info@cowboyhvn.com
406-587-9563
1-877-613-0404

For further (and more recent) Lewis & Clark Tour information, click here.

Raft and canoe trips on the wild & scenic upper Missouri have long been popular, but with the upcoming bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition, they're attracting even more attention than ever.  We're thrilled to be working with an outfitter than not only provides the Missouri River trips, but offers a much broader spectrum of experiences along the Lewis & Clark trail, including hike and mountain bike trips along the Lolo Trail portion of their route, as well as raft trips down the Lochsa River, which the Corps of Discovery followed after crossing the continental divide on their way to the Pacific.
I've long been fascinated by the Lewis & Clark expedition, and have read and re-read their journals, which I highly recommend.  In some ways, particularly given the technology of their age, I think the Corps of Discovery's feats are more impressive than modern accomplishments like space travel.  Lewis & Clark and their men didn't have an army of technicians backing them up.  They were out there on their own for most of two years, and repeatedly made the right decisions in circumstances when making the wrong ones would have likely meant they would have vanished without a trace.   It's fascinating to travel in their footsteps, and in some areas the sights you'll see have remained virtually unchanged since 1805.
The area that remains the most unchanged is the White Cliffs section of the upper Missouri.  Lewis described this section as follows; "The hills and river cliffs which we passed today exhibit a most romantic appearance...Here it is that nature presents to the view of the traveler vast ranges of walls of tolerable workmanship, so perfect indeed are those walls that I should have thought that nature had attempted here to rival the human art of masonry had I not recollected that she had first began her work...As we passed on it seemed as if those seens of visianory inchantment would never have an end."  Three-day canoe trips through this section cover 47 miles of the most scenic section of the river, and you'll camp in the same places Lewis & Clark did.
The hiking and mountain bike tours take place on the Lolo Trail west of Missoula.  Parts of this route were the only overland section of Lewis & Clark's entire trip that did not parallel a waterway.  Day trips combine van tours and hiking, and explore expedition campsites like Snowbank Camp, Sinque Hole, Smoking Place, and scenic, unique attractions such as Indian Post Office and Devil's Chair.  Three-day trips expand the hiking portion of the trip and include overnight camping at Snowbank Camp and near Dry Camp, and a side trip to Spirit Revival Ridge (where the Corps first saw Weippe Prairie, in what would later become Idaho) is added to the van tour portion.
This outfitter also offers a most unique active tour, following the Lewis & Clark Trail by mountain bike.  On this three-day trip, you'll see first-hand the explorer's route through the Bitterroot Mountains.  Around the campfire during the two nights of camping, you'll hear stories of Lewis & Clark's adventures in the untamed mountains of the west. A support vehicle carries all the gear, and the terrain consists of roughly 20% hilly, 20% flat, 30% rolling & 30% downhill.  Mountain bike rentals are available.
Then, if you want to continue along Lewis & Clark's route to & from the Pacific, you can spend a day rafting the Lochsa River, which the Corps followed on their way to the Snake River, and eventually the Columbia River and the Pacific.   Outside Magazine claims the Lochsa is "one of the country's quintessential whitewater runs."  Over twenty miles of heart-pumping rapids, old growth cedar groves, and pristine wilderness will leave you feeling blessed.  During peak runoff, you'll be floating 37 Class III , 25 Class IV, and two Class V rapids, which will certainly peg your adventure meter.
This outfitter also offers exceptional whitewater raft trips through Alberton Gorge on the Clark Fork River, and multi-day trips on the Main Salmon River through the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. 

Call 1-877-613-0404 or e-mail for details.