Helena National Forest

Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Home

Alice Creek/Lewis and Clark Pass

On July 6, 1806, Meriwether Lewis and nine men traveled swiftly east along the Blackfoot River (past present-day Lincoln, MT) on the ancient Buffalo Road Trail. The Road was simple for the Corps members to find; they merely followed the ruts made by generations of American Indian hunters, their families and their travois pulled by horses or dogs. They followed a track along today’s Alice Creek that took them northeast to the foot of the Continental Divide. As Captain Lewis reached the top of what is now Lewis and Clark Pass, he wrote “from this gap which is low and an easy ascent on the W. side the fort mountain [Square Butte] bears North Eaast, and appears to be distant about 20 Miles” (Meriwether Lewis, July 7, 1806). This was the first recognizable landmark for Lewis’ party since leaving Travelers’ Rest near Lolo, Montana. Though named for both captains, Clark never traveled across the pass.

The Alice Creek/Lewis and Clark Pass area can be reached by traveling east on Highway 200 from Lincoln, Montana. The turnoff to Alice Creek is 10 miles east of Lincoln. From Highway 200, travel 11 miles north on the Alice Creek Road (FR 293) to reach the Trailhead for Lewis and Clark Pass. The hike to the pass is 1.7 miles. For more information, contact the Lincoln Ranger District at (406)362-4265..

USDA Forest Service - Helena National Forest
Last Modified: Thursday, 17 May 2007 at 12:28:43 EDT