The Coeur d’Alene Bike Trail and West Glacier National Park

We arrived at Heyburn State Park, northern Idaho on Sunday July 27th, ready for several days of cycling the Coeur d’Alene Rails to Trails path.  We selected the campground because it was just a mile from a beautiful section of the trail, which is on the Hall of Fame Rails to Trails list. The campground was lovely, surrounded by tall pine trees and our site had a large forested area for the cats to explore.  

The next morning we rode 30 miles, along the side of the Chatcolet lake to Harrison and back, crossing a long bridge over part of the lake. The trail was paved and had numerous bathrooms and even a bike repair station with numerous tools. We could see why the trail is in the hall of fame! It was a pretty hot day and we were back in the campground by 1pm and took advantage of the camp showers.

The following day we rode 20 miles in the opposite direction up a 3% grade hill, through canyons and woods. Another lovely ride which was even better coming back since it was all downhill. Thankfully our eBikes helped us on the climb up! Idaho seemed to be having a hot spell and it was in the middle 90s that day. We were glad we had started our ride early. 

The cats spent the three days loving the forested area walking further and further each day without being scared by cars or people. It is very relaxing walking slowly behind them as they meander around, stopping to sniff the plants and look up at the trees. (The cats not us!)

We were still struggling to find camping reservations and were focusing on Glacier National Park our next very popular destination. We had found a Hip Camp outside the west side of the park and were trying to find something on the east side. Sara determined the Two Medicine campground had some sites that would be reservable at 10am eastern time 4 days before you would arrive. She woke up at 6:30 am for two days to see how the process worked and determined the limited availability was all booked in under 10 minutes. Finally on the third day she was able to reserve 4 nights which we were very excited about!

Wednesday, July 30th we moved 75 miles east for a short stay at a campground so we could bike another section of the trail. This section was alongside the river and just as beautiful as the previous rides.  We had picked the campground because it was right on the trail;  it was also right next to the interstate and a construction area that started work at 5:30am both days. We were happy to move on to Glacier National Park in Montana after riding 75 miles of the trail.

Our next stop was for three nights at Glacier Hip Camp, a small private campground 6 miles outside the park. HipCamp is similar to AirBnB, offering camping sites in private unique locations. The National Park campgrounds were all full on the west side of the park, so we were happy to get this camping site. After the noise of the last location this was a delightful place, with about 20 campsites spread over 40 acres in a forest of pine and aspen trees. The cats loved it since we were fairly secluded they got to roam around in the forest, a big treat for them.  

There is one main road that goes through the park called "Going to the Sun Road". If your vehicle is over 21 feet long you can't drive the whole road and the park is so popular you need a reservation for a specific time to enter.  Our RV is 25 feet long and all the timed entry passes were taken. You can however, enter after 3pm without a pass, and drive larger vehicles 16 miles along Lake McDonald to the Avalanche campground turnaround. We took full advantage of this approach for two days, enjoying the beautiful scenery as most people were leaving the park. The lake is huge with spectacular views, and Sara enjoyed a swim while John did photography.

Today is August 7th, and we are currently on the east side of the park in the Two Medicine valley which has magnificent views and is incredibly quiet and peaceful. We have one more night to enjoy here before heading north to Canada.

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