Explore the Lewis and Clark Trail
In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on a journey that would cover 8,000 miles on their expedition into the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. More than a quarter of the journey was through Montana, much of it along the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers as Lewis and Clark searched for a water route to the Pacific Ocean and wrote of the splendors they saw on their journeys.
The Lewis and Clark journals provided a young America with some of the earliest accounts of the people and natural wonders of the west. Among the explorers' many discoveries are 122 animals and 178 plants, including the ponderosa pine, Montana's state tree; the cutthroat trout, Montana's state fish; the western meadowlark, Montana's state bird; bluebunch wheatgrass, Montana's state grass; the bitterroot, Montana's state flower; and the mourning cloak, Montana's state butterfly.
Some of the things they witnessed were so wonderfully unusual, it was nearly impossible for Lewis and Clark to convince others that what the two had seen really existed. Modern-day travelers can enjoy the unbelievably beautiful and fascinating on the Lewis and Clark Trail as they retrace the adventurers' historic steps. Interpretive markers at various points on the trail aid travelers in their appreciation of the trail's wonders. Developed sites on the trail include the Missouri Headwaters State Park near Three Forks, where the Missouri river starts its long trip to the Gulf of Mexico, and where the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison rivers meet. Giant Springs State Park, another stop on the trail, is home to the world's shortest river and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.
Perhaps the best way to follow the Lewis and Clark Trail is on a commercial boat tour through the Gates of the Mountains near Helena. As the explorers traveled down this narrowing canyon, they thought they would come to a dead end, when suddenly the canyon opened wide providing a "gate." The scenery and opportunities for wildlife viewing are excellent on this trip.
Condensed versions of the Lewis and Clark journals are available at most bookstores, and can be used to retrace their journey through Montana. For site-specific information about the Lewis and Clark Trail, see the Official Montana Highway Map included with this guide. For more information, tour guides should contact the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, PO Box 3434, Great Falls, MT 59403.
Lewis & Clark in Montana: The Missouri River Route For Visitors Traveling West on US 2
Day One
Traveling west from Williston, North Dakota, visit Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site for a glimpse of what life was like at one of the busiest fur trading posts on the Missouri River. Here, fur traders, frontier capitalists, Indians, European artists, and dignitaries converged during one of the most colorful eras of Western history. Traveling west along Montana's Hi-line (US 2), you will have several opportunities to brush up on Lewis and Clark history as you parallel the route traveled by the Corps of Discovery up the Missouri River. Somewhere near Culbertson the expedition had its first encounter with a grizzly bear on April 29, 1805. Wolf Point is a good spot for a picnic, and what better place than Lewis and Clark Memorial Park, several miles east of town on the Missouri River. A visit to Fort Peck Dam & Museum offers the opportunity to see one of the world's oldest and largest hydraulic earthfill dams and the inland ocean behind it. A museum at the power plant includes an impressive dinosaur fossil exhibit and artifacts from old Fort Peck. This small community is also known for its popular Fort Peck Summer Theatre. The Glasgow Valley County Pioneer Museum has several Lewis and Clark exhibits. And Havre offers several historical attractions, including Havre Beneath the Streets, the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum, Fort Assinniboine and Wahkpa chu'gn Archaeology Site. Turning south on US 87, Fort Benton is one of the best places to get a feel for the Lewis and Clark experience. Montana's official Lewis and Clark Monument, a riverfront statue entitled "Explorers at the Marias," depicts Lewis and Clark with Sacajawea and her baby. The Museum of the Upper Missouri retraces the town's colorful history as a busy river port and hub of trails to the Northwest and Canada. Several area outfitters guide float trips along the Upper Missouri Wild & Scenic River.
Overnight in Great Falls.
Day Two
Lewis and Clark put in 32 of their most difficult days in the Great Falls area, so you should plan on spending at least one full day here. The explorers expected to encounter one cascade and a portage of no more than a half-mile, easily accomplished in a day. Instead, they found five formidable falls and wound up taking two weeks to cover the distance they'd normally travel by water in a single day. Because of the significance of Great Falls to the expedition, the city has evolved into a major center for modern Lewis and Clark buffs. Visit Giant Springs Heritage State Park for its lovely picnic grounds, state fish hatchery and a living history program performed by the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard (by special arrangement only). First discovered by Lewis and Clark in 1805, Giant Springs is the largest freshwater springs in the world. The local chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation is one of the nation's most active, and the city is now home to the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center. The nation's newest Lewis and Clark interpretive site is lcoated along the banks of the Missouri River overlooking Black Eagle Falls.
