Road Rides in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

[Susan Otcenas]

Jeff & I just did the Trail of the Coeur d'Alene two weeks ago. 85 mile r/t from Cataldo to Plummer and back. We had ABSOLUTELY no problems with anyone on the trail. We stopped in Harrison for lunch and had nothing but wonderful experiences with the locals.

This is such an amazing ride, that one person's story of a bad experience should not deter you from going. You can have a bad experience with teenagers in the local park in your own town, anywhere in America, any day of the week. There is nothing wrong with the towns along the trail. In fact, the trail is SO rural, that there's hardly any towns along the trail anyway. From Cataldo to Plummer - 42 miles - I think we crossed 2 paved roads total.

Along the trail we saw: 3 black bear, 4 moose, including a mama and two calves, 2 grey wolves, a flock of wild turkeys, countless bird species including an incredible # of herons, turtles, etc. The pavement quality is excellent. In this section the trail follows the river and lakes most of the way, so the scenery in fabulous. The "climb" from the lake to Plummer is so gentle that you'll cruise up it quickly (it is an old railroad grade, after all). And the Chacolet bridge was lots of fun to ride down.

Here's a few photos from the trip: