Nez Perce Guides Lead Them Over the Bitterroots

After an earlier failed attempt to cross the still-snowbound Bitterroots, the expedition hired Nez Perce guides who led them safely over the mountains in just six days — compared to the 11 agonizing days of the westbound crossing.

“We now found the advantage of having guides.”

The Nez Perce guides knew the trail intimately and could navigate even when it was buried under snow. Lewis acknowledged that without them, “we should have been bewildered in these mountains.” The contrast between the desperate westbound crossing and the efficient return highlighted the value of Indigenous geographic knowledge.