Hiawatha bike trail opens Friday

The Route of the Hiawatha bike trail will open Friday.

The 15-mile trail is built along the former Milwaukee Road railroad. Winding through the Bitterroot Mountains, the trail allows users to follow the gentle 1.6-percent downhill grade through 10 impressive tunnels and across seven gut-clenching steel trestles. For those who don’t want to bike uphill, or are new to biking, a shuttle service ferries riders from the bottom of the trail back to the starting point.

Starting Friday, the trail is open seven days a week through Sept. 22. Trail hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.