Northwest Passage Scenic Byway
Retracing the Lewis and Clark Expedition
| Departure: | Lewis and Clark Discovery Center, Idaho |
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| Destination: | Lolo Pass Visitor Center, Idaho |
| Time to allow: | 1 day |
The United States was 26 years old, small and itching to grow when President Jefferson persuaded Congress to let Lewis and Clark explore the new uncharted Louisiana Purchase and land beyond. Visitors can experience a sense of discovery as they travel the byway which parallels the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Interpretive and visitor centers available at three locations show what the Expedition found in north-central Idaho. In addition, travelers can visit unstaffed Lewis and Clark locations such as Canoe Camp and Long Camp where the Expedition was halted for a month due to snow on the mountains. Or, visitors can see for themselves what Lewis and Clark saw by taking the scenic drive along the Clearwater and Lochsa rivers and walking through cedar forests. Distance, 170 miles; overnight in Kamiah; top off your gas tank there; ideal time of year is May to September.
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Start: Lewis and Clark Discovery Center
Exhibits, sculptures, and film presentations interpret the Corps of Discovery and their 1805- 06 journeys through Nez Perce Country at Hells Gate State Park. Four miles south of Lewiston on Snake River Avenue. Spend 1 1/2 hours exploring this beautiful setting on the Snake River and enjoy exhibits both inside and out. A fee to enter the state park will be charged spring through fall. Pick up the audio cassette tour of the byway and enjoy commentary along the way.
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Stop 1: Nez Perce National Historical Park
Directions from previous place: Get on US Highway 12 going east. At milepost 305.0, US Highway 95 breaks away from US Highway 12. Take US Highway 95 south for two miles. The entrance to the Visitors Center on the left (north) is well signed.
Distance from Previous Site: 13 miles / 20.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour National Park Service Visitor Center and museum provides insight into ancient, recent, and contemporary Nez Perce history and culture, and an orientation to features portrayed at its component sites along the byway.
Spend an hour viewing such artifacts as one of the actual Peace Medals handed out by Lewis and Clark, intricate beadwork, missions that date back more than 70 years, or take a short drive up the road to view Appaloosas. Just 20 miles away in Winchester, wolves in a semiwild sanctuary might be viewed.
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Stop 2: Canoe Camp
Directions from previous place: Retrace the two miles, going north on US Highway 95, until it rejoins US Highway 12 (milepost 11). Continue east on US 12 to milepost 40.0.
Distance from Previous Site: 29 miles / 46.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 40 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes In fall 1805, Lewis and Clarks crew felled large ponderosa pine at this Nez Perce fishing village occupied for over 4,000 years. The pines became dugout canoes for the continued downriver journey to the Pacific. Maintained by the National Park Service in Orofino. Services within Orofino: hotels, restaurants, historic downtown, Dworshak Fish Hatchery.
View the depressions in the ground where the lodges of the natives lined the river bank and explore the interpretive signs. Stay and picnic if you like. Recommended time: at least ½ hour. Further up US Highway 12, is the community of Greer. An optional side trip along the Gold Rush Historic Byway at Greer on Idaho Highway 11 to Weippe Discovery Center and Weippe Prairie where Clark encountered the first Nimiipuu and the Tribe made their first contact with white men occurred; return to Greer and US Highway 12.
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Stop 3: Long Camp (Kamiah City Park)
Directions from previous place: Return to US Highway 12 going east. Continue until milepost 66.3 in downtown Kamiah just before the bridge crossing the Clearwater River.
Distance from Previous Site: 26.3 miles / 42.1 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 35 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour An interpretive kiosk is in Kamiah City Park commemorating the 6-week encampment by the Lewis and Clark Expedition among the Nez Perce, during the explorers 1806 return journey.
Check out the interpretive kiosk in the park and determine whether there are any performing events on the stage. Visit the quaint western Victorian downtown with its variety of shops and restaurants. Take a side trip to the Heart of the Monster just down the road a bit. Fuel up before you leave the Kamiah/Kooskia area. Lowell, 15 miles down the road, and Powell, roughly 80 miles away offer fuel primarily during business hours.
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Stop 4: Kooskia Crossing
Directions from previous place: Return to US Highway12 going east. Continue on to milepost 73.9.
Distance from Previous Site: 7.4 miles / 11.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Stop and stretch your legs. Enjoy the interpretive signs and native shrub landscaping. To continue on the Lewis and Clark itinerary, stay on US Highway 12 going east. The byway actually forks here and traveling up Idaho Highway 13 to the Camas Prairie leaves the Lewis and Clark Trail but provides a unique experience as well, including a stop at the Clearwater Battlefield site of the Nez Perce War.
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Stop 5: See what Lewis and Clark saw along Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers
Directions from previous place: This stop is actually a series of options all of which parallel the Wild and Scenic River. Each opportunity is right on US Highway 12. Milepost numbers have been included. Some stops offer restroom facilities. All offer beautiful scenery and the opportunity to stretch your legs.
Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes The road parallels the Lochsa Wild and Scenic River. The actual Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail, which is on a tree-lined ridge just north of the Lochsa River, represents the most difficult part of the Corps of Discovery's trek across the western territory to discover a passage to the Pacific Ocean. After Lowell, the road begins to narrow as the river canyon deepens and the speed limit is reduced to 50 mph. This portion of the highway is relatively young having been completed just 50 years ago in 1962, finally providing a connection between Idaho and Montana. Portions of this section of highway were constructed with manual labor from the World War II Japanese Internment Camp that was located at Canyon Creek. The road is narrow and winding but suitable for all vehicle types. Because the road shoulders are narrow, bicycling this section of the byway is not recommended. Services: Seasonal lodging and food at Syringa and Lowell, Year round lodging and food at Powell. Numerous tent and RV camping opportunities.
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Stop 6: Bernard DeVoto Memorial Grove
Directions from previous place: Return to US Highway 12 going east. Continue to milepost 165.0
Distance from Previous Site: 20 miles / 32.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 30 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes Twelve miles from the Montana border is the Memorial old-growth cedar grove dedicated to American author and historian Bernard DeVoto, whose works include a compilation of the journals of Lewis and Clark. Interpretive signs and recreational trails are accessible during summer months.
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End: Lolo Pass Visitor Center
Directions from previous place: Return to US Highway 12, going east. At the end of the byway, milepost 174.4 is the Lolo Pass Visitors Center.
Distance from Previous Site: 9.4 miles / 15.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes A staffed U.S. Forest Service visitor center at Lolo Pass, the eastern gateway to the byway, includes exhibits and nature trails dedicated to the story of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
