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Out West: American Journey Along the Lewis and Clark Trail
Describes the author's trip through the American West--retracing Lewis and Clark's historic trail--and his encounters with the people who have adopted the myths of the West
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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January 7, 2025
Rating: 3.5
In “Out West”, Dayton Duncan travels the entire length of the trail that Lewis and Clark first blazed during their Voyage of Discovery to see how the country has been changed by the passage of time in the intervening one hundred and eighty years.
This memoir thrives when it mixes what happened to him during his trip and the people he creates connections with, Lewis and Clark history in the same spot, and the history of what happened in that spot in the intervening years. There’s a real heart to the story in many places and again, a real sense of adventure and freedom that is palpable and contagious. In that way, this book accomplished what I hoped it would, telling of the history, but also of the people who live along the trail now, including modern Native American perspectives about the legacy of Lewis and Clark.
My biggest feedback on this book comes from the fact that this is not actually the retelling of a single, linear trip. The author actually made multiple trips either fully across the trail or different excursions into certain areas. But he fuses all these separate experiences into a single narrative. What this does is create sort of almost tangential stories that go on for way too long and make one want to say, “let’s get back on the road!” During these stories, we would often hear almost the life story of each person he met, which again could get a little monotonous.
Sometimes the long passages of intervening history, such as the long history of Montana for example, could get tedious. Other times, personal anecdotes or ideas like how to choose the perfect breakfast cafe could be funny and endearing, while others just really took us out of the trip. In other words, there was often a feeling as I mentioned of, let’s keep moving forward as he was making these extended stops at places. By page 200, I couldn’t believe I was only halfway through the book. By page 300, I started speed reading. I do feel the book could have left out a good 100 pages or more and been better off for it.
With that being said, I first read Lewis and Clark’s journals last year and decided I might try and follow their trail sometime this year in a spirit very similar to Duncan’s. I found out about this book and although it is slightly dated taking place in the early 1980s, I loved the escapism I felt through its pages and also found a lot of value following along on the map and adding new places from it I want to see on my own trip. There’s great history here and a good adventure story despite the more tedious sections.
In “Out West”, Dayton Duncan travels the entire length of the trail that Lewis and Clark first blazed during their Voyage of Discovery to see how the country has been changed by the passage of time in the intervening one hundred and eighty years.
This memoir thrives when it mixes what happened to him during his trip and the people he creates connections with, Lewis and Clark history in the same spot, and the history of what happened in that spot in the intervening years. There’s a real heart to the story in many places and again, a real sense of adventure and freedom that is palpable and contagious. In that way, this book accomplished what I hoped it would, telling of the history, but also of the people who live along the trail now, including modern Native American perspectives about the legacy of Lewis and Clark.
My biggest feedback on this book comes from the fact that this is not actually the retelling of a single, linear trip. The author actually made multiple trips either fully across the trail or different excursions into certain areas. But he fuses all these separate experiences into a single narrative. What this does is create sort of almost tangential stories that go on for way too long and make one want to say, “let’s get back on the road!” During these stories, we would often hear almost the life story of each person he met, which again could get a little monotonous.
Sometimes the long passages of intervening history, such as the long history of Montana for example, could get tedious. Other times, personal anecdotes or ideas like how to choose the perfect breakfast cafe could be funny and endearing, while others just really took us out of the trip. In other words, there was often a feeling as I mentioned of, let’s keep moving forward as he was making these extended stops at places. By page 200, I couldn’t believe I was only halfway through the book. By page 300, I started speed reading. I do feel the book could have left out a good 100 pages or more and been better off for it.
With that being said, I first read Lewis and Clark’s journals last year and decided I might try and follow their trail sometime this year in a spirit very similar to Duncan’s. I found out about this book and although it is slightly dated taking place in the early 1980s, I loved the escapism I felt through its pages and also found a lot of value following along on the map and adding new places from it I want to see on my own trip. There’s great history here and a good adventure story despite the more tedious sections.
