Over the long weekend, my wife and I took the following Tuesday off after Memorial Day and rode the CDA Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes.  It was a great time.  The following is a conversation I had on another website -- which got me inspired to ride this trail .  

I live in CdA and frequent the trail.

Personally, I don't bother with anything east of Enaville. You run close enough to major highways to see, hear and smell them. It's not nearly as scenic (I don't like it) as the western portion which is photo worthy every 50 yards. Literally. The western section between Enaville and Plummer is a very special trail. Smooth as a billiard table, gorgeous mountain, meadow, river and lake views, and filled with wildlife.

Enaville to Wallace = "Just a trail"
Enaville to Plummer = "Awe inspiring"

Kellogg, Wallace, and Mullan are worth a peek to explore the historic stuff and check out the mines. But that's best done on a dedicated trip and by car. 
 

If you depart early AM you'll have sun directly in your face. Just FYI because some folks don't care for that. There is a trail head with dedicated parking at Plummer. The return trip from Kellogg to Plummer in the morning will be nice because the sun will be at your back.

Enaville: Right off the freeway is a marked trailhead with dedicated parking as well. Right across the street is "The Snake Pit." A bar and restaurant converted from an 1800s saloon and brothel. Lots of character.

To get there, take I-90 east. Take exit #43 toward Kingston (north). That will put you on Coeur d Alene River Rd. Go approx 1.6 miles and you cant miss it. Snake Pit on the right, trailhead and Parking on the left.

The steepest "grade" you'll experience is from Plummer down to the lake. Depending on you fitness level, that could be tough, or effortless. 

The guy above was 100% on everything... including the exact trail entrance in Enaville. We rode on Sunday and had great weather.

We stayed here A Unique Place to Stay in the Silver Valley - VRBO in Pinehurst and were a mile from the trail. 

The homeowner was able to find us a guy who drove us out to Plummer for $50 and we started there and ended at our cabin. I could have ridden the round trip but I knew my wife could not so that money was worth it. We rode 52 miles in all and it was some of the best trail riding I've done and it completely lived up to its expectations. The weakest part, arguably, was the middle section of farmland between Cataldo and Harrision -- and even that was better than most sections of other trails I've ridden on. 

Dropping down to the lake from Plummer and riding around it to Harrison was exhilerating. We surprisingly had a very good lunch out on the deck overlooking the lake at the Landing bar or whatever in Harrison... right next door to the ice cream joint.

These first 16 miles were some of the easiest and sadly some of the fastest riding we've done (together). This was not planned. We were just so immersed in our ride that we were pedaling with ease and made it a point to slow down afterwards.

It was in the late morning that we saw a young male moose just 2 miles into the ride and yet again later in the afternoon at the 42 mile mark. We also ran into deer, saw dozens of herons, an eagle or two, and plenty of other wildlife all from the seat of our bicycles.

Kudos to all the agencies involved for designing an environmental solution to the mining runoff problem. They did a great job in spacing trailheads, stops, and bathrooms along it as well. My favorite part was probably from Bull Run to Enaville in which we were hugging the Coeur d'Alene River. In short, the trail hugs a lot of water bodies... lakes, rivers, streams, marshes... while tucked away in the mountains. I can see why you're proud of it.

And he was correct in stating that everything east of Enaville is just a trail. From where we exited, there was only 20 miles of it left and I doubt I'll ever complete the rest of it. Hugging I-90 through industrial mining waste land just doesn't have the same appeal. 

If you haven't ridden this trail at least once in your life, your missing out IMHO.