Visit Looking Glass' 1877 Camp

Chief Looking Glass's camp is the location of the July 1st battle of the Nez Perce Flight of 1877. This page provides the information you need to plan your visit.

 

This historical marker about the attack on Looking Glass's Camp is located at the pullout on Highway 12.

Photo by U.S. Forest Service / Roger Peterson

Getting to Looking Glass' 1877 Camp

Looking Glass' 1877 Camp is about three miles east of Kooskia, Idaho, off of U.S. Highway 12.

Location

• Latitude/Longitude for the Highway Pullout:
  46°8'8.64"N 115°57'15.48"W or
  46.135733, -115.954300

• Latitude/Longitude for the Interpretive Trail:
  46°08'00.3"N 115°56'48.3"W or
  46.133417, -115.946750

Driving to Looking Glass' 1877 Camp

• For the Looking Glass' 1877 Camp Highway Pullout/Interpretive Sign:
  From Kooskia, ID, turn right on U.S. Highway 12 East. Continue on U.S. Highway 12 East for 0.7 miles. The Highway Pullout/Interpretive Sign will be on the right.
• For the Looking Glass' 1877 Camp Trailhead:
  At Kooskia, Idaho take either bridge exit off Highway 12 and follow posted signs to the Kooskia National Fish Hatchery. The trail is located about 1/8 mile before the fish hatchery. You can park just after the Clear Creek bridge (46.1322260, -115.9492148) or turn left on Kings Bluff Road to park on the other end of the short trail (46.133430, -115.946716).

Things to Do at Looking Glass' 1877 Camp

Explore the Site

Looking Glass' Camp is an affiliated site of the Nez Perce National Historical Park. The site of the Looking Glass camp is now occupied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Kooskia National Fish Hatchery. A hiking trail along the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River at the hatchery tells the story of the attack on Chief Looking Glass’ village. The trail is very short, roughly 0.15 miles each way. There is also a historical marker that explains the attack on Looking Glass Camp at a highway pullout on the north side of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River off U.S. Highway 12, three miles east of Kooskia, Idaho.

Nearby Amenities

• The Looking Glass' 1877 Camp Highway Pullout is located approximately 66 miles southeast of the Nez Perce National Historical Park's visitor center where further information is available.
• Heart of the Monster, another park site, is located 7.5 miles west of the highway pullout for Looking Glass' Camp.
• Interpretive signs for The Asa Smith Mission and Long Camp, two other park sites, are located at the same highway pullout 8.5 miles west of the highway pullout for Looking Glass' Camp.
• The Idaho Department of Commerce has a trip planning website that will help you locate hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, and other amenities near Looking Glass' 1877 Camp.

Nez Perce Trail Auto Tour

The Nez Perce National Historic Trail has developed auto tours with travel instructions for retracing the 1877 route of the Nez Perce along with maps, graphics, and details about the confilct at sites you can see along the way. Download Auto Tour 1 for more details about the the attack on Looking Glass' camp and other early events in the Nez Perce Flight of 1877.