March 30, 2013
This is a difficult book to review. I enjoyed some aspects and there are passages worth committing to memory. There are also sections that drag, instances where Duncan's antidotes are simply not interesting or he is unable to communicate them a way that is worth reading. My edition is 416 pages. My evaluation is that if his editor had pared it down to 350 pages, he would have done the reading world a favor. That being said, I genuinely enjoyed more than a few portions of the book and never hit that point where I was continuing to read simply from being stubborn.
Out West is not simply a travel narrative. Duncan has done his homework and interjects some decent history as well as trivia as the reader journeys along with him. There is also good geography and cultural history included, lending it be used in an academic setting. In fact, I was introduced to Duncan - Middle of Nowhere - in grad school.
Where I find he fails most often is in his accounts of discussions/experiences with locals he meets on his way west. While I cannot fault the attempt to bring some human element/personality to his sense of place writing, it nearly always flops. It is simply not his gift.
I would neither encourage nor discourage anyone from reading Out West. If one finds the books synopsis interesting, they will enjoy the book. If the dust jacket doesn't intrigue, don't force it. Never force it, now that I come to think of it.
September 17, 2018
I chose Out West as the accompaniment to our own 32-day westward camping trip to 13 national park sites and 10 states, and it fulfilled that role perfectly! Fans of William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways and Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage will definitely enjoy this road-trip saga, which 35-year old Duncan undertook in 1987 in a beat-up VW minivan that he christened "The Discovery." His agenda was to follow, as much as possible and according to his own "Road Rules," the journey of Lewis and Clark, comparing and contrasting the changes in the American landscape from their time to his. The Lewis and Clark sections are succinct and relevant: this is not an academic treatise on the Corps of Discovery. Instead, Duncan reflects on the immense cultural, economic, and social changes in the 200-year time lapse, and also his encounters with the diverse assortment of mid- and western Americans he meets on the road, through the prism of exploration. His writing style is lyrical and mystical with an earthy dose of self-deprecating humor and wonder. I highly recommend this book to all armchair and/or fellow travelers.
November 14, 2021
I became interested in this after reading Stephen Ambrose's excellent Undaunted Courage and seeing Duncan in Ken Burns' Lewis & Clark film (aired in 1997). It's been on my to-read list for years and I got it for Christmas this past year. In the documentary, Duncan is powerfully moved describing Meriwether Lewis' apparent suicide, a man he'd obviously never met and only knew through his journals. I wanted to hear more of this passionate understanding and perception of one of history's great adventures and I was excited to get into it. Unfortunately, that passion is sadly lacking from the book. More than anything else, I found it remarkably boring; it actually took me 2.5 months to slog through and every page felt like a forced march up a muddy hill in a driving rain. I'm not sure if the stories that he chose to tell weren't picked well or if so little interesting happened on his trip. I think it could have benefited from an editor willing to make it shorter, given the dearth of interesting material. I also found it to be very outdated. He took his trip in 1985 and it was jarring to note how much has changed since (internet, smart phones, GPS, to name just three important technological advances that would make this a completely different trip). The 1980s attitudes also come through with the discussion of environmental conservation vs. farm rights, the Cold War, and even something as simple as how commonplace smoking was then. There are some glimpses of narrative eloquence describing the scenery, but most of the stories of encounters with people along the trail left me wondering why he told them. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to a search for a case of Canadian Club whiskey that was apparently hidden as a part of some advertising campaign in the 1970s. It’s almost sad to think of this passing for a sort of quest to the writer. I considered abandoning it, but my completionist nature wouldn't let me. It was a pretty big disappointment and I'm glad it's over. I can't recommend this to anyone and don't think I'll ever read anything else by Dayton Duncan again.
