The Lewis and Clark Trail is a United States National Historic Trail commemorating the journey of the 1804-1806 Corps of Discovery expedition that explored the U.S.A.'s newly acquired Louisiana Purchase and beyond. The 3,700 mi (6,000 km) trail extends from Illinois to the Oregon coast, following the outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Understand
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Starting in Wood River, Illinois, the route follows the Missouri River to the headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, then over the Continental Divide. From there it follows the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific Ocean near Fort Clatsop Oregon.
Part of the reason for the expedition was political; the American government wanted to assert its claim to the Oregon Territory which both Britain and Spain also claimed. The expedition paved the way for the wave of colonization known as the "Wild West", and the parallel Oregon Trail.
Today's trail is a joint effort of many organizations and agencies. Although the Trail is administered by the National Park Service, sites along the Trail are managed by federal land management agencies, state, local, tribal, and private organizations.
Prepare
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By train
[edit]Amtrak's Empire Builder follows part of the route in North Dakota and Montana. The National Park Service seasonally provides interpreters aboard the Empire Builder who explain Lewis and Clark's trip. The Portland branch of the Empire Builder follows their route on the Columbia River for several hundred more miles.
By boat
[edit]It is possible to retrace most of the route the same way Lewis and Clark did, by floating the Missouri and Columbia Rivers.
Get in
[edit]Clark started at Wood River, Illinois, and Lewis joined him two days later in St. Charles, Missouri. These are both close to St. Louis.
You can skip the plains and start from Bismarck or Mandan, where Lewis and Clark overwintered in 1804-05.
Drive
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- 1 Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, #1 Lewis & Clark Trail, Hartford, ☏ +1 618 251-5811.
- 2 Gateway Arch National Park (formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial), 11 North 4th St, St. Louis, ☏ +1 314 655-1700.
- 3 National Frontier Trails Museum, 318 W Pacific, Independence, ☏ +1 816 325-7575.
- The Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Nature Center, Bishop's Landing, 1050 Riverside Drive, St. Charles, ☏ +1 636 947-3199.
- Frontier Army Museum, 100 Reynolds Ave, Fort Leavenworth, ☏ +1 913 684-3767.
- 4 Lewis and Clark State Park, Route 1, Onawa, ☏ +1 712 423-2829.
- Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, 900 Larsen Road, Sioux City, ☏ +1 712 224-5242.
- Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Interpretive Trails & Visitors Center, 100 Valmont Drive, Nebraska City, ☏ +1 402 874-9900.
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters and Visitor Center, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, ☏ +1 402 661-1804.
- Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, St. Joseph’s Indian School, 1301 N. Main Street, Chamberlain, toll-free: +1-800-798-3452.
- 5 Spirit Mound Historic Prairie, 31148 SD Hwy 19, Vermillion, ☏ +1 605-987-2263, [email protected]. Spirit Mound Historic Prairie is a state park featuring a prominent hill on the Great Plains. The Plains Indians of the region considered Spirit Mound the home of dangerous spirits or little people; members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition climbed it on August 25, 1804. free.
North Dakota, like many other states along the Missouri, has designated a "Lewis and Clark Trail" following the river on both sides. Also common to these states is the naming of the state highways running alongside the rivers; 1804 on the east side and 1806 on the west. In North Dakota the 1804/1806 signage can be spotty, but the "Lewis and Clark Trail" signs are always there.
From Bismarck, go north on 1804 and follow the Lewis and Clark Trail signs. From Mandan, go north on 1806 and follow the Lewis and Clark Trail Signs. There are river crossings at Buford, Williston, New Town, Garrison Dam, Washburn, and of course Bismarck/Mandan.
- Lewis and Clark Steamboat Company, Bismarck
- 6 Fort Mandan North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, Washburn, ☏ +1 701 462-8535.
- Cross Ranch State Park near Stanton
- 7 Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, County Road 37, Stanton, ☏ +1 701 745-3300.
- Lake Sakakawea State Park near the Garrison Dam
- 8 Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, Williston, ☏ +1 701 572-9083.
- 9 Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ☏ +1 701 623-4466.
- 10 Pompeys Pillar National Historic Landmark (near Billings), ☏ +1 406 875-2233. Home to Clark's signature carved in a rock, the only remaining physical evidence of Lewis and Clark's journey. There is an interpretive center and museum.
- Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, 4201 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, ☏ +1 406 727-8733.
- 11 Missouri Headwaters State Park, 1400 South 19th Ave., Bozeman, ☏ +1 406 994-4042.
- 12 Traveler's Rest State Park, Lolo (1/2 mile west of downtown Lolo on Highway 12 West).
- Lolo Pass Visitor's Center, US Highway 12 at the Idaho - Montana Border.
- Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural and Education Center, 200 Main Street, Salmon, ☏ +1 208 756-1188.
- Northwest Passage National Scenic Byway, Lewiston.
- 13 Fort Walla Walla Museum, 755 Myra Road, Walla Walla, ☏ +1 509 525-7703.
- 14 Sacajawea Interpretive Center, 2503 Sacajawea Park Road, Pasco, ☏ +1 509 545-2361.
Stay safe
[edit]Go next
[edit]- Oregon Trail, the easier way to migrate from St. Louis to Oregon.