America's great epic of exploration — the journey of Lewis and Clark — was also one of the most successful scientific expeditions in history. In notebooks filled with vivid and remarkably accurate descriptions of rivers, prairies, forests, mountains, Native Americans, and wildlife, Lewis and Clark gave the world an image of wild country that has rarely been equaled. This book, which features more than one hundred photographs and maps, traces the footsteps of the two explorers as they journeyed from St. Louis, through the breathtaking vistas of the tall-grass prairie and Big Sky country, over t ... More

America's great epic of exploration — the journey of Lewis and Clark — was also one of the most successful scientific expeditions in history. In notebooks filled with vivid and remarkably accurate descriptions of rivers, prairies, forests, mountains, Native Americans, and wildlife, Lewis and Clark gave the world an image of wild country that has rarely been equaled. This book, which features more than one hundred photographs and maps, traces the footsteps of the two explorers as they journeyed from St. Louis, through the breathtaking vistas of the tall-grass prairie and Big Sky country, over the arduous Bitterroot Mountains on the ancient Lolo Trail, to arrive finally at the Pacific coast and its the rugged, rainy, and darkly wooded landscape. As we travel westward, the book introduces us to the natural wonders recorded by Lewis and Clark — still fresh portraits of a pristine land — and recounts their many dangerous, challenging, and sometimes strange adventures. The book describes the same sites today, providing unique insights about America's changes to the land. For instance, the book recounts Lewis and Clark's travels through the great tall-grass prairie, vast plains that stretched to the horizon in every direction, stunningly beautiful land that with the eye of a concerned ecologist, has virtually disappeared today beneath the steel plow.