Lolo Motorway, Idaho

These Black and Tan Coonhounds were so excited.  They were on their way to go bear hunting.

Wilderness Gateway

Dave and Fred cooling off in the Lochsa River

Just hanging out with Dene, Fred and Bill

This is Prudence AKA Pru

A Journey to the Past
Built in the 1930's, the Lolo Motorway is 119 miles long between Kamiah in the west and Powell in the east. It follows the traditional route of the Nez Perce more closely than Highway 12.  Although narrow, rocky and slow-going, the route built with help from the Civilian Conservation Corps provided access into the mountains.  The route the motorway follows once bore the footprints of early Indians. The Nez Perce people called the route “K’useyneisskit,” the buffalo trail. For them the trail was a land bridge between the Columbia River Basin and the Northern Plains.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition struggled along these same ridges, on their journey west
in 1805, and on their return trip in 1806.
In the 1860s the Bird-Truax route was surveyed and constructed along the ridge line to
accommodate traffic to the gold fields of present-day northern Idaho.
In 1877 the non-treaty Nimiipuu followed the route in their flight from General Oliver
Howard and his Army troops.

Devil's Chair

Howard Camp

Indian Post Office is a sacred place to honored and respected.

Lunch spot

Cayuse Creek

Fire off in the distance

Looking for the marked grave

Picking wild blueberries

Smoking Place


Green Sword Camp

The Lolo Motorway, Forest Road 500, winds along ridges above the Lochsa River. Don't let the term

"motorway" fool you. It’s an old-fashioned term from the early days of automobile travel when people didn’t take drives; they “motored.”  You will find no gas stations, stores, developed water sources or other services along this high elevation, dirt road. You will find 100 miles of breathtaking scenery, set in a sea of mountains.

Gass Creek

At the end of the day within 4 miles of reaching the highway there was a road closed sign.  None of us wanted to turn back and take a longer alternate road so we decided to check it out and see if it was Jeep closed.

Turns out if wasn't Jeep closed

There's the highway and the river below.

 Located on the Lochsa River, the Lochsa Historical Ranger Station was built during 1927 to 1933. It served as administrative headquarters for the Lochsa Ranger District until 1957. It was once isolated, accessible only by trail, but by 1976 the Lewis and Clark Highway (U.S. Highway 12) passed by.