Doug Eastwood’s book outlines twists and turns that led to one of Idaho’s most scenic paths

People have always loved the North Idaho Centennial Trail, right?

Wrong. Absolutely wrong. One-hundred percent, wrong.

In the early years when it was proposed, it was feared. Hated. Fought.

Doug Eastwood shakes his head as he talks about the initial talks of the 23-mile trail that, today, is beloved. It snakes along Lake Coeur d’Alene, runs next to the Spokane River and winds past historic points and picture-perfect parks, offering spectacular views along the way.

“This trail met more resistance than anything I had every worked on,” said Eastwood, who was parks director for the city of Coeur d’Alene for 35 years before retiring five years ago.

To mark the trail’s 30th anniversary this year, Eastwood wrote a book, “The North Idaho Centennial Trail: The Trail That Almost Wasn’t.”

It chronicles the trail’s creation and completion and the many bumps, potholes, roadblocks, twists and turns along the way.

There were threats of lawsuits. There were lawsuits. There were petitions and protests.

“This is somewhat of a case study on resistance,” Eastwood said.

The general thought was, the trail would be bad. Bad for business. Bad for home values. Bad for parks and bad for pretty much everything and everyone.

The idea of a trail that would stretch for miles, even connecting to Washington state and continuing on for nearly 40 more miles, was alarming. There was fear, Eastwood said, of the unknown.

“It was brand new. Nothing like that had ever happened. And they thought the worst of it,” he said.

“Formidable resistance,” both quiet and vocal, came from residents, businesses, politicians, Eastwood said.

“They believed the housing market near the trail would depreciate, crime rates would go up. Trash would be everywhere. It would be unsafe for children,” he said.

It all added up to delaying the project — a lot.

“What should have taken three years to build took nine,” he said.

But it is done, as supporters won the day.

“We just kept pushing,” Eastwood said.

In 1990, the trail was officially dedicated and the ground was broken for the first five miles of the trail.

“It is nothing short of a miracle that the Centennial Trail exists today,” he wrote in the book’s prologue.

And now, Eastwood said, generations will benefit as the trail links cities, parks and neighborhoods. Summers see it busy with cyclists, dog walkers and runners. Winter sees bicyclists and cross-country snow skiiers, while many walk the trail near Higgens Point and watch bald eagles soar above Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Its economic impact, annually, is estimated at more than $3 million. It’s been visited by three presidents, Bill Clinton, George H. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

Today, real estate agents market the trail and it pulls people to the area.

“A lot of folks want to be within that proximity,” Eastwood said.

A four-way partnership between the cities of Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, Kootenai County and the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation was formed to maintain and enhance the trail.

The book came to be when Eastwood was writing stories for the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation, and the more he wrote, the more he learned. The deeper he dug into its history, the more fascinated he was and believed it needed to be shared.

He realized that to tell the tale of the trail properly, he needed more time and more space. A book was born on the trail “That Almost Wasn’t” and in February, it was published.

“I wanted to create awareness and appreciation for something that now everybody loves,” he said, “even the folks who opposed it back in the day.”

Eastwood said he sees the trail as a “lasting legacy.”

“When we put it in, we had the vision to look ahead, years, decades ahead, and knew what it was going to do for people,” he said.

The first 30-year trail celebration event will be 6 p.m. April 7 at the Well Read Moose in Riverstone. Eastwood will be giving a presentation on his book, which will be available for purchase for $14.99, with proceeds going to the NICTF. The book is also available on Amazon and at the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce.

Eastwood, who has biked thousands of miles on the Centennial Trail, counts himself and everyone else who uses it as fortunate.

“Every life enriched by the Centennial Trail will have a greater appreciation for this lasting legacy when they read how, against all odds, this magnificent trail came to be,” he wrote.