Another must-see attraction in Great Falls is the C. M. Russell Museum Complex, which houses one of the nation's finest collections of Western art and history. Built on the museum's permanent collection of C. M. Russell art and memorabilia, the complex includes the artist's original log cabin studio. Consider visiting Ulm Pishkun State Park.
Overnight in Great Falls.
Day Three
Head south to Dillon with stops at the Gates of the Mountains, Helena, and the Three Forks of the Missouri River. The Gates of the Mountains were named by Captain Lewis in 1805. Towering cliffs appeared to block the way up the Missouri River. As they neared the cliffs and changed directions, the cliffs seemed to pull apart like a huge gate. Commercial boat tours take visitors through this spectacular gorge. In Helena, the Montana Historical Society is the state's leading historical institution. Highlights include the Mackay Gallery of Charlie Russell Art, which includes several paintings and drawings on the Lewis and Clark theme. The State Capitol also honors Lewis and Clark with grand artworks, including Russell's massive "Lewis and Clark Meeting the Flathead Indians at Ross' Hole." Other Helena attractions include the magnificent Cathedral of St. Helena, Original Governor's Mansion, Holter Museum of Art and Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts.
Lewis and Clark were well worn out by the time they reached the Three Forks of the Missouri at Three Forks. Missouri River Headwaters State Park commemorates the expedition's arrival, as well as the area's importance to Indians, trappers, traders, and settlers. The expedition chose to follow the westernmost tributary, in hopes it would lead them over the Continental Divide and into the Pacific watershed. Traveling up the Jefferson, Lewis and Clark passed right by some underground caverns but never discovered them. The Lewis and Clark Caverns, now a state park, are considered among the best in the Northwest. To the south along MT 41, Beaverhead Rock was an important landmark to the expedition. About nine miles south of the rock, the expedition reached its 3,000-mile mark. In Dillon, Beaverhead County Museum contains several items of Lewis and Clark lore, including a splendid woodcutting of Sacajawea meeting her brother, Chief Cameahwait.
Overnight in Dillon.
Day Four
West of Dillon, Bannack is the site of Montana's first major gold discovery in 1862 and first territorial capital. Now a state park, it is an excellent example of historic frontier camps and mining towns. A walking tour of this ghost town includes Sheriff Henry Plummer's gallows, the Hotel Meade, and the Masonic Temple and School. There is a visitor center with interpretive displays and video programs. Another historic site along the route is the Big Hole Battlefield National Monument, site of a major battle in the Nez Perce War of 1877. The visitor center has a slide show projected on a screen just above a panoramic window that looks out over the battlefield. On the Montana-Idaho border, you will cross Lost Trail Pass very near where Lewis and Clark did on one of the more perilous legs of their journey. One of their guides literally lost the trail to the pass and routed them over a trail more than a thousand feet higher than the current route. On September 2, 1805, Clark wrote: "We were obliged to cut a road over rock hillsides where our horses were in...danger of slipping to their certain destruction." An interpretive panel at Lost Trail Pass shows the historic routes through the area, from Lewis and Clark's trek to those taken by the Nez Perce and Generals Howard and Gibbon to the Battle of the Big Hole.
Traveling north through the Bitterroot Valley on US 93, several attractions invite exploration. In Hamilton, visit the Ravalli County Museum and the Daly Mansion, once the country estate of one of Montana's notorious copper kings. In Stevensville, there is St. Mary's Mission, the Stevensville Museum and the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge. Near Lolo, visit Traveler's Rest, where Lewis and Clark camped September 911, 1805, and June 30July 3, 1806. On the return trip from the Pacific, the expedition separated here into two parties.
