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• Nez Perce Culture & History
• Retracing the Lewis & Clark Expedition

Nez Perce Culture & History

Departure:  Spalding Site Visitor Center, Idaho

Destination:  Clearwater Battlefield, Idaho

Time to allow:  1 day

Following the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway will take you along the borders of the Nez Perce Reservation. Learn more about the history of the Nez Perce by visiting places associated with their past.

Begin your journey at the Spalding Site Visitor Center, where you can watch a short orientation video that tells the story of the Nez Perce Tribe. Then browse exhibits of clothing, artifacts, and ceremonial items. Take a walk down the grassy slope to the Spalding Site, where a village was founded in the late 1800s. You'll also find the Spalding Cemetery, a sacred spot for the Nez Perce Tribe.

Stop 1:  Heart of the Monster, between Kamiah and Kooskia. Visit the Heart of the Monster monument and learn the legends esteemed by the Nez Perce. The rock formation represents the heart of a monster, which according to legend is the source from which the Nez Perce sprang.

Directions from Spalding Center: Continue south on the Byway to Kooskia. The travel distance is eight miles (12.8 kilometers) and the travel time is 15 minutes. We suggest you spend at least an hour at Heart of the Monster.

Stop 2:  Long Camp/Riverfront Park, Kamiah. The first white men known to the Nez Perce were Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The Lewis and Clark Corp of Discovery waited with the Nez Perce in the Kamiah Valley almost a month in the spring of 1806 for the snow to melt so they could cross the Bitterroot Mountains on their return to the East. This site is now a city park and a great place to stop for a picnic lunch. New exhibits of public art depicting the Nez Perce culture have been added to the park. The city of Kamiah follows a Western Victorian theme and makes for an enjoyable shopping experience. A nice walking atmosphere with unique shops, museum and eateries.

Directions from Heart of the Monster: Follow SR-12 (The Northwest Passage) east as it curves toward Kamiah. The travel distance is 43 miles (68.8 kilometers) and the travel time is one hour. We suggest you spend at least an hour at Long Camp.

Final Stop:  Clearwater Battlefield. Pull out on the west side of Highway 13, approximately two miles south of Stites, Idaho, to view the interpretation of the Clearwater Battlefield associated with the Nez Perce War of 1877. The battle site itself is located on private property, which makes it inaccessible to the public. However, the wide expanse of the battlefield can be viewed from points along the way.

Directions from Long Camp: Go just a few miles south, continuing on SR-13 towards Harpster. The travel distance is 13 miles (20.8 kilometers) and the travel time is 20 minutes.

Total distance traveled during this itinerary:  64 miles (102.4 kilometers).

Retracing the Lewis & Clark Expedition

Departure:  Lewis and Clark Discovery Center, Idaho

Destination: Lolo Pass Visitor Center, Idaho

Time to allow: 1 day

The United States was 26 years old -- small and itching to grow when President Jefferson persuaded Congress to let Lewis and Clark explore the new uncharted Louisiana Purchase and land beyond. Visitors can experience a sense of discovery as they travel the Northern Passage Scenic Byway, which parallels the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Interpretive and visitor centers are available at three locations, displaying what the Expedition found in north-central Idaho. In addition, travelers can visit unstaffed Lewis and Clark locations such as Canoe Camp and Long Camp, where the Expedition was halted for a month due to snow on the mountains. Or visitors can see for themselves what Lewis and Clark saw by taking the scenic drive along the Clearwater and Lochsa rivers and walking through cedar forests. Distance is 175 miles. Stay overnight in Kamiah, Orofino, or Syringa and top off your gas tank. The ideal time of year for the drive is May to September.

Start:  Lewis and Clark Discovery Center -- Exhibits, sculptures, and film presentations interpret the Corps of Discovery and their 1805-1806 journeys through Nez Perce Country at Hells Gate State Park. Located four miles south of Lewiston on Snake River Avenue. Spend 1.5 hours exploring this beautiful setting on the Snake River and enjoy exhibits both inside and out. A fee to enter the state park will be charged spring through fall. Pick up the audio cassette tour of the byway and enjoy commentary along the way.

Stop 1:  Nez Perce National Historical Park – The National Park Service Visitor Center and Museum provides insight into ancient, recent, and contemporary Nez Perce history and culture. Spend an hour viewing such artifacts as one of the actual Peace Medals handed out by Lewis and Clark to the tribe, intricate beadwork, and missions that date back more than 70 years. Or take a short drive up the road to view Appaloosas. Just 20 miles away in Winchester, wolves in a semi-wild sanctuary might be viewed.

Directions from the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center: Get onto US Highway 12 going east. At milepost 305.0, US Highway 95 breaks away from US Highway 12. Take US Highway 95 south for two miles. The entrance to the Visitors Center on the left (north) is well signed. The travel distance is 13 miles (20.8 kilometers) and the travel time is 20 minutes. We suggest you spend at least an hour at this site.

