Join humanities scholar and author Clay Jenkinson on an exploration of the two remaining pristine portions of the Lewis and Clark Trail — the stunning White Cliffs region of the Missouri River in Montana, and the Lolo (Nez Perce) Trail in Idaho’s Bitterroot Mountains. This exclusive adventure includes hiking, canoeing, star-gazing, and nightly campfires with storytelling as you experience the journey of American history’s best known exploration party.

Lewis & Clark Trail with Clay Jenkinson

10 days, 9 nights (5 nights lodging, 4 nights camping)
July 21 – 30, 2024
Pricing: $4,595/person based on double occupancy

Canoe and Hike while Camping in Style

The tour begins in Great Falls, Montana, and it ends in Missoula, Montana. It is a fairly strenuous week of paddling on the Missouri and hiking in the White Cliffs and the Bitterroots, but it is also a week of witty and historical commentary, conversation, interpretation, storytelling, wit, and serious discussion of the American West, all led by acclaimed Jefferson and Lewis & Clark scholar Clay Jenkinson. Our outfitters are the best in all of Montana and Idaho. Each night on the trail you will arrive in camp to find not only a tent and sleeping pad waiting, but cold drinks, hearty hors d’oeuvres, and the aroma of dinner already on the fire. 

We’ll spend our first night at the historic Grand Union Hotel, the oldest hotel in Montana, on the banks of the Missouri River in Fort Benton. Over three days we’ll canoe the Missouri River, camping at authentic Lewis and Clark campsites. We’ll return to the Grand Union for a night of fine dining and musical entertainment before boarding a luxury motorcoach for the scenic drive through Missoula, over the divide at Lolo Pass, and to historic Lochsa Lodge for a much-needed night of relaxation before taking on the Bitterroots. Our three days of mountain hiking begins the next morning with the 3,500-foot climb — in the footsteps of the Corps of Discovery — up Wendover Ridge. We’ll spend two nights up on the trail, and finally a seven-mile hike down to the Lochsa River, the perfect place to relax and cool off. We’ll return to Lochsa Lodge for two more nights, culminating in a fabulous farewell dinner and one last evening around a fire. 

The tour includes expert guide services, all equipment for canoeing and four nights of camping (except sleeping bag), all activities, lodging, transportation, USFS fees, state and local taxes, and gratuities. Airfare is not included. Our bus will pick up you and your luggage in Great Falls, Montana on July 21. We will take care of everything from that point until we drop you at the Missoula airport on July 30.

NOTE: This is a strenuous tour. Participants in this tour should be in good physical condition, comfortable with long stretches of canoeing and hiking in rugged conditions. 

COST: $4,595 per person, based on double occupancy. There is an additional supplement of $1,200 if you prefer a hotel room, lodge cabin, and tent of your own. A $1,200 non-refundable deposit per guest is required to secure your spot(s) on the tour, and final payment is required within 75 days of the beginning of the tour (May 7, 2024).

Basic Itinerary: July 21-30, 2024

Day One: Arrive in Great Falls, MT. Bus transfer to Grand Union Hotel in Fort Benton leaves Great Falls at 2 pm.
Day Two: Embark in Canoes on the Missouri River. Camp at Eagle Creek Campsite.
Day Three: After a day of canoeing and hiking, camp at Slaughter Creek Campsite. 
Day Four: Half day of canoeing, following by bus ride back to Grand Union Hotel for a celebratory night of music and fine dining.
Day Five: Scenic luxury coach ride across Montana, over the Continental Divide, and down into Idaho’s Lochsa Lodge.
Day Six: Climb up Wendover Ridge to the Lolo Trail. Camp at Snow Camp.
Day Seven: Hiking along the ridgeline to a number of historic sights before camping at Dry Camp.
Day Eight: Hike down from the Lolo Trail to the Lochsa River. Return to Lochsa Lodge.
Day Nine: A day of rest and leisure and celebration around the Lodge and the Lochsa River, capped by a fabulous farewell feast.
Day 10: Bus ride to Missoula Airport.

For detailed itinerary, click here.

