On the trail

Snaking its way along a lazy river, a pristine lake, through neighborhoods and adjacent to a former freeway, the North Idaho Centennial Trail next year will celebrate 30 years of catering to runners, walkers, bicyclists and your basic health-conscious outdoorsy types.

And there is no shortage of interest in the meandering trail.

Conservatively, officials estimate the scenic pathway attracts more than 300,000 users each year and the numbers continue to grow exponentially as it extends and connects with other popular trails in the community.

An undeniably integral part of any town big or small, pedestrian trails feed the notion of a “live, work and play” community.

“We’ve done several studies that have shown the No. 1 thing people want in their community is more trails and more connectivity,” says Monte McCulley, trail coordinator for the city of Coeur d’Alene.

“A good trail system is so critical because it indicates an active lifestyle and that’s important to people these days,” McCulley says. “We have more people on our trails than in a lot of our parks.”

The concept of a commemorative trail began as a vision in 1987, three years before Idaho celebrated its centennial birthday.

It took nearly three years of planning before the first section of trail was installed. That first section, constructed in 1990, extended from the historic State Line railroad bridge to Spokane Street in downtown Post Falls.

Realigned and improved over the decades, the scenic trail extends 23 miles from the Idaho-Washington state line east along the Spokane River and ending at Higgens Point east of the Lake City on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive.

Rain or shine and year around, the centennial trail is used by people like John Bruning, a former Coeur d’Alene city councilman and longtime planning and zoning commissioner who bicycles “just about daily,” he says.

“If it isn’t pouring down rain or snowing, I use my bike or walk,” says the 74-year-old Bruning.

The Centennial Trail and other pathways it connects with “are a real gem for our community,” he adds.

Maintained by a diverse group of state and local entities, the trail is kept in tip-top shape through a cooperative effort that includes the cities of Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, Kootenai County, North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation and the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.

Last year, using a $250,000 federal grant administered through the state, crews repaired cracks, repainted stripes, resurfaced stretches and seal coated the entire 23-mile stretch of the trail.

“Those improvements should keep it in pretty good shape for the next five to six years,” McCulley said.

Not a bad investment for a trail that officials estimate cost about $2.4 million to build.

Recently, in western Coeur d’Alene along Seltice Way, a total of three new miles of trail were added (1.5 miles on each side of the road), McCulley said. As part of the Seltice Way project, the Centennial Trail was extended north to connect with the Atlas Trail.

Appreciation for the North Idaho Centennial Trail is widespread—from frequent users, to developers who see the importance of trails, to state and local officials.

In the early stages of the planning process, then-Gov. Cecil Andrus took a tour of the trail route and said, “Fifty years from now, people will look at this trail and think; what vision you people had when you put this trail in.”

Nearly 30 years later, people today have a deep understanding of what the former governor said. A good trail system attracts new people to the community and helps retain existing residents.

Indeed, trail user Nicole Irwin, 23, said the trail was a big factor in her decision to relocate to North Idaho.

“It’s an important community asset,” she said as she pushed her 9-month-old son, Jackson, on a stroller recently. “It’s such a family-orientated thing and everybody I’ve run into on the trail is so friendly. That’s important to me.”

Twenty-one-year-old Lane Thompson of Coeur d’Alene said he’s on the trail frequently.

“I get out here as much as I can,” he says. “I love the views and the water,” Thompson says. “The trail is so well kept. Whoever keeps it up does a great job keeping it nice.”

To learn more about the trail, including maps, its history, events and more, visit nictf.org.