Mountain biking and hiking trails, disc golf course and other attractions were recently built on City of Rathdrum parkland.
By Eric Deady
Cover photo courtesy of Lynn Short
StormKing Mountain, also known as Rathdrum Mountain, sits in a unique cultural and ecological environment, existing simultaneously as a resource-rich spot on the map that has historically provided timber, water and other resources to the people living in and around what is now the town of Rathdrum, Idaho. Today, the mountain is also the location of a new outdoor recreation hotspot on a portion of land owned by the city.
Rising to just over 5,000 feet and sprouting from the pancake-flat prairie lands surrounding it, StormKing, which is part of the Selkirk Mountains, is striking in its profile. Prior to the early 1800s, StormKing Mountain provided water and resources used by the Schitsu’umsh people (Coeur d’Alene Tribe) and served as a vital hunting and gathering location. The early 1800s brought the Hudson’s Bay Company and Pacific Fur Company, as well as prospectors, missionaries and settlers, forever altering the landscape. It wasn’t until the current population boom that began in the 1970s that wells were dug to support the town of Rathdrum and surrounding farmland, and a portion of the mountain was placed under the control of the City of Rathdrum.
Vision and Public Input Produces Results for Outdoor Recreation
Eventually, the city began looking for opportunities to develop the mountain for the type of recreation that would appeal to a wider range of people and improve access. That included a public engagement process and ultimately a consensus was reached about what would be included in the plan. Funding was secured through a grant from Idaho State Parks, as well as revenue from a timber harvest on the site, to begin planning and developing the area for public use. Through public comment, meetings, surveys and outreach, the Rathdrum Parks and Recreation Department, led by Eric Singer, came up with an ambitious plan for the mountain that would expand on existing hiking trails, add mountain bike-friendly trails and infrastructure, build a story walk trail, create a trail for visually impaired people and add a disc golf course.
What is so impressive about the process was that the city allowed the residents of Rathdrum to decide what type of use they would like to see, putting the future of the mountain into the hands of the people who would be enjoying it. People were engaged and enthused and ultimately helped the plan become reality through countless hours of volunteer work building trails, clearing brush and shoveling dirt. Without the public support and volunteer work, the plan for StormKing Mountain would have remained just that—a plan.
One of the biggest hurdles to completing the vision was creating access. Although a historic easement existed, the road was in poor shape and needed to be repaired and graded. A paved parking lot was also needed, and funding for the road work and parking lot was secured through a timber harvest on the property, which not only paid for the construction but also helped clear the site for the trails and infrastructure.
A New Trail System Takes Shape
Planning a trail system that is to be shared by hikers and mountain bikers has its challenges, and avoiding user conflicts was critical for the success of the project. The city took proposals and bids from multiple trail builders and companies for the planning stage of the trail-building process, with the aim of creating a trail network in several phases that would appeal to a wide range of users at all skill levels.
John Bowman of Mountain View Cyclery in Hayden, Idaho, was awarded the contract to develop a master trail plan in three phases, and in 2019, the dream started to become a reality. John and his team of trail builders started with a blank slate and used their experience to decide where the trails would be built according to the terrain, obstacles and geology. Countless hours of crawling through brush and hiking up and down the mountain eventually led to the completion of the first trail map in 2019.
Trail construction began just in time for COVID, creating unforeseen challenges for the community volunteers who donated countless hours cutting brush, moving dirt and creating trails. Eventually, the volunteers were joined by Bowman and local mountain bike trail-building guru Evan Franz. The pair brought their expertise and heavy equipment to create the first 5 miles of professionally designed and built trails (more than 12 miles are planned in total). The StormKing Mountain project stands as a testament to what a community can accomplish when cooperation and compromise are the priorities.
The StormKing Mountain trails, story walk trail, disc golf course and trail for visually impaired trail users are all now open and ready to be used free of charge for all. Ongoing maintenance of the trails and facilities will be supported through Adopt-A-Trail programs and donations from local businesses who remain keen on supporting the new recreation area. Future grants from the state of Idaho and ongoing sustainable timber harvests every eight to 10 years will be used to complete future phases of the project, increasing the trail network to more than 12 miles of North Idaho goodness!
Visit the City of Rathdrum Parks and Recreation website for trail maps, directions and updates.
Eric lives, works and explores the great outdoors in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Bikepacking, mountain biking and raising his kids are his jam!
