CMSP&P St. Paul Pass Tunnel 20

 railway, tunnel, abandoned / shut down, rail-trail, interesting place, historic landmark

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The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad mainline between Seattle and Chicago operated through this 8,771' tunnel from 1909 until March 1980. This was the second longest of the 64 tunnels that were part of the Milwaukee Road. Only the 11,888' Snoqualmie Tunnel was longer.
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This portion of the Olympian Hiawatha route has been called one of the most breathtaking scenic stretches of railroad in the country. The "crown jewel" of rail-to-trail mountain bicycle trails is operated by Lookout Pass Ski Area which is located adjacent to I-90 at the Idaho/Montana state line, 12 miles east of historic Wallace, Idaho.

Winding through 10 tunnels and 7 high trestles, this 15-mile route crosses the rugged Bitterroot Mountains between Idaho and Montana. The Route of the Hiawatha is best known for the long, dark St. Paul Pass, or Taft Tunnel, which burrows for 1.66 miles under the Idaho/Montana state line.

With an incredible history beginning in 1906 of construction, hardships and calamities, unprecedented electrification, and of carrying passengers and freight from the Northwest to the Midwest, generations of railroaders kept the Milwaukee Road running until it finally went bankrupt in 1977. The last train west of Butte, Montana passed through in 1980. After that the line was abandoned.

With government funding and private donations, the rails were removed, and the construction of this spectacular wilderness bicycle and hiking trail was undertaken in 1997. The Idaho portion of the trail first opened for public use on May 29, 1998. The St. Paul Pass, or Taft Tunnel, was completed in May of 2001, and is now open for bike riding.