Day 4: Wallace to Saltese, Montana. Northern Pacific trail

September 11, 2019

This morning I decided to visit the Mining Museum which is about 200 feet from my hotel room. Up at 8, breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, then to the museum shortly after it opened at 9 AM.

The museum has an impressive array of exhibits about all aspects of mining, and about specific mines. For example the Sunshine Mine which was incorporated in 1918 and was the world's largest silver producer starting in 1937. The lady at the museum complained that Wallace deserves to be more famous because the Sunshine mine alone produced more silver than all of Nevada, the Silver State.

I thought about it for a while. The mining exhibits gave me clues about why Wallace isn't a huge tourist attraction like Virginia City, Nevada. The Comstock Lode mining boom in Nevada was during frontier times, the 1860's and 1870's, where anybody could show up, find a new vein of silver, and get rich. The narrative has frontier romance and rags to riches romance.

The Idaho silver boom started in the 1890's, funded by faraway giant corporations. Silver mining was undertaken on an industrial scale. First build a big dam to provide pressurized water and hydro power to generate compressed air and electricity. Then drill and blast miles of mine shafts, and so on. Many companies were vertically integrated, owning every process from mining to production of ingots. The miners and smelter workers were surely well paid for the dangerous work, but nobody became a millionaire because everybody was just an employee of a giant corporation. The wealth accumulated to stockholders, not employees. That narrative has no romantic appeal but I'm glad to see the Wallace historic district and learn about its mining history.

On the road finally at 10:15 AM. I-90 passes above Wallace on giant overhead bridges. The Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes is under I-90, probably aligned with the original rail grade.

In Wallace the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes goes under the elevated I-90.

East of Wallace the trail closely follows a creek upstream in a narrow canyon. The trail, creek, and I-90 are squeezed close together most of the time. The sound wasn't deafening.

The grade is maybe 1%. I noticed that most cyclists pedaled downhill. Today I seem to be the only cyclist going uphill.

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes between Wallace and Mullan. Now in a narrow canyon.

A sign warns visitors not to touch surface water or soil. Everything is potentially toxic because of the mines. The creek looks quite clear. Not like the murky streams I've seen in other mining areas.

Trail, creek, and I-90 all close together.

Mullan is the uppermost of 10 mining communities in this valley. Population about 300 but probably only a few are miners now. I wandered around town a bit. Parts of town seem abandoned, others meticulously maintained.

Downtown Mullan, the last town in Idaho.

Houses in Mullan, the uppermost of 10 mining towns.

Today started with 11.3 miles of pavement. The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes from Wallace to Mullan, then 3 miles on paved local roads to connect to the unpaved Northern Pacific Railway grade. The remainder of the day is unpaved on a very old railroad grade.

The western part of the Northern Pacific Railway trail has complex navigation and poor signage. I might have never found it if I didn't have the route pre-loaded on RideWithGPS. I had to refer to the route 3 times at unmarked intersections.

Starting the gravel Northern Pacific Railway grade.

Northern Pacific Railway was created by Congress in 1864, assigned to build a railroad from the Great Lakes to Puget Sound. This grade across the Bitterroot mountains was the last segment to be completed in 1883. The government-subsidized Northern Pacific Railway had poor management and was less successful than its privately-funded competitor the Great Northern Railway which was built in the 1890's. One mistake was building worthless spurs that generated no traffic in order to obtain adjacent land that was of little value. The government subsidy was 40 million acres of land which was then used as collateral to obtain massive construction loans from England.

1906 route map of the Northern Pacific Railway. The competing Great Northern Railway (fat black line) had fewer spurs.

This route was hastily completed in 1883 with an unusually steep 3-4% grade to open the cross country route as quickly as possible. It was intended to be temporary because the steep grade required two locomotives to pull a 5 car train. In 1888 this route was replaced by the nearby Stampede Pass route which has more gentle grades and a 9850 foot tunnel. Trains last used this grade 130 years ago but it's still mostly intact.

The Northern Pacific Railway grade has very few signs. This sign is 500 feet past an unmarked intersection that needs a sign.

