Regions
Along its 4,000-mile meandering path across the West, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail crosses some of the most diverse landscapes on the continent. From the vast grasslands of the Great Plains, to the imposing peaks of the Rocky Mountains, and the lush valley of the Columbia River, the Trail offers visitors an opportunity to experience the breadth of North America’s stunning landscapes.
Explore the regions of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail:
The Ohio River
Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania
Before the Expedition ever set off from St. Louis, they had to make their way to the frontier. In 2019, Congress approved the Eastern Legacy Expansion of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
Missouri Traverse
Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa
As the Expedition set out from St. Louis, they first experienced the states we now call the Midwest.
Great Plains
North and South Dakota
On the vast Dakota grasslands, Lewis and Clark encountered a diverse Native cultures and herds of seemingly innumerable buffalo.
Plains to Peaks
Montana and Idaho
From the Great Plains arose the Rocky Mountains and the continental divide, massive walls of granite so imposing they threatened to end the Expedition.
The Columbia River
Oregon and Washington
The Columbia River was the final highway to the Pacific, and though the ocean was the Expedition’s objective, it was only the halfway point for the exhausted men who now had to return to the East.