I was speaking wit a co-worker recently and realized that there were some interesting facts about Montana (at least the Montana of 30+ years ago) I learned from this, and I wanted to note them here in the spirit of what I want to take away from the book. It took Lewis and Clark four months to traverse Montana and they didn’t meet another person not in their company across the entire distance. Montana engulfs the entire breadth of the mountain time zone. Newspapers of the time carried nine different forecasts to account for the varied weather systems in the state. The state government in the mid-eighties maintained over 13,000 miles of roads while the counties maintained untold dirt and gravel roads in addition to those. Before 1974, the legal speed limit in Montana was, “careful and prudent,” since it was too big to put a number on…by the mid-eighties anything over 55 only yielded a five-dollar fine and nothing against one’s driving record. One local said that you just can’t get around Montana at 55 miles per hour. The main stem of the Missouri (not counting headwater tributaries) travels 733 miles within the state’s borders. Duncan points out that this is the same distance as Baltimore, MD to Savannah, GA; or from Savannah to the Texas-Louisiana border; or from that border to Chicago; or from Chicago back to Baltimore. Montana has fifty-six counties, but only eight had a population greater than 20,000 in the mid-eighties with fourteen having fewer than 3,000. He said that an area larger than New Jersey was devoted solely to wheat fields, cattle outnumber people 12:1, and the average ranch/farm size was 2,588 acres. “Perhaps the best way to consider Montana’s size and population is this: imagine all six New England states join with New York state and three quarters of Pennsylvania to form the boundaries of a single state. Everyone except those living in Hartford, CT is told to get out by sunset. The next morning, the people of Hartford are told to disperse and inhabit the new state. That’s Montana."
I was speaking wit a co-worker recently and realized that there were some interesting facts about Montana (at least the Montana of 30+ years ago) I learned from this, and I wanted to note them here in the spirit of what I want to take away from the book. It took Lewis and Clark four months to traverse Montana and they didn’t meet another person not in their company across the entire distance. Montana engulfs the entire breadth of the mountain time zone. Newspapers of the time carried nine different forecasts to account for the varied weather systems in the state. The state government in the mid-eighties maintained over 13,000 miles of roads while the counties maintained untold dirt and gravel roads in addition to those. Before 1974, the legal speed limit in Montana was, “careful and prudent,” since it was too big to put a number on…by the mid-eighties anything over 55 only yielded a five-dollar fine and nothing against one’s driving record. One local said that you just can’t get around Montana at 55 miles per hour. The main stem of the Missouri (not counting headwater tributaries) travels 733 miles within the state’s borders. Duncan points out that this is the same distance as Baltimore, MD to Savannah, GA; or from Savannah to the Texas-Louisiana border; or from that border to Chicago; or from Chicago back to Baltimore. Montana has fifty-six counties, but only eight had a population greater than 20,000 in the mid-eighties with fourteen having fewer than 3,000. He said that an area larger than New Jersey was devoted solely to wheat fields, cattle outnumber people 12:1, and the average ranch/farm size was 2,588 acres. “Perhaps the best way to consider Montana’s size and population is this: imagine all six New England states join with New York state and three quarters of Pennsylvania to form the boundaries of a single state. Everyone except those living in Hartford, CT is told to get out by sunset. The next morning, the people of Hartford are told to disperse and inhabit the new state. That’s Montana."
November 19, 2013
Double history bonus from a book that has been sitting on my shelves for much too long. In 1985, the author borrows a trailer and sets off to retrace Lewis & Clark's expedition. Good history lessons and a terrific portrait of the country in the mid-1980s. Best vignette, going on a canoe trip in Montana with a number of Lewis & Clark buffs, including a history professor from New Orleans, "Steve" Ambrose.
May 26, 2016
Interesting look at changes and not so many changes from Lewis and clark.
Go travel guide if one is travelling the route of the "Corps of Discovery."
Go travel guide if one is travelling the route of the "Corps of Discovery."
December 12, 2025
One of the most pleasurable books I’ve read in a long time. Duncan tackles the topic of retracing the Lewis and Clark expedition from the perspective of 50% reporter and 50% sociologist, with a smidgen of historian peppered in.
By embedding himself in small towns most would only pay attention to if they needed a top-off in their gas tank or a quick bite to eat, he unearths stories that illustrate the fragile patchwork of rural American society.
Is the book dated? Probably a little bit. Have the social issues changed in the towns he visited along his path? Perhaps. But many of the issues he touches on are still absolutely relevant.
