Section 3 of the Lewis & Clark Trail begins in the capital city of Pierre, South Dakota. Riding north on SR 1804-Lewis and Clark Trail, you'll pass the Oahe Dam on Lake Oahe, an area with heavy recreational traffic. In Bismarck, North Dakota, (another capital city!) you will have the opportunity to ride a series of bike paths along the river to Pioneer Park or through the city to take advantage of its many services. Bismarck is already gaining the reputation as one of the friendliest cities on the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail. Near Washburn is Fort Mandan, the location where the Corps spent the winter of 1804/1805. As you head westward on the Plains, the elevation will increase gradually. This section has more hills as you cross numerous drainages. In 2011 the route was changed from north of the Lake Sakakawea crossing all the way to Williston, North Dakota. In the previous decade an oil and gas boom developed in the Bakken Formation centered around Williston. This boom has caused a huge increase of truck and tanker traffic on all roads in the area.
Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI.
*Section 3, Map BC-4003 Pierre SD to Williston, ND and section 4, Map BC-4004 Williston, ND to Great Falls, MT are on backorder, they have been discontinued due to increased traffic caused by oil and gas exploration in western North Dakota. We are re-routing these sections and the maps will not be available until late April of 2012. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we thank you for your patience. You will automatically receive the new maps when they become available.*
Current Printed Version: 2011
For more information on this route or to print out the most up to date addenda for this map please click on link below:
