Lost Creek Trail: This ride can be shuttled, or ridden as a loop. 21 miles total, 9 of high grade singletrack, 13 dirt road. The singletrack swoops through ridges and cedar forest with a mostly downhill run. No water is available. There is one very short hike-a-bike across a land slide; the rest is intermediate level riding.
Directions:
Drive I-90 to exit 43, Kingston, turn North on Coeur d’Alene River
road. Turn right on signed Lost Creek rd between mile makers 27 and
28. Drive about 1.3 potholed miles to trail head at a wide spot in road.
Park here. For shuttle option, follow ride directions to Taylor Saddle,
which is a good place to parkand start riding. Saddle up here for a
13 mile 2350 feet elevation gain mostly uphill logging road ride. Follow
this signed road number 442. At 3.0 miles bear right. At 4.2 Haystack
Saddle bear right. At 7.2 miles, bear right at junction with rd 6500.
At 12.3 at Taylor Saddle bear right on road 430 climbing to mile 13.0
where trail 502 bears downhill to the right. The trail drops, contours,
and small climbs culminating in lots of nice downhill back to your rig.
Ignore trail number 153 on your right at mile 17.1. Total ride is 21.8,
3070 feet climbing, 8.8 of good single track. (mileage etc. by Craig
Bierly)
Coeur d’Alene River Trail:
Drive I-90 to exit 43, Kingston, turn North on Coeur d’Alene River
road. Drive to mile marker 47 and park at information board. Find trail
on the information board side of road just South of information board.
Trails climbs, drops, contours, sidehills, and crosses several slippery
rock creeks for 6.1 miles to road 412 at Jordan Camp. Turn around and
retrace route. OR: For continued adventure cross road and continue on
river trail. At mile 7.4 the junction with Alden Creek takes off to
right which climbs out of the river bottom. This is a wonderful moderately
climbing trail. You can ride it up until it hits an abandoned logging
road and turn around and enjoy downhill. Or continue up logging road
system for bigger ride to be described as Trail of 2 Creeks and a River.
(C. Bierly)
Coeur d’Alene River trail and back down trail 309:
Drive I-90 to exit 43, Kingston, turn North on Coeur d’Alene River
road. Drive upstream to mile marker 47 and park at information board
on right side of road. Find trail on the information board side of road
just South of information board. Trails climbs, drops, contours, sidehills,
and crosses several slippery rock creeks for 6.1 miles to intersection
of road 412 at Jordan Camp. Cross road and rejoin river trail. At mile
7.4 the junction with Alden Creek takes off to right which climbs out
of the river bottom. Continue on the river trail. From here on the trail
turns pretty technical requiring strict attention at times to your Ps
and Qs as the trail is scratched into the mountain side, a mental lapse
could land you on a rough ride to the river. At 14.8 miles the trail
dead-ends at Big Meadows road 3099. Turn left (South) and climb up out
of river bottom. Drop down into Devil Creek drainage, cross the bridge,
climb around 1000 vertical feet up to ridge. Pass road 205 to Devil
Peak on your right. Pass road 412 going off on your left. Shortly you
will come to an unsigned intersection with a jeep road leaving the logging
road on your left. The map shows this to be trail 309. Turn left, dropping
down and then a short climb up to a helispot. Continue out the ridge
on a quad track a short ways and the trail drops down and climbs briefly
on a now single track. Continue as the trail undulates briefly and then
drops steeply to a crossing of Cataract Creek. At the creek turn upstream
(right) for about 150 feet and see the trail across the creek. A way
trail exists in the creek bottom that has been used by lots of elk and
very little human traffic. Finding the creek crossing requires some
exploring to find but it is on the far bank and is very visible. Begin
a short climb and a descent to cross an unnamed small stream. The trail
becomes a hike a bike climbing about 400 feet up to a ridge. From the
ridge the trail drops down a wonderful single track. At an unsigned
single track junction, turn right and drop a short distance down to
the Coeur d’Alene River road. Turn left and coast about ¾
mile back to trailhead.
The trail from Jordan camp to Big Meadows is quite challenging due to
exposure and sketchy trail. When in doubt hike a bike.
Take lots of water. The trail crosses several streams that could be
filtered for drinking water.
Mileage 26.9, elevation gained: 3870, actual ride time 4 hours. (C.
Bierly)
Coeur d’Alene River trail, Devil trail 56 down:
Drive I-90 to exit 43, Kingston, turn North on Coeur d’Alene River
road. Drive upstream between mile marker 47 and 48 and park at information
board on right side of road right before the last bridge over the North
Fork.Find trail on the information board side of road just South of
information board. Trails climbs, drops, contours, sidehills, and crosses
several slippery rock creeks for 6.1 miles to intersection of road 412
at Jordan Camp. Cross road and rejoin river trail. At mile 7.4 the junction
with Alden Creek takes off to right which climbs out of the river bottom.
Continue on the river trail. From here on the trail turns pretty technical
requiring strict attention at times to your Ps and Qs as the trail is
scratched into the mountain side, a mental lapse could land you on a
rough ride to the river below you. At 15.3 miles the trail dead-ends
at Big Meadows road 3099. Turn left (South) and climb up out of river
bottom. Drop down into Devil Creek drainage, cross the bridge, climb
around 1000 vertical feet up to ridge. At 19.4 miles, at the first right
hand road turn, turn right on road 205. At mile 21.2 find Devil Trail
56 taking off to the left. Enjoy the nice single track for the next
5.8 miles. Stay right at the 404 Emerson Ridge trail intersection. Drop
down to Independence Creek bottom and join trail 22 at just about 27
miles. Turn left for a bit of a climb. Ignore trail 404 coming in on
your left. At 28.8 miles exit the single track at Independence Camp.
Turn left pedal out of valley. Turn right on road 3099. Turn left on
road 6310 at 29.7 miles a short distance later. Pedal this gravel road
until it turns to pavement and changes road number to 208 and reach
the starting point at 34.2 miles. Four hours solid ride time, 3260’
climbing.
Variation:
Drive upstream from ride starting point, continue as pavement changes
to gravel and becomes road 6310. Park at intersection of road 6310 and
3099. Ride up 3099 about 8 miles to the intersection with road 205,
the first left turn, and pick up the full ride description. Ride length
about 19 miles.(C. Bierly)