Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail

In 1877, the Nez Perce people were forced to flee from their homelands near Lake Wallowa, Oregon as they were pursued by U.S. Army Generals Howard, Sturgis, and Miles. Chief Joseph, Chief Looking Glass, Chief White Bird, Chief Ollokot, Chief Lean Elk, and others led nearly 750 Nez Perce men, women, and children and twice that many horses over 1,170 miles through the mountains, on a trip that lasted from June to October of 1877 on what is now the Nez Perce (Nimíipuu or Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail.

Western Terminus: Wallowa Lake, Oregon

Eastern Terminus: Bear Paw Battlefield near Chinook, Montana

The Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trail begins in the ancestral homelands of the Nez Perce people in the Wallowa Valley of Oregon, travels through modern day Idaho, into Yellowstone National Park in the northwest corner of Wyoming, then northward through Montana toward the Canadian border.

This land is an important source of spiritual strength for many people, including the Nez Perce. Its natural and historic sites should be left undisturbed by all who visit.