On July 19, 1805, Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery entered this stretch of the Missouri River about 20 miles north of present-day Helena, Mont. Lewis named the area Gates of the Rocky Mountains. What he saw then is still the scene today. (Paul Gnadt)
That's how this stretch of the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of Helena, Mont., was described by Meriwether Lewis on the evening of July 19, 1805.
And that's just how it looks today.
According to many Lewis and Clark historians, Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area is one of about a dozen places along the Lewis and Clark Trail that looks just the same today as it did
Bonnie Gnadt, a Keene resident for 25 years, enjoys the Keene Star at one of the spectacular waterfalls on the west side of Yellowstone Park. (Paul Gnadt)
Gates of the (Rocky) Mountains, Great Falls, where the Corps was forced to spend 18 days portaging around what was then five spectacular waterfalls, and the headwaters of the great Missouri River were just three Lewis and Clark sites that we packed into five days of a June trip to the semi-annual reunion of my wife's cousins.
Usually held in Oregon or Montana (mostly Billings), but sometimes in the family's native state, North Dakota, this time the get-together was in Helena, the Big Sky State's capital city that is only a short and beautiful drive from where we spent the first two days: Yellowstone National Park.
Knowing that we wanted to be south of Interstate 90 for a couple of days, and north of that highway for the remainder of the trip, we chose to fly into Bozeman, a charming little university town that is just big enough to have a commercial airport and plenty of interesting places to eat.
The neat thing about leaving DFW early and flying west is that you gain back some travel time. By taking a 6:30 a.m. United Airlines flight and connecting in Denver, we were in our rental car and exploring eclectic Bozeman by 10:30 a.m.
Two things about Wednesday air travel: not only are the fares less expensive, the planes are actually less crowded. Our Denver-Bozeman Canadair Regional Jet did not have enough passengers for proper nose-to-tail balance, so the flight attendant asked four people sitting in the first three rows to sit in the back of the plane so it would have proper load distribution for takeoff.
Gallatin Field, Bozeman's airport, is actually located in Belgrade, about 10 minutes west of Bozeman, an old town that is kept youthful and high-tech by Montana State University. There are plenty of one-of-a-kind eateries on Main Street. Some passengers on our flight and a few airport personnel recommended Nova Cafe for unique vegetarian options. Located at 312 East Main in historic downtown, it was clean, friendly and offered a variety of hot and cold veggie delights. Think Spiral Diner and Bakery on Magnolia in Fort Worth with less body piercing on the wait staff. Or, better yet, Mandy's Coffee and Bistro in Keene with the Rocky Mountains in the distance. You'll also want to try Montana Harvest on U.S. 191 heading south out of town (at Canyon Square Shopping Center), a Panera wannabe that tries but falls a little short. Perhaps we arrived too late in the afternoon of our departure day for any variety of fresh breads. Still, the soup was good. Another good option is Leaf & Bean, at 35 West Main.
But we're not here to eat. We're here to see the scenery, especially in the granddaddy of all national parks, Yellowstone. Main Street in Bozeman is also U.S. 191, and that's what you want to take to the best place to headquarter when visiting Yellowstone: the compact little city of West Yellowstone, Mont., just a stone's throw from the west entrance to the park.
U.S. 191 between Bozeman and West Yellowstone is one of the most beautiful drives in America. The highway follows the Gallatin River, named by Lewis and Clark in honor of the secretary of the treasury during the time of the Corps of Discovery. The drive begins among rolling hills, but, as you progress south, you're suddenly in a canyon. There are ample pullouts for photographs or even a short nap with the rushing water to lull you to sleep.
The highway actually enters Yellowstone Park a couple of times, crossing the Wyoming state line, then meandering back into Montana. But there is no park fee because the crossings do not represent an official entrance into the park and there are no other roads.
West Yellowstone is an excellent place to headquarter for what I think is the best part of Yellowstone Park, the western half. West Yellowstone has ample motels in a variety of price ranges, locally-owned restaurants with plenty of menu options, easy access to the park and, just 12 miles to the west, a quick visit across the Continental Divide to Idaho.
We stayed at the Bar N Ranch, about 8 miles west of town on U.S. Highway 20, the highway to Idaho. The Bar N is a destination for locals for breakfast and dinner. Each room is uniquely appointed and comes with a fireplace and Jacuzzi-like indoor hot tub. Deer, elk and moose roam its spacious spread, although we didn't see any. Check out the Bar N Ranch Web site at barnranch.com.
Begin your search about West Yellowstone at the Chamber of Commerce Web site at www.westyellowstone.com. When you get there, stop by the combination Chamber and visitor's bureau office and meet Marylou Costillo, Chamber president. She is very helpful and can answer your questions about the area.
I like to headquarter at West Yellowstone because it is the nearest entrance to the sites I like to visit inside Yellowstone Park: Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and the nearby Canyon Village, the best souvenir shop in the park. The stores at Canyon Village have a variety of quality shirts, mugs, books and other neat things for yourself and the grand kids. Perhaps most importantly, the potential for animal sightings on that side of the park is better because it's closer to the high country.
After a scrumptious breakfast at the Bar N, we were in the park with a flash of our Golden Eagle Pass, purchased there three years ago and good for a lifetime of free entry to our national parks. Just five miles into the park, signs alerted motorists not to stop in fear of scaring the bald eagle sitting in a huge nest at the top of a tree. People stopped anyway, fingers pointed and cameras clicked.
Anytime is a good time to visit Yellowstone, just keep in mind that animal sightings are dependent on the weather. Although the weather can be a little iffy in early June, the crowds are down and so are the animals, not yet driven to the high county by the heat.
We chose to see Old Faithful first, enjoying a veggie lunch in the large dining hall about 50 yards from the geyser. After that, we just drove around, looking for animals and finding buffalo everywhere. Baby buffalo are born between mid-May to mid-June, and the cute little bison are fun to watch, following mommy buffalo wherever she went. We saw about 300 buffalo, many stopping traffic as they crossed the road whenever they felt like it.
Before you visit Yellowstone, check out the park's excellent Web site at www.yellowstonepark.com, and download a magazine called “99 Things to do in Yellowstone Country.”
We left Yellowstone Park at 3 p.m., did some shopping in West Yellowstone at the many souvenir shops on Canyon Street (also U.S. 191) and headed north on U.S. 191 to Bozeman, turning our backs on Yellowstone Park and our attention to Lewis and Clark.
From Bozeman, we took U.S. 287 (yes, the same highway Texans take to Colorado) to Helena, a more direct and just as scenic route than going out of the way to find Interstate 15 at Butte. However, from Helena to Great Falls, stay on spectacular, beautiful I-15.
We chose the Great Falls to Bozeman portion for our Lewis and Clark fix because, one, the reunion was in Helena, and two, four unique events happened to the Corps of Discovery in that 180-mile stretch: the decision at the confluence of two rivers to follow one of them, hoping it would be the Missouri; Lewis hearing, then seeing, the five great falls (which confirmed he correctly chose the Missouri), but would require the Corps to spend one month portaging 18 miles around them; Lewis describing and naming the Gates of the Rocky Mountains; and finding the headwaters of the great Missouri River and naming the rivers which formed her: the Jefferson, the Madison and the Gallatin.
Just a little north of Great Falls, on U.S. 87, (not 287) is Loma, where, on June 2, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to another river equal in size to the Missouri. They investigated the rivers for one week and decided to follow the one flowing to the south. They chose correctly. The river flowing to the north was named Maria's River, in honor of Lewis' cousin, Maria Wood. Today, it's called the Marias River and still flows into the Missouri, just as it did then.
A little further south, in Great Falls, is the unbelievable Giant Springs Heritage State Park and the outstanding Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.
Giant Springs is where Clark, on June 18, 1805, came to “the largest fountain or spring I ever saw and doubt if it is not the largest in America known. This water boils up from under the rocks near the edge of the river and falls immediately into the river 8 feet and keeps its color for half a mile.”
That same freshwater spring is still there, flowing 156 millions gallons per day of crystal clear water into the Missouri.
A little further south is the interpretive center, an absolute must-see for L&C buffs. Start with a 30-minute feature film, then plan on spending another two to three hours in the 6,000 square-foot exhibit hall that overlooks the Missouri River. To learn more about this well-done interpretive center, visit its Web site at www.fs.fed.us/r1/lewisclark/lcic.
Great Falls is loaded with sites important to the Lewis and Clark westward trip, including the places where the portage started and ended, West Bank Park, where, on June 14, 1805, Lewis was chased into the river by a Grizzly bear and, later that day, charged by three buffalo, and, of course, the series of water falls. There were five falls then, but two have been covered as the result of dams.
At the interpretative center, be sure to pick up a brochure and map titled “Lewis and Clark Portage.” It has a detailed map of the area and identifies the sites where Lewis and Clark things happened.
In Great Falls, you can stand where they stood, walk where they walked.
At Gates of the Mountains, you can float where they floated.
The 105-minute, 12-mile roundtrip cruise is a must-do for L&C aficionados. It can be windy and a little cool, so dress accordingly for the trip aboard one of three tour boats: the Pirogue, the Hilger Rose (named after Nicholas Hilger, who began the tours in 1886) or our boat, the Sacajawea (pronounced correctly as “Sa-cog-a-way-a” and not “Sac-a-ja-wee-a” as we learned in school).
After floating north to south, the boat turns around and you see why Lewis named it. The canyon walls are so steep that, when the river turns, it disappears, then reappears, giving the impression that you are passing through a gate in the mountains.
Ask when Kyle Ferlicka is serving as guide. He is knowledgeable, personable and takes the time to stop the boat and point out everything from bald eagles to Native American pictographs etched into the rock wall.
The cruise schedule depends on the season. Check out the schedule and prices at www.gatesofthemountains.com.
From Bozeman, we took U.S. 287 south to Interstate 90 and Missouri Headwaters State Park, about 30 miles west of Bozeman.
Here, you can put your foot in the Jefferson and the Madison rivers and see their currents merge into one. About 100 yards down river, the Gallatin flows into them and the great Missouri River begins its 2,341-mile journey to St. Charles, Mo.
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