Next Hidden Montana Adventure? Clark’s Lookout State Park

In Dillon, right above the Beaverhead River you'll find Clark's Lookout State Park.

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What Is Clark's Lookout State Park?

From Visit Montana, it's an outcropping above the Beaverhead River where Captain Clark scouted what was ahead for the expedition.

The Story Of Clark's Lookout

Discover Lewis and Clark describes this leg of the journey as Clark and his men searching for Shoshones to learn about river travel on the upper Columbia River as they wanted to be ready for the winter that was fast approaching.  They were told winter river travel was out of the question.

That same day, 13 August 1805 Clark arrived at this “high Point of Limestone rocks” and strolled to its low summit

The highest point on the outcrop is 5102 feet above sea level, but only 40 feet above the flood plain here. Owing to the curvature of the Earth, the farthest a 6-foot-tall person can see on perfectly flat land is only about 3¼ miles; from 40 feet higher he can, ideally at least, see about 9 miles, and farther if there hills or mountains with tops that rise above the horizon. This, then, was a convenient place from which to take at least three different bearings, making of it a surveyor’s “station” or triangulation point. “From the top of this rock,” he wrote:

Point of the Beaver head hill bears N. 24° E 12 ms.
The Course of the Wisdom river is— N. 25° W.
The gap at the place the river passes thro’ a mountain in advance is— S. 18° W. 10 ms.”

Where Is Clark's Lookout State Park?

From Visit Montana:

1 mile north of Dillon off Highway 91, park right next to it, and walk the trail to the top. It is situated on 8.2 acres of land at 5,118 feet.

There's a $5 fee to visit the park and there is no visitor's center, camping or park staff on site.

On your way to Dillon, don't miss all the history in Butte and Anaconda.

Take a peek at this fun adventure on the Lewis and Clark Trail.