Stop 2:  Canoe Camp, Orofino -- In fall 1805, Lewis and Clark’s crew felled large ponderosa pines at this Nez Perce fishing village, which had been occupied for over 4,000 years. The pines became dugout canoes for the continued downriver journey to the Pacific. Today, Canoe Camp is maintained by the National Park Service in Orofino. Services within Orofino include hotels, restaurants, historic downtown, and the Dworshak Fish Hatchery. View the depressions in the ground where the lodges of the natives lined the river bank; explore the interpretive signs. Stay and picnic if you like. Farther up US Highway 12 is the community of Greer. Enjoy an optional side trip along the Gold Rush Historic Byway at Greer on Idaho Highway 11 to Weippe Discovery Center and Weippe Prairie -- where Clark encountered the first Nimiipuu and the Tribe made their first contact with white men occurred. Return to Greer and US Highway 12.

Directions from Nez Perce National Historical Park: Retrace the two miles, going north on US Highway 95, until it rejoins US Highway 12 (milepost 11). Continue east on US 12 to milepost 40.0. The travel distance is 29 miles (46.4 kilometers) and the travel time is 40 minutes. We suggest you spend at least 30 minutes at this site.

Stop 3:  Long Camp/Riverfront Park, Kamiah -- An interpretive kiosk is in Kamiah City Park commemorating the six-week encampment by the Lewis and Clark Expedition among the Nez Perce during the explorers’ 1806 return journey. Enjoy stage performances in the park. Visit the quaint western Victorian downtown with its variety of shops and restaurants. Take a side trip to the “Heart of the Monster” just down the road a bit. Fuel up before you leave the Kamiah/Kooskia area. Lowell, 15 miles down the road, and Powell, roughly 80 miles away, offer fuel primarily during business hours.

Directions from Canoe Camp: Return to US Highway 12 going east. Continue until you see milepost 66.3 in downtown Kamiah, just before the bridge crossing the Clearwater River. The travel distance is 26.3 miles and the travel time is 35 minutes. We suggest you spend at least an hour at this site.

Stop 4:  Kooskia Crossing / Welcome Center, Kooskia -- Stop and stretch your legs. Enjoy the interpretive signs and native shrub landscaping. To continue on the Lewis and Clark itinerary, stay on US Highway 12 going east. The byway actually forks here and, while traveling up Idaho Highway 13 to the Camas Prairie, leaves the Lewis and Clark Trail. Includes a stop at the Clearwater Battlefield site of the Nez Perce War.

Directions from Long Camp: Return to US Highway 12 going east. Continue on to milepost 73.9. The travel distance is 7.4 miles (11.8 kilometers) and the travel time is 15 minutes. We suggest you spend at least 30 minutes at this site.

Stop 5:  See what Lewis and Clark saw along Clearwater and Lochsa Rivers -- This stop is actually a series of places that parallel the Wild and Scenic River. Each sight is right on US Highway 12. Milepost numbers have been included. Some stops offer restroom facilities. All offer beautiful scenery and the opportunity to stretch your legs.

The road parallels the Lochsa Wild and Scenic River. The actual Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail -- which is on a tree-lined ridge just north of the Lochsa River -- represents the most difficult part of the Corps of Discovery's trek across the western territory to discover a passage to the Pacific Ocean. After Lowell, the road begins to narrow as the river canyon deepens and the speed limit is reduced to 50 mph. This portion of the highway is relatively young having been completed just 50 years ago in 1962, finally providing a connection between Idaho and Montana. Portions of this section of highway were constructed with manual labor from the World War II Japanese Internment Camp that was located at Canyon Creek. The road is narrow and winding but suitable for all vehicle types. Because the road shoulders are narrow, bicycling this section of the byway is not recommended. Services: Seasonal lodging and food at Syringa and Lowell, year-round lodging and food at Powell, and numerous tent and RV camping opportunities.

Stop 6:  Bernard DeVoto Memorial Grove -- Twelve miles from the Montana border is the old-growth cedar grove dedicated to American author and historian, Bernard DeVoto, whose works include a compilation of the journals of Lewis and Clark. Interpretive signs and recreational trails are accessible during summer months.

Directions from previous place: Return to US Highway 12 going east. Continue to milepost 165.0. The travel distance is 20 miles (32.0 kilometers) and the travel time is 30 minutes. We suggest you spend at least 45 minutes at this site.

Final Stop:  Lolo Pass Visitor Center -- A staffed U.S. Forest Service visitor center at Lolo Pass, the eastern gateway to the byway, includes exhibits and nature trails dedicated to the story of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Directions from Bernard DeVoto Memorial Grove: Return to US Highway 12, going east. At the end of the byway, milepost 174.4 is the Lolo Pass Visitors Center. The travel distance is 9.4 miles (15 kilometers) and the travel distance is 15 minutes.

Total distance traveled during this itinerary:  175 miles (281.63 kilometers)

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