Olympian sized trail

ST. REGIS, Mont. - In 1947, the Milwaukee Railroad launched the Olympian Hiawatha passenger train, a speedier streamlined version of the heavyweight Olympian train. At the time, trains raced across western Montana, completing a route that spanned from Chicago to Tacoma, Wash.

Today, the railroad has long been abandoned and a portion of the route crossing the Bitterroot Mountains in Idaho has been converted into a scenic public bike trail called "The Route of the Hiawatha."

Now, in a switch of history, this trail has paved the foundation for a neighboring stretch of railroad on the Montana side to be converted into a multi-use trail called "The Route of the Olympian."

"It's something that we thought about and other people repeatedly brought the idea to us," says U.S. Forest Service Project Manager Beth Kennedy. "This was kind of a part of the whole original idea of the Route of the Hiawatha that started in the mid '90s."

The trail will consist of a 30-mile stretch that lies between Taft and St. Regis and would have certain sections designated for snowmobiles, bicycles and one for ATVs, although right now everything is still subject to change.

The trio of uses for the trail came out of a working group proposal that gives every group a piece of what it wanted.

"Some people wanted to keep it as a road, others wanted to keep it for ATVs and others wanted to keep it for bicycles," says Kennedy. "What this proposal is, is a compromise for that."

Although the plan would physically connect this route with the Hiawatha, the Forest Service changed the name to reflect the different management of the route.

Ever since the Milwaukee Railroad went bankrupt in the late 1970s, turning over portions of the road to private land ownership and other sections to the Lolo National Forest, the grade has resembled more of a road that has gotten a lot of use from the public, which has more or less treated it as a public trail.

One group which is very interested in the route is a snowmobiling club based out of Haugan: The Montana Nightriders. President Brennan Teeters says snowmobile riders have used the route in the past, but a lack of grooming can make it a bumpy and rough ride. Now with the proposed action Teeters is excited for what he calls a gorgeous route.

"The proposed action on it looks great, it's gonna keep our trails maintained in the summer time and it's possibly going to get a groomed trail down to St. Regis if we get enough snow to do it," Teeters said.

With this route Teeters also forsees more interest generated in ATV riding in the summer and then snowmobile riding in the winter since the two sports usually go hand-in-hand.

For ATV riders, the plan proposes a motorized and non-motorized route running parallel to each other between Taft and Saltese, thanks to another abandoned railroad line, the Northern Pacific grade.

With the high use of the trail in mind, the Forest Service began buying up sections of the trail in 2007 that were owned by private individuals. After owning only 60 percent of the 30-mile stretch, the service now owns 90 percent of the line and is planning to install two bypasses near Saltese and Two-Mile that will connect the trail into 30 continuous miles.

Most of the property was purchased with various grant money that totaled about $200,000.

Kennedy says that part of the reason the proposal, a process that lasted from late last fall to early winter, has taken so long to be written was the fact that two of the sections were still in private ownership and they were trying to determine what their course of action would be.

With 32,000 travelers driving under tunnels and over trestles on the Route of the Hiawatha last year, local businesses in western Mineral County are excited about the economic boost this line could give to their area.

"Even a fraction of that visiting St. Regis would be of help to the economy," said George Bailey, a member of the St. Regis Tax Area Board, which is one of the groups that collaborated on the proposal. "I think it will be very positive. I think it will be similar to the Hiawatha Trail. It's gotten a lot of use over the years, but I think it will increase."

The potentially five-year-long project will start this summer. After not being maintained by anyone since the '70s, Kennedy says they will begin by doing repairs that need to be done no matter what kind of use occurs on it.

The Forest Service has raised approximately $700,000 for any repairs from economic stimulus money and Resource Advisory Committee money.

Both Kennedy and Bailey think the route will be a big hit for outdoor enthusiasts who will love the scenic location. For most of the 30 miles the route is pinched between Interstate 90 and the beautiful St. Regis River.