Lolo Pass: US-12

US 12 climbs from Lolo up Lolo Creek to Lolo Pass, 5,233 feet, on the Montana-Idaho line in the Bitterroot Range. The drive runs west from Lolo, past Lolo Hot Springs, about seven miles east of the pass, to the pass itself.

The pass is on the Lewis and Clark route. The expedition crossed it in September 1805, guided by Old Toby, a Shoshone man, and the Nez Perce used the trail in the 1700s. In 1877 some Nez Perce under Chief Joseph crossed it to escape the US Army. US 12 over the pass wasn't completed until 1962. The Montana side is 32.2 miles and about 45 minutes, an easy valley start and then a steeper forest climb. A Lolo Pass visitor center and rest area lies just over the line.