Lewiston Washington to Missoula

Glad you enjoyed Wilderness Gateway, that site was first laid out in 1964 and went under construction later that year or in 1965, forget which. The CG soon became popular with hunters and folks driving along the newly paved highway which was completed in 1964; that whole Lochsa country brings back many fond memories of my early USFS career. The original name of the site was Boulder Flats, but the gateway name fit the location better.

just as an update... indeed, this is a perfect traveling road. Perfect. The reason why we do these things. as to the Forest Service campgrounds, THANKS for the suggestion that we check in at the Lolo Pass FS Office. Turns out, that while the FS Camps were indeed closed, some of them are ungated. I asked the difference between Open and Ungated and was told that there is no way to gate some of the CG's so they remain available on a FCFS basis with no fee. We stayed at Wilderness Gateway and were alone mid week but were joined by a TON of kayakers over the weekend taking on the fast flowing Lochsa River. Share, and share alike... Thanks for the posts on this older thread.

This is a beautiful road. No problem for your rig. I stayed at Long Camp RV park just east of Kamiah a couple years ago. Very nice place. Site backed up to the Clearwater river. Would definitely stay there again.

Thanks for the great suggestions! We certainly will try to take our time through the canyon!

There are some pretty wide pullouts along US 12, especially in the stretch from Powell west to where the Lochsa River joins the Selway River. You should have no trouble parking in them, some are a long distance (30-50 ft+) away from the road, and traffic is pretty light so there's not much noise to keep you awake. Maybe check with the folks at the USFS Visitor Center on top of Lolo Pass, if it's open when you drive through. Yes you can make it from Missoula to Lewiston in one day, but the drive is so beautiful and interesting it would be a shame to get in a hurry and try to make it in one day. Watch for small rocks on the roadway from rocks rolling down the hill on the inside shoulder, especially if it's been raining. The highway maintenance guys do a real good job keeping the roadway clear at all times but sometimes a small rock or two rolls down after they make their road patrol sweeps. As I noted before stop at the DeVoto Memorial Cedar Grove as you head west, hope you can stay at the state park at Hells Canyon Gateway in Lewiston too, a real nice place.

Last year, I used a pullout and had no problem. Next morning went 2 miles and there was an open campground. :? All the rest were closed, so you might want to call for updated information.

The pull outs really aren't much, just a wide spot in the road really and not all that long. Try calling the state police and see if its OK. Its very do-able to go from Missoula to Lewiston in a day so depending when you start out you may not need to try to stay on the side of the road. Also, look over the route using Google maps and see if there is some primitive campground to use.

Hi Folks! I am doing this route in reverse, from Missoula down later this week! (Week of May 9, 2016). Sadly, it looks like all the campgrounds along the way don't open until May 21... I can dry camp a night or two with ease and I seem to remember a post here a while back that these pull outs might be legit for an overnighter. Any thoughts on this?

Looking at the map distances and time, it's not a big deal whether you take US12 or I90/US95.

Stop at the Lolo welcome center if its open when you get there. I came from Missoula to Lewiston and recall it being down hill mostly so you will have pretty much up hill all the way until you get over Lolo pass. Its a gradual climb so your truck will do just fine. Beautiful road so take advantage of the pull-outs and take in the scenery. Of course, Lewiston and Clarkston are named after Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.