Free Guided ‘First Day’ Hike at Travelers’ Rest State Park

Ring in the new with Clark and Lew! Yeah, bet they never would have used that as an advertising slogan.

But, if New Year's Day college football bowl games are not your thing and you'd like to get an invigorating start to 2023, Travelers' Rest State Park, just outside of lovely Lolo, Montana, is one of the select parks that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks makes available for their annual First Day Hike program. Hopefully the sun will shine and temperatures will be much less frigid than what we are experiencing right now!

Montana FWP invites you to "walk in the footsteps of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on the first day of the new year. The one-hour, approximately one-mile hike begins at 2:00 p.m. at the flag plaza near the parking lot and is free and open to all ages."

You will get exclusive access to the Travelers’ Rest Visitor Center after the hike. There you can enjoy hot chocolate and ask your host questions. You will learn about what went into pinpointing the location of Travelers' Rest and see the areas that were excavated to uncover artifacts. The Park is at the heart of a campsite used by the Corps of Discovery from September 9 - 11, 1805 and again from June 30 - July 3, 1806. The visitor center and museum offer "a fascinating look at Lewis and Clark Expedition replicas, Salish culture, Native American hand crafts, a frontier Main Street, and more."

The hike will be on mostly flat terrain, but make sure you are dressed warmly and have footwear that provides good traction. You can call ahead for more information at 406-273-4253. You can also visit FWP's Travelers' Rest State Park page.

Happy Clark and Lew Year, everyone!