Tour Information and Pricing

Dates: July 21-30, 2024
All-inclusive except for airfare
Ten days and nine nights
Cost per person: $4,595
$1,200 nonrefundable deposit secures your spot.
Balance is due 75 days before beginning of trip (May 7, 2024).

The price above includes expert guide service by Montana’s finest outfitters, all equipment except sleeping bag for camping and canoeing, all activities, lodging, meals, transportation, fees, hotel baggage handling, state and local taxes, USFS fees, and all hotel, restaurant, and guide gratuities.

The price above is based on double occupancy. If you are traveling alone, we can match you with another guest as a roommate. If you prefer a hotel room and cabin and tent of your own throughout the trip, the single supplemental fee is $1,200.

Ready to reserve your spot? Have general tour questions? Contact us!

The tour begins in Great Falls, Montana at 2 pm on July 21. You must be in Great Falls by that time. The majority of our guests choose to come into Great Falls a day early and stay at a local hotel, but our only requirement is that you are in Great Falls and ready to board the bus with your luggage by 2 pm.

The tour ends in Missoula, Montana at approximately 10 am on July 30. We will drop you and your luggage off at Missoula International Airport or at the local hotel of your choice.

Silence and solitude and the natural world are large parts of this trip. We have the following requirements for crew and guests:

• No vaping, cigars, chewing tobacco, pipes, or cigarettes.
• No portable speakers

Due to our high guide-to-guest ratio, our small group size, and the award-winning historical interpretation and entertainment by Clay Jenkinson, our tours tend to fill up quickly. If it becomes necessary, we can put you on a wait list upon request. We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance for your protection in case of unexpected events that might force you to cancel.

Reading List

No advance reading is required, but if you want to hit the ground running, here are some books to read about Lewis and Clark in Montana and Idaho.

• Stephen Ambrose. Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West.
• Donald Jackson. Thomas Jefferson and the Stony Mountains: Exploring the West from Monticello.
• Clay Jenkinson. The Character of Meriwether Lewis: Explorer in the Wilderness.
• James Ronda. Lewis and Clark Among the Indians.
• Gary E. Moulton, ed. The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, volume IV: April 7-July 27, 1805.
• Gary E. Moulton, ed. The Lewis and Clark Journals (Abridged Edition): An American Epic of Discovery. (An excellent one-volume distillation of the journals).

You may wish to read:

• Donna Kessler. The Making of Sacagawea: A Euro-American Legend.
• David Nicandri. River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia.
• Ralph S. Space. The Lolo Trail.

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Sunday, July 21

Welcome to Great Falls, Montana! Fly in on this morning or come in a day early and enjoy Great Falls and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, the Charlie Russell Museum, Sacagawea Springs, the First People’s Buffalo Jump, the Great Falls themselves, as well as hiking and other activities along the Missouri River. At 2:00 pm our bus will leave Great Falls for Fort Benton and the historic Grand Union Hotel. You have a little time to settle in or explore the town before we meet for a short orientation meeting with our outfitter. Dinner will follow in the Lewis and Clark banquet room of the Grand Union, and we will spend the late afternoon and early evening getting to know one another.

Lodging: Grand Union Hotel in Fort Benton
Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Monday, July 22

After breakfast we’ll board a bus and head to our put-in point on the Missouri. Along the way we’ll hike up to Decision Point, high above the confluence of the Missouri and Marias Rivers. It was here in early June of 1805 that the Corps of Discovery was forced to make a critical decision: Which river was the Missouri? Decision Point is one of the great photo ops of the entire trail, and once we reach the top of the overlooking bluff, where Clay will provide insights not only on Lewis and Clark but also the burdens of discovery.

From Decision Point it is a short drive to Coal Banks Landing, where you will find your gear and canoe ready and waiting to push off. We stop along the river for lunch, followed by a little hiking that will include teepee rings on the bluffs above the river and petroglyphs along some of the canyon walls. An afternoon of canoeing will get us to Eagle Camp, one of the most magical places on the entire Lewis and Clark Trail. While the crew is cooking dinner we’ll visit a nearby slot canyon, a stunning white sandstone labyrinth carved by wind and water. Then it is back to camp for dinner by the river, followed by informal discussions with Clay around the campfire.

