Panhandle Ramble (PanRam) 2023

Starting and ending in Coeur d’Alene Idaho, this 320 mile route makes a loop through the Coeur d’Alene National Forest, the St. Joe National Forest, and Coeur d’Alene tribal lands, before returning once again after 30,000 feet of climbing, to the lakeside resort town of Coeur d’Alene, where you will find several bike shops, and all necessary supplies.

The route follows well maintained forest service roads, logging roads, some doubletrack, and some paved sections linking the dirt sections together, making this route rideable for any bike with decent off-road tires.
This region has been known for its mining and logging past, and has been relatively undiscovered since it began its transition away from its resource extraction based economy, making the small-town stops along the way seem like a trip back in time. There are frequent opportunities for interesting activities along the way, like mine tours, fishing, hiking, and garnet hunting to name just a few.

Water is plentiful along the route for filtering, but small springs and seeps may dry up in the heat of summer, making Re-supply in towns more important.

Camping along the route is easy, and seven million perfect campsites await you on the public lands that make up this route. If you prefer campgrounds, there are many of those along the route too.

If you’re familiar with the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, you’ll know that the climbs here can be long, and frequent, with very little time spent not going either up or down. This route can be completed on most bikes with decent knobby tires, unless travelled in the shoulder seasons, or winter, when fat bikes are the best choice to travel the endless miles of groomed snow-machine trails that make up much of this route.

Lake Coeur d’Alene sits at just over 2000 ft, and the route tops out at just over 6300 ft, traversing multiple climate zones, and a vast array of different botanical landscapes, from Ponderosa pine cathedral forests, to deep river valleys, and alpine meadows. The geology, as indicated by its rich mining history, is fascinating, and a person could easily get distracted in towns like Wallace where mine tours are offered right from town, and Garnets can be hunted on-route along Emerald creek.

The route comes within sight of the Montana border, making this region a perfect spot to explore the endless forest landscapes that have become famous for their large populations of wolves, bear, elk, and moose. Riders are near-enough guaranteed to see moose along the way, especially along the short section of the “Trail of the Coeur d’Alene”, where riders will pass a string of chain lakes and marshy lowlands populated by large numbers of moose. Use standard precautions to avoid wildlife encounters, especially during times when moose are feeling frisky, and are known to charge. Bear spray could be considered essential, and bug spray and/or mosquito head-nets will be useful at certain times of the year. Bald eagles can be seen along waterways throughout the region as well, and will often perch on treetops above campsites out of curiosity.

There are several tricky sections to navigate along the route. The first is through the Canfield complex which begins at about route mile 5, and winds its way through well used trails and dirt roads that are the playground of CDA locals for Mountain Biking, And OHV’s. The other tricky section is just past the small town of Emida, where riders will encounter private logging lands which are open to the public. Allow for extra time here, as logging roads frequently change course, close, or become gated. Keep a good map layer open here, to avoid losing yourself in a maze of roads and trails. If all else fails, make your way down to the St. Joe river valley, cross the river, and follow the railroad tracks into the town of St. Maries, where you will rejoin the route. The only things on the far side of the river are train-tracks, and about a million Black Bears, so don’t slather yourself with peanut butter over there.
This route is best ridden in late spring through late summer, depending on snowpack, and you can expect some sections of early, or late season snow, in the higher elevations, especially on north facing slopes, which can usually be plodded through with a little patience.

This route can be tackled quickly as an ITT, or more slowly as a dirt tour, and there is no shortage of reasons to linger along this route.