Northwest Passage Scenic Byway
Northwest Passage Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Idaho. Within Idaho it covers roughly 200 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Northwest Passage Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
At 202 miles, the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway is Idaho's longest byway. It follows the route Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's Corps of Discovery took through north central Idaho in 1803 on their way toward the Pacific. The main stretch runs 175 miles northeast from Lewiston along US 12 to the Montana border, threading the winding Clearwater River Canyon past the pale blue camas blooms of the Camas Prairie each spring; a shorter spur on Idaho 13 connects Kooskia to Grangeville. Because much of the canyon remains as rugged and undeveloped as it was two centuries ago, the drive offers an unusually direct look at the landscape the expedition actually crossed. The route also carries deep Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) significance, passing numerous tribal historical sites, including the Heart of the Monster, a 53-acre site near Spalding that preserves an origin legend sacred to the Nez Perce people.
- 202 miles, Idaho's longest scenic byway
- Follows Lewis & Clark's 1803 route
- Clearwater River Canyon on US 12
- Camas Prairie wildflower blooms
- Heart of the Monster, Nez Perce origin site
- Lewiston to the Montana border
Plan a drive on Northwest Passage Scenic Byway →
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.
Where to Stay along Northwest Passage Scenic Byway
5 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Northwest Passage Scenic Byway.
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