While driving along scenic U.S. Highway 12 over Lolo Pass, travelers are encouraged to admire the stretch of mountains between the Montana and Idaho state border. These mountains have historic value to the Nez Perce Indians, who used the Lolo Trail as a travel route to reach the plains and hunt buffalo.

In September 1805, the Lemhi Shoshoni guide, “Toby,” led the Corps of Discovery through the Bitterroot Mountains. This proved to be among the most difficult parts of the entire journey. The expedition, desperate for food, “were compelled to kill a Colt for our men & Selves to eat for the want of meat.” The first snow of winter, along with little food or water, made traveling grim for the Corps.

Fur traders used the Lolo Trail during the mid-1800s until trade declined. During the 1877 Nez Perce War, with General Howard in pursuit, the tribe used the trail to escape to Montana. In 1934, the U.S. Forest Service built a ridge road that roughly follows the historic trail. And in 1962, a new highway opened in the river canyon below the trail, allowing traffic to pass from Lewiston to Missoula.  Today, the ridge road is still accessible for travelers who want to see how the Lolo Pass looked to the Corps.

Modeled after Forest Service Ranger Stations, the Lolo Pass Visitor Center opened in 2003. Visitors can experience displays on American Indian tribes, the Corp of Discovery, get information on recreation sites and trails, and use the nearby picnic areas.

For more information concerning operating hours, fees, and directions, see https://www.facebook.com/pages/Discover-Your-Northwest-Lolo-Pass-Visitor-Center/278605048836443 on Facebook, or visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nezperceclearwater/recarea/?recid=80112.

Credits and Sources:

Content for this Next Exit History site sponsored by the Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. For more information visit http://lewisandclark.org/.

Idaho State Historical Society. “The Lolo Trail,” August 1970, No. 286.  Accessed May 2014. http://history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/reference-series/0286.pdf.

Lewis, Meriwether, William Clark, Bernard DeVoto, Stephen E. Ambrose, and Erwin Raisz. The Journals of Lewis and Clark. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.

National Park Service. “Lolo Pass Visitor Center and Rest Area.”  Accessed May 2014.   http://www.nps.gov/partnerships/lolo_pass_nez_perce.htm.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Lolo Pass Visitor Center.” Accessed May 2014. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nezperceclearwater/recarea/?recid=80112.