5 'Must-Sees' on the Sakakawea Scenic Byway
Step back in time to some of the most significant destinations of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center provides an overview of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, with special emphasis on the time spent at Fort Mandan during the winter of 1804-1805. The Interpretive Center's Bergquist Gallery showcases the art of Karl Bodmer, one of only four galleries in the world to house a complete collection, rotating the prints on a seasonal basis.
The reconstructed Fort Mandan rests in the riparian forests of the Missouri River and features equipment of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. On-site interpreters provide programs and year-round tours of Lewis & Clark's 1804-1805 wintering post. The Headwaters Fort Mandan Visitor Center is a modern visitors welcome center and gift shop.
Located along seven miles of the Missouri River, Cross Ranch State Park is purposely left primitive to preserve the land's natural beauty. Hiking and cross-country skiing are two of the park's more popular activities.
Fort Clark Trading Post State Historic Site protects the archaeological remains of a large earthlodge village, cemetery and two fur trade posts (Fort Clark Trading Post and Primeau's Post) and was the scene of devastating smallpox and cholera epidemics that decimated most of the inhabitants of a Mandan and later an Arikara Indian village.
Site features a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to preserving the culture of the Hidatsa, Mandan and Arikara tribes. The park also features a full-scale reconstruction of a Hidatsa earthlodge with authentic furnishings. Within the park the remains of three Hidatsa village sites are protected, including the village where Sakakawea lived when she met Lewis and Clark.