The Iron Horse Park trail has been improved since my last trip to the tunnel entrance, four years ago. There are cyclone fence railings and finer crushed rock replacing the coarse gravel on the trestles. I didn't have to walk my bike across any of them. There are several outhouses and picnic tables along the way.
Note: The tunnel is closed from November 1 until May 1 each winter.
The distance along the gravel path was 14 miles from Twin Falls to the tunnel entrance, 2.2 miles in the tunnel, and one mile from the east end of the tunnel to the lake view on the other side of Hyak.
The railroad grade is a gradual but tedious uphill going eastbound to the tunnel entrance. On the east side the trail seemed level. Inside the tunnel the trail descends slightly in the eastbound direction, so it is easier going eastbound than westbound.
There is absolutely NO LIGHT inside the tunnel, so artificial lighting is a requirement. Since I made this trip alone, I brought four lights and used only two at a time. There were so many people in the tunnel that I could have easily piggybacked onto any passing group going my direction. The tunnel floor is hard-packed mud, with water dripping constantly, especially near the tunnel ends. There were no obstacles or holes, although a sign warns of the potential for falling rock. The east end of the tunnel is not visible while going eastbound until it is within 1/2 mile, because the path turns about 20 degrees to the south for the last 50 yards. The west end of the tunnel is visible as a faint point of light as soon as your eyes become adjusted to the darkness.
I was not spooked at all by the darkness. It was very much like commuting to work without street lights on dark winter mornings. It was very cold inside the tunnel, so remember to bring warm clothing. My bike fenders and frame are now coated with a thin layer of mud from the tunnel, so fenders are nice too.
My return trip was also tedious in spite of the downhill grade. The gravel, along with a 10-15 MPH headwind, slowed down my pace to 14-20 MPH. (I could have done 24 MPH on pavement with no wind on that grade.) Vibration from the roadway caused my hands, arms, feet, and butt to go numb. My total mileage was only 34.7, but I have felt better after riding 100 miles on paved roads.
My average speed for the whole trip was 12.3 MPH, with 9.9 MPH on the outbound leg. Total time was about 3.5 hours on the bike, with 1:20 in the car. (The car went 73 miles.) We should allow at least 5 hours for this trip.
Here are some optional trips:
| Starting Point | Mileage | Time Estimate |
| Twin Falls | 35 miles | 5 hours |
| Rattlesnake Lake | 40 miles | 6.5 hours |
| Hyak (riding slowly) | 5 miles | 3 hours |
1 comment:
Re: "On the east side the trail seemed level."
The reason why it "seems" level is because it is; it maintains a constant elevation above the level of Lake Kacheles. After passing the dam at the lower end of the Lake, the rail bed starts its slow descent to the Columbia River crossing below Vantage about 5 or 10 miles.
I am surprised that the tunnel is downgrade in the eastbound direction; I would think that the railroad engineers would not have wanted to gain any more altitude than necessary (they had to get a suitable height above the lake level.
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