When we were deciding on 2019 U.S. biking destinations our team here at Zephyr was in agreement that we had to add a tour that included the 72-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes and the spectacular Route of the Hiawatha, both located in the panhandle of Idaho.
What we couldn’t agree on was what to call this adventure.
The geographical location of this tour is hard to sum up. The majority of the trails are in Idaho, but we do spend a night and parts of two days biking in Washington State. And the Route of the Hiawatha technically starts in Montana. When we published our 2019 schedule we had settled on Idaho: Silver Valley Biking Adventure. The Silver Valley, set in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains in the northern part of Idaho, gets its name from gold rushers panning for gold but finding an abundance of silver instead. Many of the trails we use are old mine railroad lines.
As I talked with Zephyr Alumni and potential travelers about the Idaho: Silver Valley Biking Adventure I found Idaho isn’t commonly on anyone’s biking bucket list. Go figure. (We obviously think it should be!) So, the “Idaho” part of the tour name was not garnering any attention. And the “Silver Valley” part of the tour name was pretty much lost on everyone. To emphasize this point, I live in Central Idaho, and I got blank stares when I asked friends if they had biked in the Silver Valley.
So, what’s in a name? We have a dozen people from all over the country signed up for this biking adventure. Many have biked or inline skated here before and are returning because they couldn’t ask for trails more perfect for covering long, uninterrupted distances with no crowds and beautiful scenery. They don’t really care what we call this tour. For those journeying to Idaho for the first time, I am guessing they didn’t choose this tour based on the title, either.
If you savor the chance to bike across a state or to cross three states off your biking bucket list – check out the new name for this adventure: Washington-Idaho-Montana Biking Adventure. Creative, no? But it’s not about the name – it’s about the adventure!