Frequently Asked Questions

The Ski Area is located adjacent to I-90 at the Idaho-Montana state line at Exit 0, 12 miles east of the historic town of Wallace, ID.
The actual Trailhead for the Route of the Hiawatha is located 5 miles down I-90 into MT (Take Exit 5 Taft, MT) and then go 2 miles up (Rte 506), a dirt road to the Y and make a left to go up into the Hiawatha parking area. This area is called the Taft Trailhead and is located 500 yards off Rte 506.

Bikes, helmets, and rental lights, as well as breakfast, lunch, and picnic food service, are all available at Lookout Pass Ski Area. Visitors can also access a retail and souvenir shop, along with purchasing day use passes and shuttle tickets. Both cash and credit cards are accepted. The Lookout Pass Ski Area base lodge is open from 8 am to 4 pm (PDT).

Bike rentals are only available at the East Portal Trailhead with prior reservation and payment of a delivery fee. The main trailhead (East Portal, also known as the Taft Trailhead) is located 7 miles to the east of Lookout Pass off I-90 at Taft, Exit 5 in Montana. To get there, follow the signs to cross the small wooden bridge and go up the Route 506 dirt and gravel road from the exit ramp to the East Portal trailhead. There is a large parking area and two restrooms at the East Portal—one restroom at the front, closest to the trail, and one at the back of the parking lot about 1/2 mile away. This option is understandably less used and may be preferable if you are in a hurry.

The Ski Area is located adjacent to I-90 at the Idaho-Montana state line at Exit 0, 12 miles east of the historic town of Wallace, ID.
The actual Trailhead for the Route of the Hiawatha is located 5 miles down I-90 into MT (Take Exit 5 Taft, MT) and then go 2 miles up (Rte 506), a dirt road to the Y and make a left to go up into the Hiawatha parking area. This area is called the Taft Trailhead and is located 500 yards off Rte 506.

Bikes, helmets, and rental lights, as well as breakfast, lunch, and picnic food service, are all available at Lookout Pass Ski Area. Visitors can also access a retail and souvenir shop, along with purchasing day use passes and shuttle tickets. Both cash and credit cards are accepted. The Lookout Pass Ski Area base lodge is open from 8am to 4 pm on week days and 8am to 5pm on weekends (PST).

Bike rentals are only available at the East Portal Trailhead with prior reservation and payment of a delivery fee. The main trailhead (East Portal, also known as the Taft Trailhead) is located 7 miles to the east of Lookout Pass off I-90 at Taft, Exit 5 in Montana. To get there, follow the signs to cross the small wooden bridge and go up the Route 506 dirt and gravel road from the exit ramp to the East Portal trailhead. There is a large parking area and two restrooms at the East Portal—one restroom at the front, closest to the trail, and one at the back of the parking lot about 1/2 mile away. This option is understandably less used and may be preferable if you are in a hurry.

When you rent your bikes at Lookout Pass Ski Area, bike racks are supplied as a courtesy service for those needing a way to transport rental bikes to the trailhead and back. These racks work on most vehicles, but not all. If a rack does not fit your vehicle, you will need to pay a delivery fee to have the bikes delivered to the trail. Strap-on racks can carry up to 3 bikes, while receiver hitch racks can carry up to 5 bikes.

If you do not wish to transport bikes using your vehicle, you can arrange for delivery of bikes to the trailhead when making a reservation. There is a fee charged for delivery service. See the Rental Page of the website for details and fees. Please provide at least 48 hours notice for delivery requests so they can be added to the queue and delivered by 8:30 am. Later requests may be delayed due to other orders already in the queue that need to be handled first. Same day delivery can be accommodated, but please be aware there will be a wait time for all same day deliveries.

Bike Reservations are STRONGLY RECOMENDED, especially on busy weekends and during the peak season which starts when kids get out of school thru Labor Day weekend.
Guests are otherwise responsible for transporting rental bikes from Ski Lookout Pass to the Hiawatha trailhead at East Portal. Complimentary bike racks are available for guests to transport rented bikes to the trailhead.
Questions Call 208.744.1301 x440. On most dates we can still get you on a bike if you just show up to Lookout Pass without a reservation.

