The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is approximately 3,700 miles long, extending from Wood River, Illinois, to the mouth of the Columbia River, near present day Astoria, Oregon. Visiting the trail all in one would be quite the adventure.
The trail connects 11 states Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon and many Tribal lands. Below is a list of sites that can be visited along the trail. Among the more than 100 sites along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, only five are National Park Service sites. While there is no fee to visit the trail there may be fees charged at some of the individual sites along the trail that are run by other agencies.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled from Illinois to the Pacific Ocean and back between 1804 and 1806. The trail was established by Congress in 1978 as part of the national trails system (NTS) as one of four original national historic trails.
Canoe Camp, part of the Nez Perce National Historical Park.
List of sites you can visit on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Preparing for the Journey
Monticello (Virginia)
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (West Virginia)
American Philosophical Society Hall (Pennsylvania)
Big Bone Lick State Park (Kentucky)
Old Clarksville Site (Kentucky)
Fort Massac Site (Illinois)
The Expedition
Old Cahokia Courthouse (Illinois)
Jefferson National Park (Missouri)
St. Charles Historic District (Missouri)
Tavern Cave (Missouri)
Rocheport Historic District (Missouri)
Arrow Rock (Missouri)
Fort Osage (Missouri)
Leary Site (Nebraska)
Fort Atkinson (Nebraksa)
Sergeant Floyd Monument (Iowa)
Spirit Mound (South Dakota)
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (winter of 1805) (North Dakota)
Big Hidatsa Village Site (North Dakota)
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (North Dakota)
Lewis and Clark Camp at Slaughter River (Montana)
Great Falls Portage (Montana)
Tower Rock (Montana)
Three Forks of the Missouri (Montana)
Beaverhead Rock-Lewis and Clark Expedition (Montana)
Lemhi Pass (Idaho and Montana)
Clark’s Lookout, August 13, 1805 (Montana)
Traveler’s Rest (Montana)
Lolo Trail (Idaho and Montana)
Weippe Prairie (Idaho)
Rock Fort Campsite (Oregon)
Cape Disappointment Historic District (Washington)
Chinook Point (Washington)
Fort Clatsop National Memorial (winter of 1806) (Oregon)
Lewis & Clark Trail–Travois Road (return trip) (Washington)
Nez Perce National Historical Park (Idaho and Montana)
Pompey’s Pillar (return trip) (Montana)
Camp Disappointment (return trip) (Montana)
Two Medicine Fight Site (return trip) (Montana)
After the Expedition
Locust Grove (Kentucky)
Natchez Trace Parkway
**Sites are listed chronologically.
Things to know when planning a visit along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters and Visitor Center
601 Riverfront Drive
Omaha, NE 68102
Contact Trail headquarters by phone at (402) 661-1804
The visitor center is closed on weekends in the winter and on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day
There is no fee to travel the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
Lewis and Clark NHT Junior Ranger Program
You can complete the Lewis and Clark NHT Junior Ranger Program at home. There are 20 questions on the Junior Ranger page to fill out and then mail into the national park. You can find the info on this page.
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