Goat Island Recreation Island - Lewis and Clark Trail Experience

Information

Missouri National Recreational River is open every day of the year. The National Park Service operates a Visitor Contact Station inside their Yankton, South Dakota park headquarters. This office is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed on Sundays and all federal holidays.

605-665-0209

The daily permit is $6.00 per vehicle.

lat: 42.7666643 long: -97.0708808

Known as one of the few places that is simultaneously both in Nebraska and South Dakota, Goat Island (affectionately called Jake’s Island) offers a multitude of recreational activities. The possibilities for outdoor recreation enthusiasts include but are not limited to camping, hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, hunting, bird watching, and guided tours. Because of its unique terrain characteristics, Goat Island is a safe haven for providing important wildlife habitats.

Though the overall landscape has changed with time and while the area is not specifically cited in the Lewis and Clark journals, a geologic and riverine scientific study suggests a high probability the island existed during the passage of their expedition in 1803 and 1806. Today the 800-acre property supports a wide variety of wildlife on its sandbars and within its dense forested areas of cottonwood and Eastern red-cedar. Chutes paralleling the island, free-flowing water, vegetation, and sandbars not only provide important wildlife habitat but add to the aesthetic qualities of the Park’s 59-Mile District.

Nearby Attractions

Bow Creek

Bow Creek

Bow Creek Recreation Area, Unnamed Rd, Wynot, NE, USA
Distance: 3.99 mi (straight line)

Outdoor Experiences Walks and Hikes

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Mulberry Bend Overlook

Mulberry Bend Overlook

Mulberry Bend Overlook, State Highway 15, Newcastle, NE, USA
Distance: 7.02 mi (straight line)

Outdoor Experiences Viewpoints LC Features

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Wacipi

Wacipi

953 N Dakota St, Vermillion, SD 57069, USA
Distance: 7.35 mi (straight line)

Festivals and Events Tribal Experiences

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National Music Museum

National Music Museum

National Music Museum, E Clark St, Vermillion, SD, USA
Distance: 7.41 mi (straight line)

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Spirit Mound

Spirit Mound

Spirit Mound, SD, USA
Distance: 8.05 mi (straight line)

Outdoor Experiences Walks and Hikes Tribal Experiences LC Features

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Missouri River Rafting / Guided Raft Tours On The Missouri River

Missouri River Rafting / Guided Raft Tours On The Missouri River

Missouri River Rafting, 450th Avenue, Gayville, SD, USA
Distance: 8.17 mi (straight line)

Outdoor Experiences Outfitters

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Ionia Volcano

Ionia Volcano

Ionia Volcano, Newcastle, NE, USA
Distance: 13.28 mi (straight line)

Viewpoints LC Features

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NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center

NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center

NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center, Archery Lane, Yankton, SD, USA
Distance: 16.79 mi (straight line)

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Pierre Dorion Memorial

Pierre Dorion Memorial

W Riverside Dr & W 2nd St, Yankton, SD 57078, USA
Distance: 18.14 mi (straight line)

General History LC Features

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Mead Museum

Mead Museum

Mead Museum / Dakota Territorial Museum, Mickelson Drive, Yankton, SD, USA
Distance: 19.64 mi (straight line)

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Mead Cultural Education Center

Mead Cultural Education Center

82 Mickelson Drive, Yankton, SD 57078, USA
Distance: 19.65 mi (straight line)

Galleries and Venues

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Elk Point: Patrick Gass elected as sergeant

Elk Point: Patrick Gass elected as sergeant

Heritage Park, South Harrison Street, Elk Point, SD, USA
Distance: 19.99 mi (straight line)

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Lewis and Clark Visitors Center at Gavins Point Dam

Lewis and Clark Visitors Center at Gavins Point Dam

55245 NE-121, Crofton, NE 68730, USA
Distance: 21.36 mi (straight line)

Museums and Interpretive Centers Viewpoints LC Features

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Calumet Bluff Trail

Calumet Bluff Trail

Calumet Bluff Trailhead, Unnamed Road, Crofton, NE, USA
Distance: 21.70 mi (straight line)

Walks and Hikes LC Features

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Missouri National Recreational River Resource and Education Center

Missouri National Recreational River Resource and Education Center

Elk Cabin, 88090 Spur 26 E, Ponca, NE 68770, USA
Distance: 21.85 mi (straight line)

Museums and Interpretive Centers Outdoor Experiences Viewpoints

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Five Ridge Prairie State Preserve

Five Ridge Prairie State Preserve

MFHM+83 Millnerville, IA, USA
Distance: 28.75 mi (straight line)

Outdoor Experiences

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Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve

Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve

272 Westshore Dr, North Sioux City, SD 57049, USA
Distance: 31.74 mi (straight line)

General History Outdoor Experiences Walks and Hikes

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Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, Sioux River Road, Sioux City, IA, USA
Distance: 34.06 mi (straight line)

Museums and Interpretive Centers Walks and Hikes Outdoor Experiences

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Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you haven’t yet to bring the adventure and magic of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail on your mobile device. Scan the QR code here or find it on your app store.

Interested in re-tracing Lewis’ steps to prep fo

Interested in re-tracing Lewis’ steps to prep for the expedition?

Walk in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis as he bought supplies for the expedition in 1803. At the same time, experience the birth of the United States at key places in the Independence National Historic Park.

The trip by foot is 2 miles long.