YES, lights are required. You may bring your own, or rent a 300-400 lumen light and/or helmet from us. The use of Helmets is highly recommended for all trail riders and REQUIRED for those younger than 18yrs of age, to stay in compliance with Idaho state law.

Class 1 e-bikes—and Class 2 e-bikes with fully disabled throttles—are permitted on the trail, subject to the requirements below.bLookout Associates operates under a Special Use Permit with the USDA Forest Service. Under this permit, only Class 1 e-bikes are authorized. A Class 1 e-bike is defined as a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only while the rider is pedaling, and that ceases assistance at 20 mph.

Class 2 e-bikes may be used only if the throttle is fully disabled for the entire ride and the bike is inspected and approved by Hiawatha Trail staff as meeting the Class 1 definition.

Class 3 e-bikes are not permitted at any time.

Shuttle Fees & Handling
All e-bikes and other oversized or heavier bikes are subject to an additional shuttle fee. Due to their weight and size, many e-bikes do not fit standard shuttle racks and require special handling or alternate loading.
This fee will be applied in advance when possible, or at the time of shuttle use if prior notice was not provided.

Group Discounts are available for groups of 15-20 or more who make a reservation a minimum of 48hours in advance.  To use this system you will need to know everyones Full Name, Date of Birth: mm/dd/yyyy, their height to reserve bikes and what they may want for lunch; Turkey, Ham or Vegitarian subs etc. 

We suggest you go first to Ski Lookout Pass to get Trail Tickets, Shuttle Passes, Pick up Rental Bikes and while there visit our food court for drinks, snacks, sack lunches to take on the trail & check out our gift shop. 

Lookout Pass Ski Area is located just – 200 yards off I-90 at Exit 0 on the ID-MT Border. 

Yes. The shuttles are equipped to transport regular bikes from the Pearson Trailhead to the Roland Trailhead (or vice versa). We currently transport regular bikes, mtn bikes, recumbent bikes, bikes built for two, canvas type child trailers, adult tricycles & e-Bikes. We ask that you make special arrangements thru our reservations office 208.744.1301 x440 for wheel chairs.
NOTE: All E-Bikes, Recumbents, Bikes built for two, and even Fat Tire Bikes are considerably heavier or have fatter tires. We charge an additional fee over and above the standard shuttle fee to deal with any oversized or heavier bikes. See prices on the shuttle page or when reserving.
Yes we transport them either in our busses, on the back of trucks or in trailers, along with all the other bikes. These services are available to use but please understand – all bikes and other conveyances transported using the shuttles are transported at your own risk. A higher fee is being charged for all e-Bikes, Fat Tire Bikes and any bikes that are heavier, or longer than one of our standard rental bikes. 
(Shuttles for people are NOT available from Lookout Pass Ski Area to the Hiawatha). Shuttles only run from the Pearson trailhead (which is the bottom of the trail) up to Roland. Our shuttle bus service stops at Roland. This allows you to ride back through the 1.66 mile long St. Paul Pass (aka Taft Tunnel) a second time. And YES shuttle rides are available for guests who want to ride the shuttle DOWN from Roland to Pearson, so they can start their ride going up the trail. Note this service doesn’t start until roughly 11 am each day. 

Parking at the TOP is BEST for most. – The true answer depends on how long of a ride you would like to take. Most folks access the trail from the top parking area. Get off I-90 at Taft, MT (which is Exit 5), (Just 5 miles east of Ski Lookout Pass). You will then need to drive your vehicle up the route 506 dirt road following the Hiawatha Trail signs for ~ 2 more miles before making a left turn to reach the top trailhead & parking area called East Portal. 
The more scenic portion of the trail, where most of the tunnels and trestles are located, is near the top. Therefore many visitors start at the East Portal (top of the trail); or at the Roland trail head (if they want to bypass the long dark Taft Tunnel). These guests ride down the trail to Pearson, ID and then take the shuttle bus back up to Roland (Roland is the town where the train engine roundabout used to be, and it is located on the far side of the St. Paul Pass tunnel). After departing from your shuttle in Rolland – for those parked at the East Portal you will bicycle back through the long St. Paul Pass Tunnel to reach your vehicles. 