Campsite: Eagle Creek
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3: Tuesday, July 23

Early morning coffee, a hot breakfast, and the beginning of one of the most adventurous days of the trip. As we head down river in our canoes, we’ll pass the famous igneous plug named La Barge, looming high over the riverbank. La Barge is called the gateway to the White Cliffs, and we will spend the day canoeing through what Meriwether Lewis called “scenes of visionary enchantment.” We will paddle past the same stunning hoodoos, igneous dikes, and sandstone formations that Lewis and Clark saw both coming and going along the Missouri. We’ll stop for lunch at one of most recognizable landmarks on the river, the Hole-in-the-Wall, and while lunch is being prepared, we will hike up to the actual hole in the cliff wall, another great photo op for those brave enough to shimmy up the last twenty or so feet of the climb. The view from the Hole-in-the-Wall is a highlight of the trip, and the only way to get it is to earn it with your legs.

After lunch we’ll get back into our canoes and head down to Slaughter Camp. Many guests over the years have opted to don a lifejacket and bob down the river for the last mile before camp, the perfect opportunity to feel the gentle but inexorable tug of one of the world’s great rivers. It’s the perfect way to cool off on a hot and dry afternoon while experiencing geomorphology at the molecular level. Slaughter Camp is a camp that Lewis and Clark used on both westward and eastward journeys, and it provides another sublime setting for dinner and fireside conversations.

Campsite: Slaughter Creek
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4: Wednesday, July 24

This is your last day paddling a canoe. After breakfast and a leisurely paddle of about 12 miles, we will take out of the river at Judith Landing. This is the point where the Judith River flows gently into the Missouri. William Clark named the Judith for his future wife, Julia (Judith) Hancock. The mouth of the Judith is now part of the American Prairie Reserve, a project dedicated to creating a vast buffalo commons and grassland park in the American West. 

At Judith Landing we will have lunch before bussing back to the Grand Union Hotel for that long-awaited shower and a chance to relax or walk around town. In the early evening we will gather on the hotel terrace for hors d’oeuvres and a performance by the Lucky Valentines, a Montana-based duo that has been entertaining Clay’s guests for well over a decade. Then it’s back to the Lewis and Clark banquet room in the hotel for an evening of fine dining and reflection on our river journey.

Day 5: Thursday, July 25

Today is what is known on the Chautauqua circuit as “jump day.” After breakfast in the hotel dining room, we’ll hop onto our luxury motorcoach and head for Idaho. There’s a lot to do along the way, however, beginning with a stop at the Ryan Dam and the Great Falls of the Missouri River. We will dip back into Great Falls for lunch at a local restaurant before a scenic afternoon journey across Montana, up and over the Continental Divide at Lolo Pass, and then down along the Lochsa River to Lochsa Lodge. This is Clay’s favorite resort in America, with just enough frills to be satisfying and yet rustic enough to feel authentic. There’s great food at the Lodge, a bar, a patio, trails, and the unbelievably beautiful Lochsa River is just a short walk from your cabin. 

The Lodge is the perfect place to relax and dine, and you will need to eat and rest well tonight. Tomorrow is the famous hike up Wendover Ridge, and we’ll have a short orientation around the fire tonight in preparation.

Lodging: Lochsa Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6: Friday, July 26

This has long been known as the “day of days” on Clay’s annual Lewis & Clark trip. Back in the summer of 1805, Captain Lewis discovered that the Corps’ Shoshone guide had delivered them not to the Lolo Trail but to the Lochsa River valley down below. The Captain immediately ordered the company to head straight up along the ridge line in order to intersect the trail. It was a climb of 3,500 feet, and Lewis and Clark and the Corps did it with thousands of pounds of provisions and a herd of horses. We have an easier time — all you have to carry is a day’s worth of hydration and your lunch, but it’s a strenuous day. Years ago one of our guests was found screaming along the trail at mile four, “Didn’t those morons understand @#!&$#@ switchbacks?” And you will know that you are walking exactly in their footsteps, because there is really only one way up the ridgeline.

