Directions

Lookout Pass Ski Area - IdAHO Side Rent & Pick Up: Bikes, Lights, Helmets, Tag-alongs for kids who want to ride behind their parents & Burley Trailers for little kids & other Equipment. All our bikes come with a complimentary bike rack so you can drive with your rental bikes from Lookout Pass to the Trailhead at Taft, MT. Purchase Trail & Shuttle Passes Reservations Pick Up Restrooms & Area Information Food, Beverage & Retail Store. Shop for items you might need or want along the trail.   From here you will drive down I-90 East to Exit 5 in MT and then follow the Hiawatha signs on a dirt/gravel road two miles to the East Portal/Taft Parking Lot. We do not offer a Shuttle Service to the Hiawatha from the Ski Area. You will need to drive there.

Montana Side If you already have bikes we still ask that you come up to Lookout Pass to purchase your Trail & Shuttle Passes. While here check out our to go food offerings, drinks, sweatshirts or gloves that will keep you warm in the tunnels, especially in the long St. Paul Pass aka Taft Tunnel. After getting your gear and tickets, shuttle passes etc. Drive on I-90 East and take exit 5. Then follow the Hiawatha signs two more miles on a dirt/gravel road to the East Portal/Taft Parking Lot where you will start your ride.

The trail may be accessed from different directions. From east or west off I-90, take the Taft Exit 5 in Montana (5 miles east from Lookout Pass). After exiting, just follow the signs and go across the bridge to route 506 and head uphill for 2 miles to the East Portal trailhead which is the top elevation trailhead and where most visitors choose to start. Taft Exit 5, off I-90, is midway between Spokane, WA and Missoula, MT, just 5 miles east of Lookout Pass. The East Portal trailhead has a large parking area but we encourage those with RV's to park at camp sites along the way or down in Taft, MT just off the highway. There is limited parking at East portal for RV's. No sevices are offered at any of the parking areas that serve the trail. See our Lodging page for suggestions of Full Service commercial RV Camping sites in the area. 

IT'S IMPORTANT to note that Lookout Pass Ski Area, located right alongside I-90, Exit 0, at the Idaho/Montana state line, serves as the bike rental shop, service and information center. Trail tickets, shuttle tickets, rental bikes, helmets and lights, food service, souvenirs, maps and information are all available at Lookout Pass and credit cards are accepted there. There are no rental bikes at any of the trailheads - please go to Ski Lookout Pass to get rental bikes. Or Order Bikes, Shuttle Passes, Trail Passes, Sack lunches to go, Drinks, and so much more on our website.  

From the south, go through St. Maries and take FH 50 east to Avery, then proceed north on FS Road 456, also known as Moon Pass, for 9 miles where you can park at the Pearson trailhead. Pearson is the bottom elevation trailhead. If you choose to start your ride here it is an uphill pedal or you can take the shuttle which starts around 11 to 11:30 on most days. 

Alternate route from Wallace, Idaho, take Exit 61 off I-90 and stop at the Wallace Inn for directions to Moon Pass Road (FS Road 456). Access to Moon Pass weaves through a residential area behind the Wallace Inn (right on Second Street, right on Bank Street, left onto King Street which becomes Moon Pass Road). It's 20 miles from Wallace to the Pearson Trailhead on a well maintained mountain dirt road. Be advised that it wll take 40-50 minutes to drive these 20 miles.

FYI Easiest access from Wallace, ID is via I-90 eastbound to Lookout Pass, approximately 12 miles. You can pick up bikes and tickets at Lookout Pass. then you will head an additional 5 miles east on I-90 and take the Taft, MT Exit. (Exit 5). Go thru the parking lot and head across the wooden Bridge up the FS 506 ~ two miles then make a Left turn to go into the East Portal Parking Lot for the Hiawatha. This is the normal start for your ride down the Hiawatha trail and the largest parking area.  

Alternatively, you can continue to follow the 506 road up and over Roland Pass and down to the historic town site and trail head of Roland (7 miles from I-90) which is located just past the West Portal of the St. Paul Pass, or "Taft" Tunnel. Do know this is a narrow and generally rough road. Parking is limited to about 18 vehicles on the Roland side.  

Still Lost?? Give us a call before you start your trip at (208) 744-1301 and we will be glad to help you.

Miles from....to Lookout Pass