trail riding at lewis and clark national historic trail, trail riding in montana, lewis and clark national history trail, trail riding locations in montana
Destinations
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
KENT & CHARLENE KRONE
The History Trail
Hitch up and head
to the Lewis and
Clark National
Historic Trail in
Montana, and ride
To travel by horse
on the Lewis and
Clark National
Historic Trail is to
experience a piece
of America’s history.
Shown is the Devil’s
Backbone in the
Gates of the Mountains
Wilderness.
into America’s
early history.
o travel by horse on
the Lewis and Clark
National Historic Trail
is to experience a piece
of America’s history. This
trail is really a route.
The explorers passed
over this route twice: on the way to the
Pacific and on their return home. While
portions of their route are covered by
roads, other parts do have unpaved
riding trails.
The area we selected to explore is
near Helena, Montana, where Lewis &
Clark first saw the Gates of the Rocky
Mountains. Part of that region is now
the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness.
12
The Rock Gates
In 1805, William Lewis and Meriwether
Clark traveled by canoe upstream
on the Missouri River in search of the
Rocky Mountains. They knew they had
to cross this formidable mountain chain
before winter. While rounding a bend
in the river, sheer rock walls came into
view. As the explorers approached, the
walls appeared to open, as though they
were the two sides of a gate. Behind,
loomed the mountains.
Because of the sheer rock walls,
riding at this spot isn’t possible. To see
the point where the explorers entered
the Rockies, we took a boat tour run by
Gates of the Mountains Boat Club. From
the boat, we saw the exact spot Lewis &
Clark saw 200 years ago.
At this spot on July 19, 1805, Meriwether
Lewis wrote, “This evening we
entered much the most remarkable cliffs
that we have yet seen; from the singular
appearance of this place, I called it the
Gates of the Rocky Mountains.”
Kent and Charlene Krone combine
their interest in photojournalism with a
passion for horses. They’ve sold photographs
to magazines, books, calendars,
postcards, and video producers for more
than 20 years. (For a sampling, visit
www.superstock.com, and type “Kent
and Charlene Krone” in the search box.)
They enjoy sharing their horseback
adventures in the United States and
Western Canada. Reach them at
kckrone@suddenlink.net.
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