Lewis and Clark Trail Highway
Lewis and Clark Trail Highway is a State Scenic Byway in Washington. Within Washington it covers roughly 540 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Lewis and Clark Trail Highway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Lewis and Clark Trail Highway is a Washington state scenic byway along State Route 4, tracing the Columbia River between the coast near Cape Disappointment and the twin cities of Kelso and Longview. The corridor has carried travelers along this stretch of river since before it was a numbered highway: it entered the state system in 1915 as State Road 19, was renamed the Ocean Beach Highway in 1919, and became part of US Route 830 in 1926. The Washington Legislature formally designated the wider Lewis and Clark Highway corridor in 1955, commemorating the expedition's 1805-06 passage along the Columbia, and folded SR 4 into the state's scenic highway system as the Lewis and Clark Trail Scenic Byway in 1967. US 830 was retired in 1968 and replaced by today's SR 4, which still carries the byway designation along with National Highway System status. The drive follows the river's north bank past small fishing and timber towns, with the same broad Columbia views that guided Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery toward the Pacific in 1805.
- State Route 4
- Cape Disappointment to Kelso/Longview
- Columbia River
- designated by WA Legislature (1955)
- Lewis and Clark Trail Scenic Byway (1967)
- Corps of Discovery route, 1805-06
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Places to stop along Lewis and Clark Trail Highway
Confluence Project Listening Circle
Maya Lin's earthwork amphitheater in Clarkston's Chief Timothy Park, one of a series of Confluence Project installations along the Columbia River system.
WebsiteWalla Walla
A tree-shaded valley town ringed by more than a hundred wineries, with a lively historic downtown and the famous sweet onions that bear its name.
WebsiteSacajawea Historical State Park
The point where the Snake meets the Columbia, where the Corps of Discovery camped in October 1805, with an interpretive center on the expedition and Sacagawea.
WebsiteREACH Museum
A Richland museum on the Columbia's natural and atomic-age history, from the Ice Age floods to the Hanford site and its B Reactor.
WebsiteBeacon Rock State Park
The core of an ancient volcano rising 848 feet above the Columbia; a trail of switchbacks and railings climbs to the top. Lewis and Clark named it in 1805.
WebsiteCaptain William Clark Park
A Washougal riverfront park at Cottonwood Beach, where the expedition camped for six days in 1806 to hunt and lay in provisions before heading east.
Where to Stay along Lewis and Clark Trail Highway
22 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Lewis and Clark Trail Highway.
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What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.