Way of De Smet and Seltice

The Way of De Smet and Seltice is a proposed trail (pilgrimage, camino, etc.) from the Cataldo Mission (Cataldo, Idaho) to the Sacred Heart Mission (Desmet, Idaho) that celebrates the contributions, heritage, and spiritual leadership of Father Pierre-Jean De Smet and Chief Andrew Seltice. These two men, among many other people, contributed greatly to the cultural heritage and spiritual growth of people of the Inland Northwest. The trail is meant to acknowledge, recognize, and honor the complicated history that these men embodied and the great future that they helped make possible. 

This Way is also meant to invoke the great pilgrimage sites of the world including the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Way of Saint Cuthbert in Scotland.

Stages 1 and 2: Cataldo Mission to Lake Chatcolet Trailhead. 

These fairly straight forward stages and mostly flat. The trail largely follows the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes which is an old railroad grade that has been converted to a trail. There are a couple of campgrounds along the way, a bed and breakfast, and hotels in Harrison, Idaho.

One could do these stages in two long walking days or take it easier and do it in three. A two-day walk would require walking about 20 miles a day with day one ending at the Rainy Hill Campground. Day Two would be Rainy Hill Campground to the Chatcolet Trailhead via the town of Harrison where there are services such as restaurants and groceries. 

A three day walk, which could also include accommodations rather than camping, might involve stopping day one at the Country Barn B&B, then day two would go from the B&B to Harrison where there are hotels. Then the last day would be walking the seven or eight miles to the Chatcolet Trailhead.

Click on the map for more detail.

Stages 3-4: This is where there are a couple options after reaching Plummer, ID via the Trail of the Couer d'Alenes. One is following the old rail grade from Plummer to Tekoa, WA and then following Hangman Creek to Desmet, ID. However, it is not certain if access to the old rail grade is currently allowed. The other is following county roads from Plummer to Desmet. 

Here is the map that takes county rounds from the Chatcolet Trailhead to the Sacred Heart Mission in Desmet. In the future, if possible, securing the route from Plummer to Tekoa, WA using the old rail grade and then following Hangman Creek from Tekoa to Desmet would probably be the preferred route. 

Click on the map for more detail.