September 5, 2004 in Travel

Traveling the trail

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Motorcyclists know a good road trip when they see one. In 2002, about 500 people gathered for an organized Harley-Davidson ride across the Lewis and Clark Trail from near St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.

The 15-day trek covered a lot of beautiful, historic country, but north central Idaho was — in the words of event manager Sarah Newbury — “hands down, the best part of the trip.”

That’s not how members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition described it nearly 200 years ago when, in search of a Northwest Passage, they endured precipitous terrain, early snowstorms and near-starvation crossing Idaho’s Lolo Trail.

“I have been wet and as cold in every part as I ever was in my life,” William Clark wrote in his journal Sept. 16, 1805. “Proceeded over the most terrible mountains I ever beheld,” Sgt. Patrick Gass added the same day.

But it was also here in north central Idaho that the so-called Corps of Discovery met the Nimiipuu (nee-mee-poo), or Nez Perce. The tribe welcomed the travelers to their age-old homeland and helped them build canoes for the next portion of their journey.

In the spring of 1806, when the expedition returned to Nez Perce country on its homeward trek, Lewis and Clark camped among the tribe for nearly a month while they waited for snow to melt from the Bitterroot Mountains.

Many sections of the Lewis and Clark Trail now look little like they did 200 years ago, with rivers straitjacketed by dams and dredging. But north central Idaho’s landscape remains much the way Lewis and Clark saw it, with soaring mountains and wild, free-flowing rivers. These days, however, visitors must rough it only if they want to — and no one needs to worry about going hungry.

Like the Harley-Davidson riders, most visitors tracing the Lewis and Clark Trail through north central Idaho will center their explorations on U.S. Highway 12. Whether you come from the east (entering the state via Lolo Pass on the Montana border) or the west (through Clarkston), plan to pick up the new Northwest Passage Audio Tape Tour.

Two tapes in the three-tape set guide motorists either eastbound or westbound on Highway 12 between Lewiston and Lolo Pass. The third offers narration for Idaho Highway 13 between Kooskia (pronounced KOO-skee) and Grangeville.

The tapes are available at about 20 locations, including the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce (111 Main St.) and the Lolo Pass Visitor Center. They can be borrowed free of charge, then returned at a drop-off site farther down the road.

Also available is north central Idaho’s Journal of Discovery, detailing 14 scenic and historic attractions along the highways. Travelers who collect passport stamps at all 14 locations receive a Lewis and Clark souvenir.

From east to west on Highway 12, key sites include:

• Lolo Pass. A new visitor center here is a great place to plot your trip and view exhibits on Lewis and Clark, the Nez Perce Indians and the surrounding national forest lands. The Lewis and Clark Expedition camped on nearby Glade Creek on September 13, 1805, before tackling what would prove to be the roughest section of their journey, the Lolo Trail.

• Powell Ranger Station. It was here, at the expedition’s camp of Sept. 14, 1805, that the explorers, unable to find sufficient game, had to eat horsemeat for the first time. The name of a nearby stream, Colt Killed Creek, is a reminder of the episode.

• Heart of the Monster. This park just east of Kamiah (pronounced KAM-e-eye) tells the story of the origins of the Nez Perce people. Also near Kamiah is the site where the Corps of Discovery camped from May 14 to June 10, 1806, on the expedition’s return trip home. During that stay at “Long Camp,” the expedition solidified its friendship with the Nez Perce, and Sgt. John Ordway led a small party on an eight-day side trip to the Snake and Salmon rivers

• Canoe Camp. Here near Orofino, the explorers recuperated from their September 1805 trek over the Bitterroot Mountains and built five dugout canoes for their journey down the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia rivers.

• Spalding Visitor Center. Headquarters of the Nez Perce National Historical Park, this interpretive site tells the tribe’s story in great depth through priceless artifacts, a film and hands-on activities.

• Lewiston-Clarkston. Stop at the Lewis-Clark Center for Arts and History on Lewiston’s Main Street for an exhibit offering a “dog’s-eye view” of the expedition, courtesy of Captain Lewis’ big Newfoundland, Seaman. These twin cities on the Idaho-Washington border are also the place to catch a jet-boat tour into Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America. A new Lewis and Clark interpretive center opened at Hells Gate State Park last month.

Some intrepid travelers may want to get a taste of the rough terrain Lewis and Clark faced on the Lolo Trail. During the bicentennial years of 2004-06, permits are required for private vehicles traveling on Forest Road 500, which parallels the expedition’s route across the mountainous ridge north of the main highway.

Advance planning is essential for a Lolo Motorway trip; for more information, contact the Clearwater National Forest at (208) 476-4541 or see www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/. The forest Web site also has information on fully guided mountain bike, hiking, horseback and small-group van trips along the Lolo Trail.

Finally, it’s not too soon to start planning for the big Lewis and Clark bicentennial years of 2005 and 2006 in north central Idaho. A highlight will be “Among the Nez Perce,” one of only 15 bicentennial signature events nationwide, set for June 14-17, 2006, in the Lewiston/Lapwai area. It’ll be a chance for modern travelers to experience the tribe’s legendary hospitality and see how the Nimiipuu live today.

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