The Lolo Motorway closely follows portions of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and the Nee-Me-Poo National Historic Trail. The trip is one of the most rewarding Lewis and Clark adventures and one of the most remote. Most of their many campsites are noted with interpretive panels. The Lolo Motorway—Forest Service Road 500—is a primitive, winding road through remote country that demands a high degree of self-sufficiency and the right vehicle. Average car speed is between 5 and 10 MPH. ATVs and motorcycles are better suited for the conditions. Be sure to read “Lewis & Clark on the Lolo […]
“the pleasure I now felt in having tryumphed over the rocky Mountains and decending once more to a level and fertile country where there was every rational hope of finding a comfortable subsistence for myself and party can be more readily conceived than expressed, nor was the flattering prospect of the final success of the expedition less pleasuing.” —Meriwether Lewis, September 22, 1805 This trip takes you to several significant Expedition campsites in the foothills of the Bitterroot Mountains—from Canoe Camp on the Clearwater River, across the high camas meadows of Weippe Prairie, to the scenic Salmon Trout Camp on […]
On Lewis and Clark’s return trip in May 1806, the captains were determined to collect the horses and saddles that they had left in the care of Twisted Hair. They headed up the Clearwater River accompanied by several helpful Nez Perce: “we determined to pursue the rout recommended by the guide” —Meriwether Lewis, May 7, 1806 This Inspiration Trip closely follows the trails they took to get to Kamiah [pronounced KAM-ee-eye] via Twisted Hair’s root-digging camp. It takes you along the scenic Clearwater River and then climbs up to the high prairies paralleling river. At times, this trip utilizes well-maintained […]
The confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers was an important geographic point passed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the fall of 1805. The Snake appeared on William Clark’s resulting map as Lewis’s River. The native Nez Perce called the Snake Kimooenim, meaning “the stream/place of the hemp weed,” and they termed the stretch upstream from the confluence with the Clearwater River, Pikúunen. The Clearwater was referred to as Koos-Koos-Kia, meaning “clear water,” and they called the confluence itself Tsceminicum, or “meeting of the waters.” French fur traders later gave the main waterway the name “Snake” when they […]
Due to steep hills and canyons, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was not able to follow the present route of US Highway 12 between Lolo, Montana and Kamiah, Idaho. Their route instead followed the ridgelines roughly 2000 feet above the highway. The Lolo Motorway is a primitive dirt road that follows many of those same ridges, but for many historic travelers, the modern highway a better option when following the Historic Trail. The highway follows two National Wild and Scenic Rivers—the Middle Fork Clearwater and Lochsa. Stunning mountain forests and plenty of historical sites await the traveler.