This dataset represents the water trails along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Lewis and Clark’s legendary expedition would not have been possible had they not been able to navigate some of North America’s most spectacular rivers. On their journey to the Pacific and back, they relied on waterways such as the Ohio, Missouri, the Yellowstone, the Snake, and the Columbia Rivers, the highways of the era. Today, the many water trails along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail are an exciting and iconic way for you to vicariously explore the region much as Lewis and Clark themselves would have.

Water trail accessibility depends on the individual trail. Review the information available on each water trail website and contact the water trail manager with questions before embarking.

The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is approximately 4,900 miles long, extending from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon, following both the outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail connects 16 states (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon) and was established by Congress in 1978 as part of the national trails system (NTS) as one of four original national historic trails. This trail commemorates the 1803-1806 expedition of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery, which explored the Louisiana Territory and beyond. This epic journey contributed to significant scientific knowledge and profound political, social, economic, cultural, and environmental changes to the lands and the peoples of the North American continent.