Salmon to Missoula
Down the Bitterroot Valley

Nestled in the beautiful Lemhi Valley with the Beaverhead Mountains looming over, the small town of Salmon holds a unique place in United States history. Known for its world class whitewater rafting and fishing along the Salmon River, Salmon is also the presumed birthplace of Sacagawea and the traditional homelands of the Agaidika Shoshone-Bannock people who spell her name Sacajawea.

The Corps of Discovery passed through Lemhi County and met with the Agaidika, hoping to secure horses or continue by boat. Today, Salmon boasts welcoming accommodations, delicious restaurants, unique shops, and is the gateway to the River of No Return.

William Clark camped below Tower Rock on August 21 and 25, 1805 during his exploration of the Salmon River. On his first night there, he named the present Salmon Rver “Louis’s River” and described Tower Rock:

“This Clift is of a redish brown Colour the rocks which fall from it is a dark brown flint tinged with that Colour. Some Gullies of white Sand Stone and Sand fine & a[s] white as Snow.”

Today, there are interpretive signs and picnic tables. The site offers prime river access for floaters and steelhead and trout fishers. Camping sites are available for $5 per night.

Nestled between US Highway 93 and the Lost Trail Ski Area is a welcoming rest area. There are covered picnic tables and interpretive signs explaining how the Lewis and Clark Expedition went against their Shoshone guide Toby’s advice and attempted to cross the divide near here. They encountered freezing temperatures and white-out conditions and wandered along the divide before finding a suitable way down.

For the intrepid traveler, Forest Service Road 081 will take you along the ridge with excellent views of the North Fork Salmon River valley to the south and Ross’ Hole to the north.

The journalist called him Toby, but never Old Toby. See at our educational website Toby, Indispensable Guide.

At Sula, Montana, a roadside pull-off is lined by an array of interpretive signage that detail the story of Lewis and Clark’s visit, later exploration and development, and the settlement of Sula.

In September 1805, Clark estimated there to be 400 Salish Indians with 500 horses encamped. The Salish—called “Flathead” by members of the expedition—gave them a warm welcome. Sgt. Ordway wrote,

“when our officers went to their lodges they gave them each a white robe of dressed skins, and spread them over their Shoulders and put their arms around our necks instead of Shakeing hands as that is their way they appeared glad to See us. they Smoaked with us, then gave us a pleanty Such as they had to eat . . .”

For the intrepid traveler, the rather rough Sula Peak Road 5727 will take you to the actual trail used by the Salish and followed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition to leave Ross’ Hole. In 1803, the East Fork Bitterroot River was impassable here. The original trail climbed to the saddle before and below the lookout on Sula Peak and then dropped back down to the river. The views in both directions are spectacular from up there!

The small town of Darby has a beautiful life size bronze statue of Sacajawea and her son Pomp in a pocket park on Main street. The statue is a replica of the original work by Jim Demetro located at Fort Clatsop, Astoria, Oregon.

Also in Darby is the Sacajawea Rest near the post office. On Main Street is the Little Blue Joint restaurant, Big Cat Café, Wildflower Confections & Boutique, and the Local Flair gift shop.

St. Mary’s Mission was the first white settlement in Montana, which eventually grew into the town of Stevensville. Today, these buildings are preserved to give visitors insights into the early days of the settlement of the West.

After being introduced to Christianity by Iroquois trappers in the early 1800s, the Salish and Nez Perce sent multiple delegations to St. Louis throughout the 1830s in hopes of convincing missionaries to come to the Bitterroot Valley. In 1841, Father Pierre Jean De Smet established St. Mary’s on the east bank of the Bitterroot River. It became a place where Indian culture and Christianity would blend.

Travelers’ Rest State Park marks an important stopping point for the Corps of Discovery both on their way to the Pacific Ocean on September 9–11, 1805 and during their return home from June 30–July 3, 1806.

Travelers’ Rest State Park provides the unique opportunity to experience significant cultural heritage in a natural setting. Long a camping area for Native American travelers, the site is the only archaeologically verified campsite of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The visitor center gives opportunities to learn not only about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but about—and from—the Bitterroot Salish, Pend d’Oreille, and Nez Perce Peoples. The 1.7-mile loop trail circles the campsite and provides interpretation and a relaxing, level walk.

In the summer of 2002, archaeologists exploring the area found evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. These findings, according to the National Parks Service, included “a trench latrine tainted with mercury, fire hearths, and lead used in the repair and manufacture of firearms.”

Missoula is a friendly, outdoorsy, supportive city in western Montana, a city surrounded by beautiful scenery that lies just west of the Rockies and that is fully submerged in the Lolo National Forest and the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area. This area is filled with endless outdoor opportunities that are mainly centered around The Clark Fork River, Snowbowl, and Blackfoot River.

The downtown is alive with art and culture, breweries, shopping, and dining.