OPTIONAL PRE-TOUR Day 1 Fort Benton, Montana After a short airport transfer from Great Falls, the tour will begin in Fort Benton, a place Meriwether Lewis described as “judicious” for trade. In the steamboat era, Fort Benton attracted many fur traders and by 1830 the town was already booming with saloons and dance halls. The Grand Union Hotel is a national historic landmark that dates from that era. Our guide will preside at an evening reception and dinner in the hotel. Days 2-3 On the Missouri River Following breakfast, the group will set out for a canoe trip with experienced, professional local outfitters, who will provide tents, mattresses and all other essential gear besides sleeping bags. This trip will feature gourmet catering, presenting luxury trail meals composed of the finest organic ingredients. As we proceed, we will encounter the same isolated and awesome cliffs Lewis and Clark saw. The river has long since been protected because of its Wild and Scenic designation, so you will hike to such sites as the Hole in the Wall and read from the Expedition Journals on the very campsites where the entries were made. Day 4 Great Falls, Montana We will finish the river expedition at Judith Landing in the afternoon and transfer by bus to our hotel in Great Falls where we will rendezvous with the rest of the tour group. There will be time to freshen up and even wash your clothes before dinner.

TOUR
Day 1
Great Falls, Montana
We will meet at our hotel in the historic town of Great Falls and gather at an evening reception and dinner in the hotel to discuss the path ahead.

Day 2
Great Falls, Montana
The Lewis and Clark Trail Interpretive Center, situated beside the Missouri River, features indoor and outdoor exhibits that Stephen Ambrose has called “outstanding—the best anywhere.” They include dioramas that depict the explorers, Sacagawea and her son Pomp, and an Indian village. Visitors will enjoy the imaginative gift shop and bookstore.
Following lunch, we will visit the Great Falls and Giant Springs, as well as the location where the men set up a 16 mile portage for several weeks in the summer of 1805. Our day will end with a visit to the Ulm Pishkun, site of prehistoric buffalo hunts.

Day 3
Helena, Montana
In the morning, we will stop at the Lewis and Clark Monument in Great Falls before heading by bus to the five-mile canyon which Lewis christened “the gates of the rocky mountains.” We will take a boat ride into the magnificent Gates in the direction of the vital headwaters of the Missouri River and see the mountain goats, deer, eagles and osprey who still call it home. We will finish the day at the Montana State Capitol in Helena, an outstanding example of architecture at the turn of the 20th century. The building, recently refurbished, features a beautiful stained-glass skyline in the rotunda and a great deal of artwork, the most famous of which is an enormous Charles M. Russell mural depicting Lewis and Clark and the Flathead Indians near Sula, Montana.

Day 4
Three Forks, Montana
Following breakfast, our group will travel to Three Forks for a canoe trip on the headwaters of the Missouri River with experienced local outfitters. The Missouri has long been protected because of its "Wild and Scenic" designation. As we proceed, we will encounter the same natural landmarks that Lewis and Clark observed centuries ago. A visit to Three Forks State Park will complete the day’s itinerary.

Day 5
Salmon, Idaho
Our day begins at Beaverhead Rock, which Sacagawea recognized as a landmark close to the Shoshone’s tribal land. After a stop for lunch in the rustic town of Dillon, we head to Camp Fortunate, where Lewis and Clark made critical first contact with the Shoshone Indian Nation—thanks in part to Sacagawea. Our next stop is Lemhi Pass on the Continental Divide, where you can cross a brook where Lewis did, walk over the Divide in Lewis’ footsteps and down to where he first drank from the waters of the Columbia River. We will then enjoy dinner while floating down the Salmon River before spending the night in Salmon.

Day 6
Lolo, Montana
The day will begin with a drive through the mountains along the Lewis and Clark Trail (now known as Highway 93), with a short drive along the North Fork of the Salmon River, where William Clark unsuccessfully attempted to connect with the Columbia River in August 1805.
The Nez Perce Native American tribe saved the men of the Lewis and Clark Expedition more than once. We will take a side trip amid the steep terrain and the rugged panoramas to see Big Hole Battlefield, where the Nez Perce fought a fierce battle against American troops and civilians in August 1877. From there, we will visit Traveler’s Rest, where in September 1805 the Corps rested and built up their meat supply for the trip westward. The men would stop here again in 1806 on their return to the east.

William Clark wrote that he and his men shared a relaxing soak with members of the Nez Perce tribe in the renowned Lolo Hot Springs. We overnight in Lolo at a mountain resort, so participants in our tour will also have a chance to test the waters.

Day 7
Lolo, Montana
Following breakfast, we will drive into Idaho to explore the Bitterroot Mountains on foot. We will stop at the Lolo Pass Visitors Center to pay homage at the memorial to Stephen Ambrose, who devoted so much time to preserving the work of Lewis and Clark. Besides the breathtaking views and mountain peaks, we will see several Expedition sites such as Devoto Grove. We return to Lolo/Missoula overnight, allowing participants time for another hot springs soak.

Day 8
Great Falls, Montana
En route to Great Falls, we will cross the Continental Divide at the Lewis & Clark Pass and take an Indian trail the Nez Perce revealed for the Expedition. We proceed on to Great Falls and The C.M. Russell Museum, the site of our final evening. Charles M. Russell was a world-renowned artist who spent nearly 50 years working at his Great Falls studio, depicting the West in his paintings. At our farewell dinner, we will reflect on all we have learned about this vital point in American history over the past eight days.

Day 9
Outward Bound
Following breakfast, participants will depart for home.