Lewis and Clark Trail

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. 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.

Starting in 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. The expedition paved the way for the wave of colonization known as the "Wild West", and the parallel Oregon Trail.

Understand

Prepare

Get in

There are two alternate starting points: Bismarck and Mandan.

Drive

This itinerary discusses two paths: from Bismarck to Williston on highway 1804, and from Mandan to Watford City on highway 1806.

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.

You'll see the Cottonwood forests of the Missouri Valley, and depending on how close you stay to the river, you'll come across plenty of interesting things.

Notable Places along the East Bank

Lewis and Clark Steamboat Company, Bismarck
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Washburn

Notable Places along the West Bank

Cross Ranch State Park near Stanton
Lake Sakakawea State Park near the Garrison Dam

River crossings are located at

Buford, on State Highway 58.
Williston, on US 85 southwest of town.
New Town, on State Highway 23 west of town.
Garrison Dam, on State Highway 200.
Washburn, on State Highway 200A.
and of course Bismarck/Mandan.

By train

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.

Boat

It is possible to retrace most of the route the same way Lewis and Clark did--by boat--on the Missouri and Columbia Rivers.

Do

Illinois

Lewis and Clark State Historic Site, #1 Lewis & Clark Trail, Hartford, IL 62048, 38.8023°, -90.1021°, +1 618 251-5811.

Missouri

Gateway Arch National Park (formerly Jefferson National Expansion Memorial), 11 North 4th St, St. Louis, 38.6246°, -90.185°, +1 314 655-1700. 2018-09-01
National Frontier Trails Museum, 318 W Pacific, Independence, 39.087222°, -94.419444°, +1 816 325-7575. 2020-02-03
The Lewis and Clark Boathouse and Nature Center, Bishop's Landing, 1050 Riverside Drive, St Charles, MO 63301, +1 636 947-3199.

Kansas

Frontier Army Museum, 100 Reynolds Ave,Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027, +1 913 684-3767.

Iowa

Lewis and Clark State Park, Route 1, Box 104, Onawa, IA 51040, 42.045753°, -96.169584°, +1 712 423-2829.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, 900 Larsen Road, Sioux City, IA 51102, +1 712 224-5242. 2017-02-27

Nebraska

Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Interpretive Trails & Visitors Center, 100 Valmont Drive, Nebraska City, NE 68410, +1 402 874-9900.
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters and Visitor Center, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, NE 68102, +1 402 661-1804.

South Dakota

Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, St. Joseph’s Indian School, 1301 N. Main Street, Chamberlain, SD 57325.
Spirit Mound Historic Prairie, 31148 SD Hwy 19, Vermillion, 42.8671°, -96.9555°, +1 605-987-2263, NewtonHills@state.sd.us. 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 2018-09-02

North Dakota

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, PO Box 9, County Road 37, Stanton, ND 58571, 47.354167°, -101.385833°, +1 701 745-3300.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, RR3 Box 71, Williston, ND 58801, 47.999444°, -104.040556°, +1 701 572-9083.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Box 7, Medora, ND 58645, 46.966667°, -103.45°, +1 701 623-4466.
Fort Mandan North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, PO Box 607, Washburn, ND 58577, 47.296111°, -101.286111°, +1 701 462-8535.

Montana

Pompeys Pillar National Historic Landmark, Pompeys Pillar, MT 59105 (near Billings), 45.9953°, -108.006°, +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, MT 59403, +1 406 727-8733.
Missouri Headwaters State Park, 1400 South 19th Ave., Bozeman, MT 59792, 45.9207°, -111.498°, +1 406 994-4042.
Traveler's Rest State Park, Lolo, MT (1/2 mile west of downtown Lolo on Highway 12 West), 46.738889°, -114.080556°.
Lolo Pass Visitor's Center, US Highway 12 at the Idaho - Montana Border.
Whoopah Ride. A covered wagon tour that visits Pompey's Pillar and the Little Bighorn battlefield, sites of Custer's Last Stand.

Lewis and Clark Trail - route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition