Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Description: This section of the trail comprises approximately 200 miles of the total 1,170-mile route of the 1877 Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail. Whether you drive, ride or walk this area, you will gain a unique understanding of the journey of the Nez Perce and the tremendous difficulty and odds they had to overcome. The landscape is characterized by high elevations and a dry valley of sagebrush steppe that rises up to over 7,000 feet at Gilmore Summit.

Directions: Central and Southeastern Idaho

Trailhead Location:
Leadore, Idaho; West Yellowstone Montana; and multiple points between. 

The auto route begins in Leadore, Idaho, then descends into the Birch Creek Valley along Highway 28, traverses across the Medicine Lodge area along Highway 22 and Highway 15 to Spencer, parallels the Continental Divide via Clark County Road A2, finally crosses Targhee Pass and enters Yellowstone National Park via West Yellowstone, Montana.

Accessibility:
Leadore, Birch Creek, Targhee Pass

Details:

• Use season: Spring, Summer, Fall
• Route Markers
• Historical Sites and Interpretation
• Nez Perce Historical Brochure
• Eastern Idaho Visitor Center
• West Yellowstone Visitor Center 

Trail Educational Materials

Map of Nez Perce Trail | "1877 Nez Perce Flight" available online and through Discover Your Northwest and the National Forest Store.

Website | Gives Overview of Trail in Yellowstone National Park

Auto Tour | Series of brochures are now available online and in hard copy from the US Forest Service by contacting Trail public affairs specialist Roger Peterson at 406-329-3540 or via email at rmpeterson@fs.fed.us.

Book on Nez Perce | "Beyond Bear's Paw: The Nez Perce Indians in Canada," By: Jerome A. Green

"Traditions Linking Today and Tomorrow" Poster Available | To obtain a copy, please contact Trail public affairs specialist Roger Peterson at 406-329-3540 or via email at rmpeterson@fs.fed.us.

Coming Soon in March 2011: New Nez Perce National Trail brochure to be unveiled