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Late May should allow you to see snow in the mountains. Come prepared for a 50F rainy day, just in case.
1 week agoI think both directions are practical. Counterclockwise would have you going up through Route of the Hiawatha, allowing you to see it more slowly and in the opposite direction from most of the visitors. The other climbs have about the same easy grade on both sides, since most of the climbs are rail grades. I think neither direction has bad headwinds. It's in sheltered environments and the wind is usually gentle. The Plummer to Spokane segment is the main argument in favor of going clockwise because it has 2800 feet of ascent in the opposite direction. If 2800 feet of climbing is no big deal for one day, counterclockwise should be just fine.
1 week agoHello Wayne,
I've read many of your items from way back when, at both sites. Your journals are always great. We especially like the amount of detail you supply. We are thinking of retracing this 2019 route in late May. One question is to ask how you decided to do the route clockwise. We have not yet found comments about the pros and cons of the two possible directions.
Mark
I think that ID 3 south of St. Maries is mostly in remote foothills. Pretty much a road to nowhere. Probably minimal traffic. Not a tourist attraction like my route along the St. Joe river. And not a vacation home destination like Lake Coeur d'Alene.
2 months agoLook at this - I am doing research for our return south from Coeur d'Alene, and not only does your name come up, but here is all of the gang! We are way too far into the planning phase to change our dates, route could be changed with some difficulty. I have just now noticed that we are in this area for the 4th of July weekend. You are seeing heavy, fast traffic in September! I was looking forward to Highway 3 through Santa and Deary as a remote Idaho pleasure to ride. Now I am not sure - will there be people driving to the forest to enjoy their long weekend?
2 months ago
Thank you, very helpful! We appreciate and plan to respect your weather tip, too. After a March here in BC of continual 40F rainy, any upward trend will be nice. But yes, 50 in the rain can be uncomfortable and even unsafe. We'll do our best to be prepared for that.
1 week agoThe best to you on your own May, '24 tour! Looks very interesting.