What I love most about this book is that he tackles a road trip from the same perspective as I do. If you’re going to take the time and money to skip a plane and opt for a long drive, you will gain a much better understanding of the nation you live in if you stop, meet people, ask questions, listen to stories. He did this, and he chronicled it for us to absorb. Bravo, Mr. Duncan.
By embedding himself in small towns most would only pay attention to if they needed a top-off in their gas tank or a quick bite to eat, he unearths stories that illustrate the fragile patchwork of rural American society.
Is the book dated? Probably a little bit. Have the social issues changed in the towns he visited along his path? Perhaps. But many of the issues he touches on are still absolutely relevant.
What I love most about this book is that he tackles a road trip from the same perspective as I do. If you’re going to take the time and money to skip a plane and opt for a long drive, you will gain a much better understanding of the nation you live in if you stop, meet people, ask questions, listen to stories. He did this, and he chronicled it for us to absorb. Bravo, Mr. Duncan.
October 13, 2020
Another vacation read that I found hard to put down. My wife surprised me with the book after I put it on my Amazon wishlist. I happened to be watching the author's buddy Ken Burns' documentary at the time.
Even though the book was written a while ago most of the experiences and observations the author experiences still rings true (and even more so) today. While reading the book I used Google Maps/Earth to pin the locations he stopped at to track his journey. This turned out to be a fun side activity as I tried to hunt down the places he visited in the 80s. It was fascinating (well, at least to me) to see which towns and restaurants survived and which fell to the creep of the western migration that the author alludes to. I don't recommend this book if you don't have any interest in Lewis and Clark, exploration, or the Wild West. This isn't a culinary travelogue or a travel guide in the traditional sense, but the author does share some rules of the road he adheres to.
Even though the book was written a while ago most of the experiences and observations the author experiences still rings true (and even more so) today. While reading the book I used Google Maps/Earth to pin the locations he stopped at to track his journey. This turned out to be a fun side activity as I tried to hunt down the places he visited in the 80s. It was fascinating (well, at least to me) to see which towns and restaurants survived and which fell to the creep of the western migration that the author alludes to. I don't recommend this book if you don't have any interest in Lewis and Clark, exploration, or the Wild West. This isn't a culinary travelogue or a travel guide in the traditional sense, but the author does share some rules of the road he adheres to.
August 31, 2025
The author is coming to town, and I decided I need to read this book which has been on my TBR shelves for several years! I had no idea I'd love this book so much!
To say it is informative does not do this book justice. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, and his words often made me feel good. He tells stories from the Lewis & Clark journals. He tells stories of the people he meets as he retraces the L&C trail, he shares his "Rules of the Road" and the lessons he learns. He is introspective, personal, and genuine. It doesn't matter that his journeys occurred four decades ago; he added an "Afterword" more than two decades ago; yet many of his observations hold true today, or at least from my own observation within the last few years.
If you have any interest in Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery, this book is for you, as is Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage", and you will discover an unexpected link between the two books in reading this one.
To say it is informative does not do this book justice. I laughed, I cried, I was angry, and his words often made me feel good. He tells stories from the Lewis & Clark journals. He tells stories of the people he meets as he retraces the L&C trail, he shares his "Rules of the Road" and the lessons he learns. He is introspective, personal, and genuine. It doesn't matter that his journeys occurred four decades ago; he added an "Afterword" more than two decades ago; yet many of his observations hold true today, or at least from my own observation within the last few years.
If you have any interest in Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery, this book is for you, as is Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage", and you will discover an unexpected link between the two books in reading this one.
May 26, 2018
what a FANTASTIC book. i picked this up on a random reddit recommendation and couldn't have been happier i did. written in the mid-80s, so much of duncan's insights are still so relevant. with his road rules (never turn back. don't stop to ask for directions.) and his stories of his traveling the same route of lewis and clark but in less time and better accommodations, this is such a pleasant read for anyone interested in the west, the lewis and clark expedition, or anyone who has an itch to travel. this book is dense but worth reading every word.
January 11, 2017
This book absolutely changed my life, and then I followed Dayton, literally meeting him in Bismarck, North Dakota along the trail during the 200th Anniversary.
He's a great storyteller and brought the people in these wonderful places to life.
