Travelers' Rest

Travelers' Rest State Park encompasses 63 acres at the confluence of Lolo Creek and the Bitterroot River near Lolo in Missoula County. The park preserves a campsite used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in both 1805 and 1806, and by Native peoples for thousands of years before.

The river confluence supports brown trout and rainbow trout. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and diverse songbirds inhabit the riparian corridor. Ospreys and bald eagles fish the waterways.

Cottonwood gallery forest and willow thickets line the waterways. Ponderosa pine grows on drier slopes. Native grasses and wildflowers cover the meadows. The park preserves a historically significant landscape in relatively natural condition.

The park sits at the confluence of Lolo Creek and the Bitterroot River at the mouth of Lolo Canyon. The area served as a natural crossroads where multiple travel routes converged. Alluvial deposits from the streams create the fertile bottomland.

The Lolo area south of Missoula experiences cold winters and warm, dry summers. Annual precipitation averages about 14 inches. The canyon mouth can channel cold air in winter.

Lewis and Clark camped here on September 9-10, 1805, before crossing the Bitterroot Mountains via the Lolo Trail, and again on June 30-July 3, 1806, on their return. The site was a crossroads for Native peoples for millennia before the expedition.

Archaeological investigations confirmed the expedition's campsite through the discovery of a military latrine trench. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and became a state park in 2002.

Interpretive trails with exhibits explain the site's significance to the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Native American travel. The park hosts living history events. The natural setting provides walking and wildlife viewing.

The park offers interpretive trails, a visitor center, and picnic facilities. It is located at the junction of Highway 93 and Highway 12 in Lolo, about 10 miles south of Missoula.

Archaeological preservation protects the expedition campsite. The park maintains the landscape in a condition that evokes its historical appearance. Riparian habitat management supports wildlife.