There is no gate or sign prohibiting motor vehicles where I got onto the unpaved rail grade. Best I can tell people are allowed to drive cars on this grade. In practice, I think most motorized use is ATVs and snowmobiles. I saw no cars or ATVs today.

Massive rock cut to maintain a 3% grade.

I did see 8 cyclists going down the grade. I suspect they were dropped off at Lookout Pass and were going downhill to Wallace. I seem to be the only cyclist going uphill. The altimeter in my VDO MC 4.1 cyclocomputer consistently displayed +3% grade. Mullan to Lookout pass is a 1640 foot climb in 12 miles. Easy, even when 3/4 of it is a rocky surface.

I saw 8 bikes going down. Nobody else going up but me.

The Northern Pacific Railway grade is above the I-90 grade. I could always hear I-90 down below but could almost never see it through the trees. Near the summit is a scenic overlook with a good view of I-90 looking west.

Looking down on I-90 near Lookout Pass. The Northern Pacific Railway grade is the gap in the trees in the upper left.

It started pouring rain just as I arrived at Lookout Pass, highest point of the tour at 4750 feet elevation. I parked the bike and ran inside the building. They have a snack bar, so I drank hot chocolate while it poured outside. I was planning to stop here anyway because they sell tickets to Route of the Hiawatha. I bought a ticket for tomorrow.

Lookout Pass ski area opened in 1938, one of the nation's oldest ski areas.

I left Lookout Pass when the rain slacked off. The temperature was 55F (13C). It was a chilly descent with off and on rain. Lookout Pass is the crest of the Bitterroot range, the boundary between Idaho and Montana. There is no Welcome to Montana sign on the railroad grade so I took a photo of the far away sign on I-90.

I-90 crossing into Montana. There was no Montana sign on the Northern Pacific Railway trail.

The gravel trail was very wet during the descent, a steady 3% grade that descends 1350 feet to Saltese. The brakes sometime made alarming noises, scouring the rims. I enjoyed the views. The railroad grade is higher than the I-90 grade. I could hear I-90 but was visually in my own private world. I saw nobody during the descent.

Northern Pacific Railway grade descending Lookout Pass.

I was surprised to find that the Northern Pacific Railway trail has a tunnel. I estimate it's almost 1000 feet long. It has a curve so I couldn't see light at the other end at first. The tunnel is dry inside.

First tunnel of the trip. About 1000 feet long.

The only tunnel on the Northern Pacific Railway trail.

The descent continues after the tunnel with the railroad grade gradually getting closer to the I-90 grade.

Northern Pacific Railway grade descending alongside I-90.

Eventually the railroad grade crosses under I-90. At that crossing, Bitterroot 300k riders go south on an unpaved Forest Service road that climbs 2 miles to South Portal, beginning of Route of the Hiawatha.

I continued on the trail below I-90 for the last 4 miles into Saltese, along the St. Regis river which flows east. The last mile is paved. I arrived at 6:35 PM Mountain Daylight Time. The clock jumped ahead one hour when I crossed into Montana.
Saltese is a tiny village, population 74. It caters to ATV and snowmobile enthusiasts who come to ride trails such as the one I just pedaled. 3366 feet (1026 m) elevation, highest overnight destination of the tour.

In Saltese I rented one of the tiny rooms at Mangold's General Store and Motel. $51, cheapest night of the tour but easily the smallest room with no fridge, microwave, or A/C.

Tiny but cheap room in Saltese, Montana.

Dinner was at the only place in town that serves food, the Montana Bar.

The only place to eat in Saltese, Montana. Some customers arrive via ATV.

Every bar in Montana has animal heads and gambling machines.

Today was a great day. I felt a real sense of discovery pedaling the 1883 Northern Pacific Railway grade across the Bitterroot mountains. It's a seldom-visited back country gem compared to the busy Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes. The gravel didn't bother me at all. I use 40mm tires and reduced the pressure somewhat. Traction was never a problem because of the gentle 3% grade. The trail is easy, even when wet.

23 miles unpaved today.

Distance: 34.5 mi. (55.2 km)
Average Speed: 7.4 mph (11.8 km)
Ascent/Descent: +1961/-1409 ft. (+598/-430 m)

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 177 miles (285 km)

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