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. After Stanton, the route heads west and south to follow the I-94 corridor, alternating between the freeway and parallel county roads. This is a change from our original routing due to oil and gas development in the Bakken Oil Shale Field of western North Dakota and northeastern Montana. The route was changed in 2012 to avoid the area around Williston, North Dakota, because many roads with minimal to no shoulders now have high levels of truck traffic, and are felt to be unsafe for bicyclists.

Major funding for the Lewis & Clark Bicycle Trail has been provided by REI.