Big Hole National Battlefield
The visitor center overlooks meadows where one of the West's most tragic stories played out. In 1877 Nez Perce warriors in central Idaho killed some white settlers as retribution for earlier killings by whites. Knowing the U.S. Army would make no distinction between the guilty and the innocent, several hundred Nez Perce fled, beginning a 1,500-mile, five-month odyssey known as the Nez Perce Trail. The fugitives engaged 10 separate U.S. commands in 13 battles and skirmishes. One of the fiercest of these was at Big Hole, where both sides suffered losses. The Big Hole battlefield remains as it was when the battle unfolded; tepee poles erected by the park service mark the site of a Nez Perce village and serve as haunting reminders of what transpired here. Ranger-led programs take place daily in summer; group tours can be arranged with advance request. The park stays open for winter snowshoeing (the visitor center has a few pairs) and cross-country skiing (bring your own equipment) on a groomed trail through the battlefield's sites. The annual commemoration of the Battle of Big Hole takes place every August and includes ceremonies, traditional music, demonstrations, and cavalry exhibitions. It's one of 38 sites in four states that make up the Nez Perce National Historic Park (208/843–7001,www.nps.gov/nepe), which follows the historic Nez Perce Trail.