STRONGER RIDERS WHO WANT MORE EXERCISE CAN START THEIR RIDES AT THE TOP OR BOTTOM.
If riding from the BOTTOM you will encounter a consistent  1.6% to 2% uphill grade. Then you can ride that same downhill portion on the way back for a total ride of a little over 30 miles. Just note the car ride to Pearson is not an easy one and in many places the road narrows to 1 or 1.5 lanes. Average travel time down to Pearson from the East Portal takes about 55 min. Weekends and holidays can take even longer. The speed limit on these Forest Service Dirt Roads is just 20 mph. We do not recomend traveling to the bottom due to the congestion and narrowness of the road.  

For those wishing to by-pass the St. Paul Pass Tunnel, simply drive past the East Portal parking area turnoff and follow the FS RT 506 signs for 5 miles to the Roland trailhead. This section of 506 Road climbs up and over Roland Summit. Please be aware, it becomes a single lane road in some segments, but there is two way traffic. The distance from Roland to the bottom trailhead at Pearson is only 12.6 miles, but the drive usually takes over 50 minutes. 

The ride from East Portal (top) to Pearson (bottom) is 14.4 miles and is a very gentle 1.6% to 2% downhill ride most all the way. You will then ride back thru the St. Paul Pass Tunnel after the shuttle drops you off at Roland, which ads another 2 miles to your ride. For most riders, the ride from East Portal to Pearson represents a leisurely 2.5 to 3.5 hour pedal. Add to this the time to get on your shuttle (average wait time is ~ 45 min. for a shuttle at Pearson), it will then take 30 minutes for your shuttle to drive you up to Roland. You then bike back thru the St. Paul Pass Tunnel adding another 15-20 minutes to your round trip ride time. 

5-Tips to avoid a longer than normal wait for a bus ride back up:
#1 Ride when schools are in session – Usually the beginning of the season like late May and early June, then also the end of August and midweek days in September.
#2 Ride Midweek – We always have less traffic midweek especially Monday thru Thursday.
#3 Start your ride EARLY. The trail opens at 8:30 am. If you are one of the first on the trail you’ll usually catch one of the first shuttles without much of a wait. Understandably lines can get long for any popular activity later into the day. 
#4 Start your midweek ride later in the day. Start your ride around 1:45pm (That is your arrival time at East Portal) which is after the bulk of the guests have started. Shuttles are scheduled to run thru 4:15 midweek and 5-5:45 as needed on prime weekends.  
On Saturdays you could start as late as 2 pm (arrival at East Portal) as shuttles run thru 5:45 pm. Just know that if you have young kids you will want to adjust your start time as riding the trail always takes longer with young children.  

There is a time limit for the last shuttle, but NO time limit on how long you can ride the trail. We encourage you to take as long as is comfortable for you to enjoy the trail. You can ride the trail every day from 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM (Pacific Standard Time). For those wishing to take the shuttle back from Pearson to Roland, the last shuttle leaves Pearson at 4:15 PM in the early and late season and midweek days all season. Then on Weekends during the Peak Season the last shuttle departs at roughly 5:45 PM (The Peak Season runs roughly mid June through Labor Day weekend).