Lewis & Clark in Montana: The Yellowstone River Route An Alternate Route for Visitors Traveling West along I-94 and I-90
Day One
Traveling west from Williston, North Dakota, visit Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site for a glimpse of what life was like at one of the busiest fur trading posts on the Missouri River. Here, fur traders, frontier capitalists, Indians, European artists, and dignitaries converged during one of the most colorful eras of Western history. Upon leaving Fort Union, follow the Yellowstone River to Billings with stops at Makoshika State Park in Glendive, the Range Riders Museum in Miles City, and Pompeys Pillar outside of Billings. At Makoshika, picturesque formations sculpted by wind and water can be seen from turnouts that overlook a broad vista of badlands. Many fossils have been found in these badlands. More than 10 species of dinosaurs, including the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex, have been identified. The Frontier Gateway Museum is also located in Glendive. In Miles City, the Range Riders Museum occupies the site of an old Army cantonment built in 1876. Housed here is one of the finest collections of cattle and cowboy lore to be found anywhere. Exhibits include a Fort Keogh replica, a carriage house with horse-drawn vehicles, a reproduced main street of old Milestown, a homestead log house, a gun collection, and cowboy artifacts. Another attraction, the Custer County Art Center, is located in Miles City's old waterworks plant. East of Billings, Captain Clark and his party arrived at Pompeys Pillar July 25, 1806. Clark pronounced a monolith sandstone cliff "a remarkable rock" and named it Pompeys Tower for Sacajawea's son. Clark carved his signature in the rock, the only visible graffiti of the trip that remains. Arriving in Billings, visitors can choose from several cultural attractions, including the Western Heritage Center, Moss Mansion, Yellowstone Art Museum, and Yellowstone County Museum, plus a wide array of shopping and dining opportunities.
Overnight in Billings.
Day Two
En route to Three Forks, stops in Livingston and Bozeman offer opportunities to visit two memorable museums, the Livingston Depot Center and Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies. Lewis and Clark were well worn out by the time they reached the headwaters of the Missouri at Three Forks. Clark also passed through here on his return trip east. Missouri River Headwaters State Park commemorates the expedition's arrival here, as well as the area's importance to Indians, trappers, traders, and settlers. The expedition chose to follow the westernmost tributary, in hopes it would lead them over the Continental Divide and into the Pacific watershed. From Three Forks, follow the Missouri north to Great Falls, via Helena, Montana's capital city. After a brief stop in Helena to visit the Montana Historical Society and State Capitol, head north for a boat ride on the Missouri River through the Gates of the Mountains. This area was named by Captain Lewis in 1805. Towering cliffs appeared to block the way up the Missouri River. As they neared the cliffs and changed directions, the cliffs seemed to pull apart like a huge gate. This spectacular gorge is reached only by boat or trail.
Overnight in Great Falls.
Day Three
Lewis and Clark put in 32 of their most difficult days in Great Falls, so visitors should plan on spending at least the better part of a day here. The explorers expected to encounter one cascade and a portage of no more than a half-mile, easily accomplished in a day. Instead, they found five formidable falls and wound up taking two weeks to cover the distance they'd< normally travel by water in a single day. Because of the significance of Great Falls to the expedition, the city has evolved into a major center for modern Lewis and Clark buffs. Visit Giant Springs Heritage State Park for its lovely picnic grounds, state fish hatchery, and a living history program performed by the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard. First discovered by Lewis and Clark in 1805, Giant Springs is the largest freshwater springs in the world. The local chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation is one of the nation's most active, and the city has been designated by Congress as the site of a major Lewis and Clark Trail Interpretive Center. The Lewis and Clark interpretive site sits along the banks of the Missouri River overlooking Black Eagle Falls. Located midway along the Lewis and Clark Trail, the center focuses on relations between the Corps of Discovery and the many Indian tribes they encountered, as well as the month-long portage around the five falls on the Missouri River near Great Falls.
Another must-see attraction in Great Falls is the C. M. Russell Museum Complex, which houses one of the nation's finest collections of Western art and history. Built on the museum's permanent collection of C. M. Russell art and memorabilia, the complex includes the artist's original log cabin studio.
Head west in the afternoon along MT 200 over Rogers Pass to Missoula. You will travel along the beautiful Blackfoot River to Missoula, home of the University of Montana, Missoula: Smokejumper Center, Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Wildlife Visitor Center, Missoula Carousel, and, west of town, the Historic Ninemile Remount Depot. South of Missoula, the expedition camped at Traveler's Rest September 9 to 11, 1805, and June 30 to July 3, 1806. On the return journey, the expedition separated here into two parties.
Overnight in Missoula.
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