Cortney and I made it a mission this summer to get out and do more bike camping. In late June, we looked for an overnighter. We wanted to stay close to home, steer clear of traffic, and for it to feel wild & scenic. (If there was a hot spring, even better.) Enter the Weiser River Rail Trail.
Running from Weiser to New Meadows, the 85-mile groomed pathway takes you through desert canyons, evergreen forests, alpine meadows, and small towns. It’s awesome.
We parked our car at the Evergreen Campground up near New Meadows. The camp host was super nice and let us overnight it for free at the picnic site. (Thank you, Judy!)
Our goal was to ride a 35-mile section and tent camp at Mundo Hot Springs near Cambridge. When we told Judy what we were doing, all she said was “Interesting…” and sipped her coffee.
The trail descends and the terrain changes from forest to grassy rangeland like this. There’s not much tree coverage out there and it can get hot. So we made sure to take advantage of what little shade there is for water breaks—and to take in the views. You really feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
When you get near Council and Cambridge, the trail is far from what you’d consider “luxury gravel.” It can get super chunky and pose a good challenge, especially if it’s your first time riding an unpaved surface like it was for Cort. (She did awesome, by the way.) Our wider tires definitely helped smooth things out, but by the time we rolled into camp, we were ready for a break.
In order to beat the heat, we got an early start the next day. (Not too early, though.)
A lot of the land you ride through is private. There’s a little “cattle-shooing” and a whole lot of gates. I tried to pedal ahead and open the gate for Cort so she wouldn’t have to slow down. It worked out nicely.
We didn’t see one rider the second day. This part of the trail is pretty rough and very remote, so it made sense. The only tracks on the trail were ours from the previous day.
There’s quite a bit of wildlife out there, and honestly, we did have that “we’re being watched” feeling. We saw a number of deer both days as expected, but we also saw a black bear cross the trail. Sightings are common on the trail, but it still surprised us.
And just a few minutes after that, she saw something that looked like this:
Um, yeah…. That’s no joke—and no thanks!
The ride had been good to us, but as the day heated up—and the headwinds picked up—Cort and I needed a rest. So we stopped in the town square in beautiful downtown Council and enjoyed a lovely picnic.
Cortney had enough ramble time and tagged out. She stayed put, rested up for a couple of hours and read while I rode back up to Evergreen to get the car.
It was a wise decision. The grade up to the campsite wasn’t steep but it’s still a grade. And I wasn’t gone too long.
One day, we’ll do the trail in its entirety. But this ride was the perfect overnighter: fabulous company, fantastic views, and a metric-ton of wildlife. The hot spring hit the spot too.
-Erik