The trail is a high quality, firm fine gravel/dirt road-changing to medium gravel/dirt surface, with some small cobble in places. Having some ability to ride a bicycle is desirable.
Mountain bike tires are recommended.
Hybrid tires are OK.
Narrow road bike tires are seen on the trail but NOT recommended.
The tunnels are dark and a powerful light 300-400 lumen is required.
There are NO LIGHTS in the tunnels, if this is bothersome, it is recommended that riders walk their bicycles through the tunnels. The St. Paul Pass (“Taft”) Tunnel is lined with gutters and can be very dark, cold, wet and even slippery in places close to the gutters. Extra caution is recommended whenever in the tunnel. 
All of the trestles have guard rails up the whole length of the span. The trail is wide enough for a train to pass. Stay to the middle of the trail if you are uncomfortable with the terrain but do give way to others that are riding toward you and share the trail evenly. Please understand there will be 2-way bike traffic all along the trail, so as others approach give them room and stay to your right. 

In general the trail is OK to ride downhill from Taft or Roland to Pearson for most youngsters of 5 to 6 years of age and older, provided they know how to ride a bicycle by themselves. All children age 13 & under must be accompanied by an adult. All trestles have railings as pictured here.
FYI: We have had 3 & 4yr olds finish the ride each year on strider bikes. 

The nearest bike rentals are available at Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, which opperates the concession for the trail. The Ski Area is located at I-90 Exit 0, Right Smack on the Idaho/Montana state line. This is about 7 miles from the start of the ride which is at the East Portal of the St. Paul Pass (“Taft”) Tunnel. Mountain bikes, Comfort bikes, Tag-a-longs, Tandems, 3-Wheeled Recumbents (for physically or balance impaired), Burley trailers for young children who are not able to pedal (roughly used for ages 3 to 5 years), children’s bikes, helmets and lights are all available at the Lookout Pass Rental Shop. We also operate a bike delivery service so you can pay a little extra to have any rental bike we offer transported from Lookout to the trailhead at East Portal.  

The East Portal of the St. Paul Pass (“Taft”) Tunnel is about a 7 mile ride by automobile. The West Portal at Roland is an additional 5 miles going up and over a 1.5 lane road to reach Roland Summit. When you rent bicycles at the Lookout Pass rental shop, bicycle racks for your vehicle are provided as a courtesy at no extra charge.
Strap racks can hold up to 3 bikes.
Receiver hitch insert racks can hold up to 5 bikes. Do know that we can’t fit a rack on every vehicle. If we can’t outfit your vehicle or if you are using a rental car you will need to pay for delivery. 

The bike lights provided at the Lookout Pass Rental Shop clip to the handlebar of a bicycle (Not the helmet – handlebar lights are much better as they point where your bike is going).
Tip – Be sure your light is pointing down at the trail (Aim the light about 10-15 feet in front of your front tire) so you can see where you are going in the tunnels.
NOTE: Most helmet mounted lights that guests bring themselves are NOT powerful enough, or the light casts a wide beam and does not adequately illuminate the trail surface enough for safe riding through the tunnels. It really is very dark. The signature 1.661 mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel is a treasure to ride provided you have enough light.
We recomend a 300-400 Lumen (tightly focused) light beam as the minimum. Our bikes are outfitted with either 300 or 400 lumen lights. We have these same lights available for rent if you are bringing your own bike. We also offer bike lights for sale in our gift shop at Lookout Pass. Some people choose to rent two lights as they feel more confident with two lights illuminating their way. 

When you rent a bicycle at the Lookout Pass rental shop, helmets and lights are provided as a part of the rental fee.
If you have your own bikes you can rent helmets and/or lights separately from us. Lights are required for the ride and helmets strongly recomended. 

YES – There is a Food Concession set up at the East Portal (the start) and most days also at the Pearson Trailhead (at the bottom) where most pick up the shuttle and have more time to enjoy a snack. You’ll find beverages like cold water & gatorade, snacks, and even great turkey, ham or vegetarian sandwiches available at these Trailheads. Also available will be other cold beverages (soft drinks and water) and bike specific water bottles, Sweatshirts, T-Shirts, stickers, magnets etc…Bag lunches (with an easy to carry sling pack) are available from the Lookout Pass Ski Area Deli and are made to go when pre-ordered with your reservation. Or we can pack a Sack Lunch for you while you are up at Lookout Pass getting your bikes or while shopping in our gift shop. 

NO!