Lewis and Clark found snow (in September) at the top, and that’s why our camping spot tonight is known as Snow Camp. The celebratory mood that permeates this trip will be at its peak in the late afternoon as, one-by-one and two-by-two, hikers make their way into camp. The fireside tonight will be filled with the pure joy of living what Theodore Roosevelt called “the strenuous life.” Deer and elk will wander through the camp all night, and the night skies are spectacular.

Lodging: Snow Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7: Saturday, July 27

This day is spent wandering west along the Lolo (Nez Perce) Trail. We will travel by both foot and van, and we will visit at least a half dozen Lewis and Clark and Native American sites. This is the heart of the Lewis and Clark Trail, a remote part that Lewis described as “range after range of impenetrable mountains in every direction.” Among the sites we’ll visit are Indian Post Office, Lonesome Cove, the Sinque Hole, and Smoking Place. We will end the day at what Lewis and Clark called Dry Camp, and as usual, our tents and gear will be waiting on us upon arrival, along with hot food and cold drinks. Tonight is Greek night, with Greek salad, kabobs, and Spanakopita, topped off with a little baklava by the fire.

Lodging: Dry Camp
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8: Sunday, July 28

Having climbed up 7 miles to reach the Lolo Trail just two days ago, it is now time to hike seven miles back down. We’ll have a leisurely morning after breakfast, and we’ll pack ourselves a lunch before driving to the trail head. The hike down is along Sherman Creek, and once again it is a strenuous hike. The scenery is breathtaking from top to bottom, and a cooler of cold drinks and the even cooler Lochsa River are the motivations that rest at the end of the trail. Once everyone has had their fill of swimming and relaxing in or by the river, we will bus back to Lochsa Lodge for a shower and dinner on the patio.

Lodging: Lochsa Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 9: Monday, July 29

After a hot breakfast in the Lodge, we’ll gather for an early morning talk with Clay. The afternoon is yours to enjoy the Lodge, the bar, the river, the woods and trails, and the coziness of your cabin. The day ends with a festive farewell banquet in the Lodge Library. Darkness brings one last fireside chat out behind the Lodge, and Clay will share some stories of re-entry among the Lewis and Clark expedition as we all prepare for our own real world re-entry.

Lodging: Lochsa Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 10: Tuesday, July 30

Today we are homeward bound. After your last huckleberry pancake at Lochsa Lodge, we will board one last bus for the trip to the Missoula International airport. We will have you there in plenty of time to make outflying flights of noon or later. If you’re staying another night or two in Missoula, we can drop you at your hotel instead.

Meal: Breakfast

Terms and Conditions

Deposits and Payments
A nonrefundable deposit of $1,200 per person will reserve your spot on the tour. Full payment is due in our office at least 75 days prior to departure.

Refunds and Cancellation Policy
We recommend you purchase travel insurance to protect you if for some reason you must cancel your reservation.

You will receive your full refund less your deposit and credit card transaction fees up to 75 days prior to the tour; a 50% refund if you cancel within 75 days prior to the event, minus any additional hotel or supplier expenses, which cannot be recovered. No refunds in the last 30 days prior to tour departure. Full refund is always available if you can find a replacement traveler.

Travel Insurance
We are not an insurance provider. If you are interested in purchasing travel insurance, please notify your travel insurance company at the time of your initial payment. Travel insurance information can be obtained from your local travel agency.

Tour Cancellation
We do not like to cancel tours. In the event a tour must be canceled, we will refund all monies paid to us.

Participation Courtesy
We ask there be no audio or video taping of presentations without the prior consent of the individual presenters. Participants are requested to refrain from smoking inside all modes of transportation, during group meals, and lectures or events.

Itinerary or Program Modifications
The itinerary is subject to modifications and change. Every effort will be made to carry out the program as planned, but alterations may still occur after the final itinerary is sent.

Responsibility
Our company acts only as the agent in making arrangements for the owner or operators of such transportation, accommodations, services or facilities engaged in our tours. Our responsibility is limited to that of an agent. We accept no responsibility for accidents, injuries, property damage or personal loss to you or to those traveling with you in connection with any accommodations, transportation or other travel or guide services, or resulting directly or indirectly from any occurrences or conditions beyond our control, including but not limited to acts of terrorism, defects in vehicles, breakdown in equipment, strikes or theft.