Lewis & Clark Trail Archives - Adventure Cycling Association

Lewis & Clark Map Digital Route Set

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:13 +0000

For the ultimate Lewis and Clark experience, the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail is the only way to go. This Adventure Cycling route follows the famous explorers’ trail as closely as possible and includes options for the different routes the corps took on their return trip. Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 1 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:13 +0000

Section 1 of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail begins near the 1803-04 winter encampment of the Corps of Discovery. In Missouri, 151 miles of this route is on the Katy Trail, a crushed limestone trail built on an abandoned railroad bed next to the river. If this surface is not to your liking, the Jefferson City Option offers a hilly, paved alternate reducing the number of miles on limestone. The route also uses the Steamboat Trace in Nebraska, another crushed limestone trail. The bustle of traffic of metropolitan Kansas City is avoided, but be prepared for hills whenever the route leaves the river valley. This section ends at the Iowa West Trailhead in Council Bluffs, a bicycling-friendly community with a network of cycling paths throughout the city. Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 2 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:12 +0000

This section of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail continues to follow the Missouri River and goes through Sioux City, Iowa, before entering South Dakota. Due to dams, the Missouri shifts from a river to a lake, three of them in fact: Lewis and Clark Lake, Lake Francis Case and Lake Sharpe. The terrain becomes more rolling; there will always be a descent/ascent when crossing the river. Two options are available to customize your route. The Whetstone Bay Option is 25.5 miles in length (including 14.5 on hard-packed dirt and gravel) that takes you closer to Missouri/Lake Francis Case. The second option is an alternate way into Pierre, the endpoint of this section. Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 3 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:12 +0000

Section 3 of the Lewis & Clark Trail begins in the capital city of Pierre, South Dakota. Riding north on SR 1804-Lewis and Clark Trail, you’ll pass the Oahe Dam on Lake Oahe, an area with heavy recreational traffic. In Bismarck, North Dakota, (another capital city!) you will have the opportunity to ride a series of bike paths along the river to Pioneer Park or through the city to take advantage of its many services. Bismarck is already gaining the reputation as one of the friendliest cities on the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail. Near Washburn is Fort Mandan, the location where the Corps spent the winter of 1804/1805. After Stanton, the route heads west and south to follow the I-94 corridor, alternating between the freeway and parallel county roads. This is a change from our original routing due to oil and gas development in the Bakken Oil Shale Field of western North Dakota and northeastern Montana. The route was changed in 2012 to avoid the area around Williston, North Dakota, because many roads with minimal to no shoulders now have high levels of truck traffic, and are felt to be unsafe for bicyclists. Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 4 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:11 +0000

The fourth section of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail begins in Dickinson, North Dakota. The route follows the I-94 corridor, alternating between the freeway and parallel county roads. In eastern Montana it stays south of the Missouri River. This part of Fort Peck Lake/Missouri River carries many additional designations: the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, the Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River and, most recently, the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. There are very few access roads down to the river on this map section. If you’d like a closer look, check with one of the many guides listed on the map that offer tours. Services are few and far between through eastern Montana; you will want to plan your days accordingly. The terrain continues to be rolling to hilly; by the section’s end in Great Falls you’ll be able to see the Front Range of the Rockies on the western horizon. Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 5 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:11 +0000

This section is rich with historical locations, and includes several alternate routing options. At Three Forks, the Missouri River splits into the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson Rivers, and you will leave the Missouri for the final time. Just south of Dillon, there’s a choice to remain on the main westbound route or take the Big Hole Option. The main route over Lemhi Pass includes 24.4 miles of gravel while the Big Hole Option is slightly shorter and is entirely paved. The 17.7-mile gravel Gibbon’s Pass Alternate crosses the Continental Divide at the same location as Clark on his return journey in 1806. If you choose to ride the main route, you have the opportunity to ride along “The River of No Return” on the 18.3-mile Shoup Spur. From North Fork, Idaho, it is nearly a straight shot north to Lolo, Montana, the site of Travelers’ Rest State Park. This is the site where Lewis and Clark stopped in each direction to rest and regroup for the next stages in their journey. Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 6 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:10 +0000

Section 6 of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail can be broken into two segments based on the corps multidirectional travels. Missoula, Montana, to Clarkston, Washington, is a continuation of Lewis and Clark’s 1804 travels westbound. The Blackfoot Option from Missoula, Montana, to Great Falls, Montana, follows the route Captain Lewis used eastbound in 1806. Both segments are described below. Main Route The main route follows the course of the Lochsa and Clearwater rivers and is fairly level after crossing Lolo Pass. Once you arrive in Kamiah, the route leaves the river valleys and crosses the wide open prairie to Clarkston. Blackfoot Option This option traces Captain Lewis’s 1806 eastbound journey. It is mostly on two-lane highways that follow the Blackfoot and Sun Rivers all the way to Great Falls. The Alice Creek Spur is 12 miles in length and you can ride/hike to the top of Lewis & Clark Pass. The Sierra Club has sponsored this section of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail and major funding has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 7 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:09 +0000

Section 7 of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail begins in Clarkston and heads overland to the Pacific Ocean. When the route meets the Columbia River, winds can become fierce, blowing predominately from the west particularily in the area known as the Gorge. This map section, like others on this route, has options. You can ride along the Gorge in either Oregon or Washington. From Astoria, the 19.3-mile Cape Disappointment Spur crosses the Columbia into Washington and heads west to Cape Disappointment State Park. Mr. James C. Becker, Vancouver, WA, has sponsored this section of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail and major funding has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 8 Digital Route

Joe LaRiche — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:54:09 +0000

Section 8 of the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail traces the eastbound path Captain Clark explored along the Yellowstone River in 1806. Services are limited in eastern Montana. Much of this map section is either on I-90 or its frontage roads. From Three Forks eastward you’ll cross several Gallatin River tributaries which flow into the Missouri River. The terrain on this section is rolling; you’ll have great views of the Yellowstone River and Big Sky country. Three Forks, MT, to Glendive, MT (417 mi.) Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Route has been provided by REI. More information about this route is available here.

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Lewis & Clark Section 3

Tim Heuermann — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 19:45:25 +0000

Section 3 of the Lewis & Clark Trail begins in the capital city of Pierre, South Dakota. Riding north on SR 1804-Lewis and Clark Trail, you'll pass the Oahe Dam on Lake Oahe, an area with heavy recreational traffic. In Bismarck, North Dakota, (another capital city!) you will have the opportunity to ride a series of bike paths along the river to Pioneer Park or through the city to take advantage of its many services. Bismarck is already gaining the reputation as one of the friendliest cities on the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail. Near Washburn is Fort Mandan, the location where the Corps spent the winter of 1804/1805. After Stanton, the route heads west and south to follow the I-94 corridor, alternating between the freeway and parallel county roads. This is a change from our original routing due to oil and gas development in the Bakken Oil Shale Field of western North Dakota and northeastern Montana. The route was changed in 2012 to avoid the area around Williston, North Dakota, because many roads with minimal to no shoulders now have high levels of truck traffic, and are felt to be unsafe for bicyclists.

Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI.

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