Reviews

I second all the comments made so far about this tour. Starting in Great Falls, MT, was a perfect beginning. We got to experience the plains, the Missouri above the falls, the Rockies, the valleys in between, the arid plateaus of Washington and Oregon, the temperate rainforests of the Cascades, and the broad Columbia river emptying into the Pacific. Dams and other modernizations may have changed the landscape somewhat, but we still were able to get a good feel for what Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals. Our historian, Dr. Don Snow, was tireless in telling us the complicated story of the expedition, and the tour director, Nick Scramuzza, shepherded us through all the tour logistics with aplomb and humor. This is a unique tour and fulfilled a dream of mine to see what Lewis and Clark saw.

The tour, which carried our tour group through some of the most scenic terrain in the Great Northwest, was much more than a sightseeing trip over the terrain where the Corps of Discovery passed. Don Snow, our tour guide, covered countless details regarding “the world’s greatest camping trip”, including information about the numerous Native American tribes they encountered. For the first time, I gained an appreciation of how very different the tribes were and how Meriwether Lewis managed to communicate with them – with the invaluable help of Sacajawea and Charbonneau.
The hotels we stayed in varied in quality The Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla was at least a four star, and the meals in Helena were particularly outstanding, but all the hotels were satisfactory for sometimes-tired travelers. Nick, the tour manager, is truly a man with HEART. He looked after every person in the group with energy and genuine caring.
Because of delays caused by COVID and forest fires, my wife and I waited three years for this tour. It was well worth waiting for.

Marvelous. Terrific combination of history and nature and cultural background. Our historian was full of information and every day had a mix of hiking, viewing artwork, enjoying great food, on and on. Our tour director had a great sense of humor and provided his own lively stories too.

If you’re even moderately active, definitely take the optional 3 day canoeing and camping extension. You see the river from the river. The tents and food are great.

This was our first Stephen Ambrose tour and it won’t be the last.