Lewis and Clark National Historical Park

Relive the dramatic story of America's famous explorers at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park by visiting 12 sites along the Pacific coast.

Combining stunning vistas, abundant recreational opportunities, the rich cultural heritage of the native coastal people and the dramatic story of America's most famous explorers, the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park encompasses 12 sites along 40 miles of the rugged Pacific coast in Oregon and Washington.At the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park you can hike the cape and the sandy beaches of the peninsula where the Corps of Discovery first stood at the edge of the Pacific. You can gaze out at the mighty Columbia River where the captains took a historic vote among each of the explorers, including their Indian guide Sacagawea and the black slave York, to decide where to spend the winter.

Other park sites invite you to step inside a replica of a traditional Pacific coast Native American longhouse on the site of a Clatsop Indian village. Explore the fort the explorers built to shelter from the coast's wet and windy winter. You can hike a similar route to the ocean's edge where the expedition ventured to set up a saltmaking operation in order to spice up their bland diet of elk meat. You can also hike the headland the explorers crossed and enjoy the view that Clark described in his journal as "...the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed..."