"From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
Chief Joseph, & the Flight of the Nez Percé
plus a one-day tour of the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Tour Dates: August 22 to September 1, 2026, with historian Neil Mangum
We'll follow the Nez Percé National Historic Trail from Spokane, Washington to Great Falls, Montana, through some of the most beautiful landscapes of the American West, including their route through Yellowstone Park
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Itinerary (subject to change)
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Check in to the Ramada Inn, Spokane Airport 8909 West Airport Drive, Spokane, WA 99224 (included in your registration). At 7:00 p.m. we’ll gather in the hotel courtyard for some pizza & beverages, while Neil Mangum gives the group an orientation, and sets the stage for our upcoming adventure.
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Initial stops on this day will include the rarely-visited monuments for the battles of Spokane Plains, and Four Lakes (from the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858, the second phase of the Yakima War), the Qualchan Hanging Site on Latah Creek, Treaty Site, and the Steptoe Battlefield. Afternoon stops: Nez Percé National Historical Park, and Fort Lapwai. Overnight: Hampton Inn in Lewiston, Idaho.
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Stops include: the Battle of Cottonwood (Nez Percé National Historical Park), the Rains (Raines) Massacre, Foster Grave, Brave 17 marker, Nez Percé camp at Tolo Lake, the Battle of White Bird Canyon, Clearwater Battlefield. Overnight at the Helgeson Place Hotel & Suites, in Orofino, Idaho.
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Stops include Nez Percé at Weippe Prairie, Nez Percé Origin—Coyote vs. Monster, the Attack on Looking Glass Camp, Kooskia, Lolo Pass and Packer Meadow, and Fort Fizzle. Overnight accommodations at the Days Inn by Wyndham in Lolo, Montana. Image: Chief Looking Glass, Nez Percé. 1871. Albumen silver print. Photo by William Henry Jackson. Denver Art Museum.
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On this day we'll travel up the Bitterroot Valley, Stevensville, Corvallis, Ross Hole, Big Hole Battlefield [battlefield tour and Visitor Center exhibits, Bannack State Park [ghost town]. Overnight accommodations at the Super 8 by Wyndham in Dillon, Montana. Image: Big Hole Battlefield |
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First stop, grave of Samuel Glass, frontier soldier, then we’re off to the Camas Meadows Battlefield, Henry's Lake, Nez Percé on the Madison River. Overnight lodging at the Grant Village Lodge, Yellowstone National Park. Image: Camas Meadows battlefield.
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On this day is dedicated to touring Yellowstone Park, with stops at the Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower-Roosevelt and other sites as time allows. We’ll enjoy box lunch picnic inside the National Park. Overnight accommodations at the Moose Creek Lodge in Cody, Wyoming. Walk across the street to the saloon in Buffalo Bill’s historic Irma Hotel. Or make plans to attend the Cody Nite Rodeo (one of the last of the season).
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First stop, Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. The Center houses five tremendous museums in a single facility. A new exhibition--Buffalo Nation: America at 250—will open in time for our visit. Late afternoon we’ll visit the Canyon Creek Battlefield. Overnight at the Homestead Inn & Suites, in Hardin, Montana.
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We’ll tour Little Bighorn Battlefield: Reno's approach and Valley Fight, and hopefully all stops on the battlefield proper. (Note: we do not yet know whether the new visitor center will be completed by then.) Lunch at the Custer Battlefield Trading Post & Cafe (Indian tacos! including in your registration); depart battlefield at 2:00 p.m. Overnight accommodations at the Super 8 by Wyndham in Lewistown, Montana.
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Reed and Bowles Trading Post in Lewistown. Cow Creek Crossing of the Missouri River, Blaine County Museum, Bear Paw Battlefield, Fort Benton. Great Falls. Montana accommodations at The Gibson Hotel .
ALERT: Estimated arrival time in Great Falls is 6:00 p.m. at the latest. People wanting to fly out of Great Falls that evening should probably not plan departures before 8:00 p.m. |
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Passengers have the option of flying out of Great Falls International Airport, or riding the tour van directly back to Spokane (approximately a 6-hour drive). We will stop for lunch in Missoula at noon (another airport opportunity).
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Left: Our wheels for an epic summer road trip. We'll be traveling in comfort in a mid-size coach, featuring “lay-back” seats, USB ports, arm & foot rests, overhead storage compartments, and an on-board restroom. Seating on the bus is limited to 35 people. Right, Neil Mangum on our last visit to the Bear Paw Battlefield
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About our Guide
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Neil Mangum is one of the nation’s preeminent authorities on the American West, and a highly sought-after guide to the Indian Wars. His decades-long career with the National Park Service included serving as historian, and later, superintendent at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana, and Chiricahua National Monument & Fort Bowie Historic Site in Arizona. Neil was also the Regional Historian at the NPS’s Southwest Regional Office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is the author of the first, in-depth study of the Battle of the Rosebud, and has been leading tours of the Indian Wars for many years. [Photo: Neil during a Little Bighorn Battlefield tour, discussing petroglyphs at Deer Medicine Rocks.]
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Registration
$4,960 single occupancy • $3,823 double occupancy
CLICK the "deposit" button above to reserve your seat on our luxury motor coach. Balance due by March 1, 2026. Deposits and registrations are fully refundable until 45 days before the tour (July 1, 2026). Or, purchase your full registration using the single or double occupancy buttons. [Single occupancy = 1 person per room; double occupancy = 2 people per room]
Seating on the bus is limited to 35 people. Ride in comfort with lay-back seats, USB ports, arm & foot rests, overhead storage compartments, and an on-board restroom.
Seating on the bus is limited to 35 people. Ride in comfort with lay-back seats, USB ports, arm & foot rests, overhead storage compartments, and an on-board restroom.
BY MAIL: send your deposit, or your full registration (check or money order), to Woodbury Historical Tours, PO Box 60085, Palo Alto, CA 94306. Deposits and registrations are fully refundable until 45 days before the start of the tour.
Included in your registration: 11 nights lodging in clean, comfortable hotels (including one night in the Grant Village Lodge in Yellowstone National Park), opening night pizza/beer/wine reception, and a seat on our luxury motor coach. Also included: map packet and study material, entrance fees to all museums or other pay sites, professional coordination and assistance by your on-board tour host, and personal engagement with our expert guide throughout the trip. Snacks and bottled water will be provided on the motor coach. Most breakfasts will be provided by the hotels, lunches and dinner are "on your own," except for Indian Tacos at the Custer Battlefield Trading Post and Cafe (that lunch is included).
The tour operator will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Nez Perce Tribe Cultural Resource Program.
Get started on your Nez Perce Reading List
This (1994) video takes you on the 1,170-mile journey taken by the Nez Perce tribe in 1877. Pursued by the United States Army, 750 Nez Perce men, women, and children made a heroic yet futile flight seeking freedom and peace far from their homeland. The program highlights the need to preserve and interpret this landscape of history. [U.S. Forest Service]
Above: overlook along the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway
