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We depart early for the ride to Salmon, Idaho.
Our morning ride takes us along along U.S. Highway 12, also known as the Lewis and Clark Highway. This 80 mile section of highway is some of the most wild and scenic country you’ll ever experience. The two lane road follows the Lochsa River. Rafting trips on the Lochsa river are world-class whitewater adventures for rafters and kayaks with dozens of raft-bashing rapids.
We continue our early morning ride east along the winding roads of Highway 12. Mindful of the deer that populate this area, we will follow the Lochsa river along a stretch of highway that will truly amaze you in its splendor and beauty.
As we follow the Lewis and Clark Trail along US Highway 12, you are literally following in the footsteps of the early explorers. The scenic Lolo Highway 12 parallels the Lochsa River along its north bank. One of the last two-lane U.S. highways constructed, US-12 was completed in the early1960s.
We soon begin our steep climp up Lolo Pass, famous for the location where the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the summit of the Bitterroot Range in 1805. During mid-September 1805, Lewis and Clark traveled westward along the Lolo Trail, descending into and out of the Lochsa Gorge, then above its north rim. They experienced significant early season snowfall and suffered near starvation before exiting the mountains onto the Weippee Prairie, where they first encountered the Nez Perce tribe.
Lochsa means, "rough water" in the Nez Perce Indian language. From its headwaters in the Bitterroot Mountains to its confluence with the Selway and Clearwater rivers, the Lochsa pounds through more than 40 major class III-IV rapids.
We cross into Montana and soon arrive at the town of Lolo. Following a short rest stop, we turn south and join the Salmon River Scenic Byway, which begins on the Montana-Idaho border at the Lost Trail Pass (elevation 6,995 feet). Lewis and Clark passed through this area in 1805, and the spectacular view from this vantage point has changed little since that famous exploration of the West two centuries ago.
The route follows the Salmon River, also known as the “River of No Return”, through the Salmon-Challis National Forest to the historic city of Salmon. The river and its forks serve as important natural pathways into Idaho’s rugged back country. The elk, deer, and moose that often graze along the hills and meadows that line this road provide a glimpse of the wild country beyond.
We will spend our second evening in Salmon..
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