries have opened, one of them conveniently located on the trail. In addition, there is one zipline adventure business with 12 ziplines, numerous opportunities for fishing, festivals and a live theater. The area has several RV parks, hotels and campgrounds along the 73-mile stretch.
It has also changed the demographics of the tourists who would stop to see the area attractions, namely three museums, an underground mine tour, and the town of Wallace which has preserved its historic integrity. The town’s buildings reflect the time frame between the 1880s and the 1930s, Copelan notes.
“We wanted to also get families into the area,” Copelan said. “Both trails are family oriented. People who are interested in history tend to be older. People who want to ski or into biking are a younger crowd.”
Its beauty and activities have even drawn in international clientele. “Local communities along the 73 miles trail use it for recreation as do others from around the world,” said Kathleen Durfee, with Idaho Parks & Recreation. Visitors total around 100,000 per year. An accomplishment that Shaffer says “is remarkable for a trail in the middle of nowhere.”
The trail is paved and open to non-motorized vehicles. Eighteen trailheads offer access to the trail, which includes 17 restrooms, 20 rest areas and oases, 36 differently designed bridges and old railroad trestles, including the 3,100-foot Chatcolet Bridge and Trestle. Popular activities on the trail include hiking, biking, inline skating and wildlife viewing, as well as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling on some portions in the winter.
According to information from the state, the trail takes users “through the mountainous terrain of the historic Silver Valley, into the chain lakes region, along the shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene, over the Chatcolet Bridge to Heyburn State Park, climbs the Palouse prairie through 13 towns or cities, and into an Idaho State Park and the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation.”
It attracts the hardcore outdoor enthusiast who is hiking the length of the trail, as well as trail users who want to only walk or bike a portion of it, accessing it through one of the many trailheads, Shaffer said.
The eastern end of the trail, from mile 73 to about mile 49 is a journey through areas where mining occurred and is still being done today.
“It tells the story related to the mining heritage,” Shaffer recalls. Mile 49 to the end is the portion of the trail that offers the best views of the wildlife and landscape. Part of the trail winds along the banks of the Coeur D’ Alene River, traverses through canyons, and leads to recreational opportunities and scenic views at the Chain Lakes, Shaffer informs.
Durfee adds, “[It] follows through some of the most scenic portions of North Idaho from the high prairie, along the Coeur d’Alene Lake and River, and through forested mountains. It is an excellent place for wildlife viewing, bird watching, and enjoying the outdoors. Common wildlife includes moose, elk, white-tailed deer, beaver, muskrat, and other various small animals with an occasional bear. Numerous birds use the corridor for breeding and migration. Up to 2,000 Tundra swans stop each Spring for a few weeks.
Other common sightings include Great Blue Heron, eagles, osprey, upland game birds, turkeys, and numerous waterfowl such as mergansers, Ruddy ducks, Wood ducks, geese, coots, pintails, buffleheads, and mallards. Among the native plants are water lilies; water potatoes; various conifers including the deciduous Tamarack which turns a brilliant yellow in the fall and drops its needles; various trees; and shrubs including the Idaho state flower, the Syringa.
Snow has fallen and settled at Medimont in Idaho to leave this pleasant trail. [Photo/Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation]
The trail opened for use in 2004 and was inducted into the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame, as one of the top 25 Rail-To-Trails in the United States, in 2010.
“The trail lies within and follows the course of the Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) right-of-way (ROW) between Mullan, Idaho & Plummer, Idaho which was once used to transport ore from mining operations in the upper Coeur d’Alene River Basin,” explained Durfee.” When the rail line was built, mine waste rock and tailings containing heavy metals were used at some locations for the original rail bed.”
To mitigate this and some of the other mining-related contamination along the railroad, Union Pacific, the federal government, the state of Idaho and the Coeur D’ Alenes Tribe partnered to build the trail. As part of this project, hazardous debris was either removed, contained or managed in the design of the trail.
“The resulting Trail is one of the longest of its kind in the United States and serves to protect public health and the environment, provide visitors and residents with recreation opportunities, and benefits local communities along its route and surrounding areas while revitalizing the culture, history and economic vitality of adversely impacted communities,” all according to information provided by Idaho State Parks & Recreation.
And that trail is responsible for bringing in many visitors, including RVers who want to explore the history and heritage as well as take part in the many outdoor adventures the area offers.
While it is difficult to name the one thing that makes the Trail of the Coeur D’ Alenes a popular draw to the Northern Idaho Panhandle, Copelan has a theory.
“You can narrow it down to one word: access,” he explained. “Easy access to the trails via auto or RV. Easy access for those of all fitness levels. And most importantly easy access to nature.
“These are eminently ‘doable’ trails. People of all ages and fitness levels can enjoy them. But it is the easy and immediate access to nature that is the real draws.
“Within moments riders, hikers and walkers can be in wilderness, view deer, elk moose, bear, waterfowl and birds of prey,” Copelan continued. “At the same time, enjoy views of town, mountain, river and lake landscapes.”