Our weekend itinerary offers Lewis and Clark immersion! Of course, no Corps of Discovery itinerary is complete without also learning about the indigenous peoples encountered along the journey. Lewis and Clark and company encountered 55 native tribes, but the Idaho segment, the most arduously difficult segment of the journey, richly involves a tribe who the Corps of Discovery came to call friends, the Nez Perce.
We’ll start in Missoula as the sites there are just too close to not include in our itinerary. We suggest starting there even if coming from the west—most folks will arrive via I-90 coming from both west and east, though a few folks coming from due south will come by Hwy 93. Starting at Missoula allows a visit to locations that are not open on Sunday.
The itinerary does include a lot of driving and a two day trip might feel rushed, but it can be done. You could take it a little slower and get accommodations in Lewiston, then visit the sites around Lewiston on the third day before heading home.
You would want to arrive in Missoula in time to start your visit at the Montana Natural History Center when it opens at 10:00, have lunch, and complete your visit at Fort Missoula by 2:00 or 2:15 at the latest, and then drive to the Lolo Pass Visitor Center (closes at 4:00). Attractive accommodations are available at Lochsa Lodge just a few miles down the road or at Wilderness Inn Motel about an hour further west. The remainder of the route can be driven the next day, but you will want to plan to visit both visitor centers at Lewiston (which must be completed by 5:00).
Best time to visit: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend will get you into all sites on the itinerary.
Montana Natural History Center
This fine museum offers a lot of bang for a small cost. Exhibits focus on the flora, fauna, geology, and ecosystems of the region and the greater world of which western Montana is a part. Plan on one hour for your visit, longer if you are a reader.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Montana Natural History Center: 120 Hickory St #A, Missoula, MT 598011, 406-327-0405. Open: Tue-Sat 10-4. Admission: Adult $5, Seniors & Veterans $4, 4-18 $2, 3 & under Free. Gift shop on site.
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
A visit to Fort Missoula offers a broad history of the region, starting with the establishment of the fort in 1877 due to tensions between the indigenous peoples and white settlers. 1888 saw the arrival of the Buffalo Soldiers, the black soldiers of the 25th Infantry Regiment. The regiment tested the practicality of employing bicycles for military transport and included an 1897 ride to St. Louis, Missouri. The fort was abandoned in 1921 and, in 1933, became the regional headquarters for the Civilian Corps. Come World War II, the site became a prison camp for Italian POWs and Japanese Americans who were interred following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The museum is but one part of the larger 32-acre park that offers more to explore, including the quartermaster’s storehouse, the carriage house, and the noncommissioned officers’ quarters. Plan on two hours for your visit.
The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, 3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT 59804, 406-728-3476. Open: Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day weekend: Thu-Sun 8:30-4; Labor Day Weekend to Memorial Day Weekend: Tue-Sun 12-5. Closed all major holidays except July 4th. Admission: Adult $4, Senior $3, Student $2.
Lolo Pass Visitor Center
An hour’s drive will get you to the visitor center, which means you should aim to leave Missoula by 2:00, 2:15 at the latest.
The center is placed at the pass where the Corps of Discovery crossed the Bitterroot Mountains, which is also the route taken by the Nez Perce in their 1877 flight. Interpretive displays inform visitors about both of these events. Plan on 30-45 minutes for your visit.
Lolo Pass Visitor Center: 21200 US-12, Lolo, MT 59847. Open: Thu-Mon 8:30-4. Admission: free. Restrooms open 24 hours. Gift shop on site.
Accommodations
A short distance west of the Lolo Pass Visitor Center is the rustic and charming Lochsa Lodge, which includes a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you are an outdoors person, you might consider staying an extra day at the lodge. Explore what there is to do at https://www.lochsalodge.com/the-lodge/ An hour further west is alternate accommodations at the Wilderness Inn Motel and Cabins.
Lochsa Lodge: 115 Powell Rd, Lolo, MT 59847, 208-942-3405. Wilderness Inn Motel: 8883 US-12, Kooskia, ID 83539, 208-926-4706.
Northwest Passage Scenic Byway
Day two offers a richly informative drive along the route taken by the Corps of Discovery on their arduous passage over the Bitterroot Mountains. Hwy-12 follows the Clearwater River all the way to where it flows into the Snake River at Lewiston, Idaho at the border with Washington State; the byway offers visitors a beautifully scenic route. Be sure to watch for the numerous interpretive panels along the way as these offer the visitor opportunities to learn much about the passage of the Corps of Discovery and cultural sites important to the Nez Perce.
NOTE: there is no cell phone service between Lolo, MT and Kooskia, ID. Emergency phones are located at mileposts 169, 139, and 120 on Hwy 12. Consider printing this itinerary if you want to have it available for reference in those areas where there is no cell service.
Dworshak Dam Visitor Center
The Dworshak Dam was completed in 1973 and, with a height of 717 feet, is the third tallest dam in the United States and the tallest straight-axis (not curved) concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and also flood control.
The visitor center is comprised of three floors of exhibits from displays on power operations and the history and culture of the region. A theatre offers a number of videos on demand. Plan on one hour for your visit, longer if you watch videos.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Dworshak Dam Visitor Center: 1842 Viewpoint Rd, Ahsahka, ID 83520, 208-476-1255. Open: daily, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, 8:30-4:30. The visitor center is on the north bank of the Clearwater River, so you will need to drive to Michigan Ave. bridge at Orofino then turn left onto Riverside Ave., which becomes Ahsahka Rd/SR-7. Roughly four miles, turn right onto Viewpoint Rd.
Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center
Museum exhibits feature a collection of clothing, tools, weapons, and ceremonial objects. The film, Of One Heart, provides an educational introduction to the Nez Perce.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center: 39063 US-95, Lapwai, ID 83540, 208-843-7009. Open: daily, May-Sep, 8:30-4, Tue-Sat Oct-Apr; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission: free. Site is about seven miles before reaching Lewiston; Hwy 95 splits from Hwy 12 and crosses the Clearwater River; the center is about two miles further, on the left. Gift shop on site.
Hells Gate State Park and Lewis and Clark Discovery Center
The discovery center displays the history of the Corps of Discovery’s passage through Idaho. Don’t overlook the 32-minute movie, From the Mountains to the Sea, which turns out to be best Louis and Clark movie we have watched. Be sure to walk the two-acre outdoor interpretive area. Plan on 1.5 hours for your visit if you include the movie in your visit.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Hells Gate State Park and Lewis and Clark Discovery Center: 4832 Hells Gate Rd, Lewiston, ID 83501, (208) 799-5015. Open: daily 9-5, closed on major holidays. Admission: $7 per vehicle. Gift shop on site.
With the Discovery Center our Louis and Clark immersion weekend is complete! We hope you enjoyed learning more about the trek of the Corps of Discovery as much as we did.
Hit the Road in the Pacific Northwest 