Stop 1 - The Independence Visitor Center provides a great starting point for visiting the Independence National Historic Park. You will find knowledgeable rangers, ticket sales, historic films, and interactive exhibits.
https://www.phlvisitorcenter.com/IndependenceVisitorCenter

Stop 2 - Located at 526 Market Street the Liberty Bell Center has free admission on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to the historic Liberty Bell, the site has exhibits, but no public restrooms.
https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/libertybellcenter.htm

Stop 3 - Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were debated and signed. Tickets are required during prime hours.
GPS: 520 Chestnut Street
https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/independencehall.htm

Stop 4 - The American Philosophical Society archives hold many of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s original journals, Nicholas Biddle’s notes on queries, Titian Peale’s sketches of expedition bird specimens, and other related documents such as the Donation Book . Public exhibits generally change annually, and the site hosts several events open to the public. https://www.amphilsoc.org/
Philosophical Hall
104 South Fifth Street

Stop 5 - Second Bank of the United States houses over 150 portraits—many by Charles Willson Peale—of early American political leaders including the original portraits of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Note: The gallery will not re-open until at least February 2025.
https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/places-secondbank.htm
Located on 420 Chestnut Street between 4th and 5th Street

https://www.lewisandclark.travel/inspiration/philadelphia-walking-tour/

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #pennsylvania #philadelphia

Site of the Week: The Lewis and Clark Visitor’s

Site of the Week: The Lewis and Clark Visitor’s Center at Gavins Point Dam

By August of 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition had entered the land of the Yankton Sioux, a powerful tribe on the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark were tasked with notifying them that the United States now had a claim over their land. So, on August 29, the expedition met with the tribe at a site called Calumet Bluff where Lewis gave his routine speech and the customary gifts were handed out.

Today, the Lewis and Clark Visitor’s Center at Gavins Point Dam sits on Calumet Bluff, overlooking the nearly two-mile-long Gavins Point Dam. The dam was originally planned to be built further upstream at Gavins Point,the place from which the dam gets its name. However, even though it was constructed at a different site (which resulted in the formation of Lewis and Clark Lake), the dam maintained its original name throughout the project.

The visitor’s center, which is operated by the Army Corp of Engineers, has exhibits pertaining to the wildlife and rich history of the area. Information regarding recreation on Lewis and Clark Lake is also available, as well as a gift shop and bookstore. There is a viewing deck on the back of the visitor’s center which allows visitors to view the Gavins Point Dam.

https://www.nps.gov/places/lewis-clark-visitor-center-at-gavins-point-dam-nebraska.htm

Photos credited to Cait Clark

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #nebraska

Site of the Week: Sergeant Floyd Monument The Lew

Site of the Week: Sergeant Floyd Monument

The Lewis and Clark Expedition is known for having lost only one man, something of a miracle when it comes to such a lengthy and treacherous adventure. Sadly, the majority of people do not know the name of this man as he died rather early on in the Expedition. Fortunately, there is a monument dedicated to his burial in Sioux City, Iowa.

On July 31, 1804, Sergeant Charles Floyd, one of the original “Nine Young Men from Kentucky,” wrote in his journal that he was “verry sick and {had} ben for Sometime.” He recovered somewhat before suddenly taking a turn for the worse. Captain Lewis administered to him as he was the Expedition’s doctor, but it was no use. On August 20th, the young man passed away at the age of 22. It is widely believed that Floyd died from peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix. If this truly was the case, there would have been nothing that Lewis could have done to save him.

Today, the Sergeant Floyd Monument stands on a cliff overlooking I-29, a tall obelisk surrounded by iron fencing for protection. There is a parking lot and informational signs concerning the Expedition and the last days of Floyd’s life. When standing at the base of the monument, one can look out over the mighty Missouri River. Despite the rumbling of the cars racing by below, the site possesses a solemn tranquility, especially when visited in the evening as the sun is fading in the west. A sun that young Charles Floyd was unable to pursue with his fellow explorers.

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #Iowa #siouxcityiowa

Lewis and Clark spent the winter close to the Clat

Lewis and Clark spent the winter close to the Clatsop Village that was located on the site of Fort Stevens State Park - located at the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon on Point Adams.

When Europeans first arrived in the area, it was the site of a large Clatsop settlement, and William Clark noted eight large houses on the site when they sailed past in 1805. The name of the landmark itself was coined on May 18, 1792, when Captain Robert Gray, a merchant mariner, sailed into the mouth of the Columbia River. He chose the name in honor of the then president of the United States, John Adams.

Point Adams later became part of Fort Stevens, a Civil War-era military fort established in 1863. The original earthen fort was built to keep British and Confederate gunboats from entering the mouth of the Columbia River. It was named after Union Army General Isaac I. Stevens, who also served as the first territorial governor of Washington state.

After World War II, Fort Stevens was considered obsolete, and it was turned over to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for use as a headquarters in 1947. Then, in 1975, the site was officially designed as a state park after being leased to Oregon State Parks.

Today, visitors can visit the historic Fort Stevens and Point Adams visitor center and museum, take tours through the old earthen fort and artillery gun batteries, or take advantage of all the wildlife opportunities like fishing.

There are several camping options available as well. All campsites are ADA accessible and come equipped with a picnic table and grill. Yurts and cabins are also available for rent. Restrooms, showers, a playground, and a dump station are on site.

https://www.lewisandclark.travel/listing/fort-stevens-state-park/

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #Oregon #fortstevensstatepark