Be sure to read "Miles From Nowhere" as well, it's another treasure.
He's a great storyteller and brought the people in these wonderful places to life.
Be sure to read "Miles From Nowhere" as well, it's another treasure.
February 17, 2018
Dated now, but a fabulous read about a journey through the US following the path of Lewis and Clark. Inspiring journey meeting people who work hard, love their country and are welcoming. It’s a positive look at what Americans can be.
November 26, 2019
I found the book to be boring; much more of one man's experiences on the 'Lewis and Clark Trail' in this modern world, with some historical comparisons thrown in to make the author worthy. I would recommend it to no one.
September 26, 2018
Awesoome read of their journey as he emabrks on the same journey. loved some of the humor. loved some of the history as well. sometimes it dragged but all in all. a good read.
October 9, 2019
i think dayton duncan read some john mcphee and tried his best to channel him, but the writing is stilted, corny and obvious bs in many spots.
May 5, 2016
I bought this book for $1 because it promised to give me some insight into a fantasy of mine - to re-create a road trip that would mirror the original trip of the The Corp of Discovery. Dayton Duncan's book is about his attempt in 1983 and 1985 to re-create this historic trip on his own.
The book turns out to be several stories - The story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, the story of Duncan's trips ( merged into one narrative ), the discovery of numerous small towns along the way, the way that the landscape & the Missouri and Columbia rivers have changed dramatically since the expedition and significant historical insights and stories about the area's traveled through since the Corp completed their trip in 1806.
For me it was fascinating. Even though much of what Duncan discovers has changed since he is writing 30 years ago I liked his folksy comments and his search for small town America in this book. Many of his "road rules" make sense to me and are similar to my own road rules which currently only reside in my head ( since my road trip is still in my future).
There is a community of Lewis & Clark fanatics out there. I'm on the fringe but certainly have the bug. I learned about a couple of L&C tours that I plan on utilizing on a future vacation and I admire Duncan for his follow thru on his passion.
My L&C passion started with reading Steven Ambrose's wonderful book "Undaunted Courage" written in 1996. In the preface of that book I remember reading a passage from Ambrose about how he had taken his family and set of friends ( all L&C fanatics ) on hikes on the Lolo Trail and over the camp fire read the L&C journals to the group. Duncan runs into Ambrose and friends at the White Cliffs on his trip and shares a 3 day canoe ride and camping trip him. During that trip he discovers that Ambrose has been a L&C buff since 1975, that he had re-created the entire expedition route 3 times, hiked the Lolo trail, celebrated the 4th of July in 1976 at Lemhi Pass & even slept in a pick up truck next to Lewis' grave once. Ambrose is " more than hooked" on the L&C history and this meeting pre-dates Ambrose's book by more than 10 years.
Ambrose's book is what got me "hooked" on the Corp of Discovery and the amazing journey they took.
What Duncan adds to my love of the Lewis & Clark expedition is the understanding that they didn't find what they were looking for ( The Northwest Passage) but were richer because of the entire experience.
As Duncan writes: "The final value of any expedition is not what you failed to discover but what you found in it's place, the important thing is not so much the dream you pursued but the fact that you pursued it." Good advice for me to remember when I do take my Lewis & Clark road trip.
The book turns out to be several stories - The story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, the story of Duncan's trips ( merged into one narrative ), the discovery of numerous small towns along the way, the way that the landscape & the Missouri and Columbia rivers have changed dramatically since the expedition and significant historical insights and stories about the area's traveled through since the Corp completed their trip in 1806.
For me it was fascinating. Even though much of what Duncan discovers has changed since he is writing 30 years ago I liked his folksy comments and his search for small town America in this book. Many of his "road rules" make sense to me and are similar to my own road rules which currently only reside in my head ( since my road trip is still in my future).
There is a community of Lewis & Clark fanatics out there. I'm on the fringe but certainly have the bug. I learned about a couple of L&C tours that I plan on utilizing on a future vacation and I admire Duncan for his follow thru on his passion.
My L&C passion started with reading Steven Ambrose's wonderful book "Undaunted Courage" written in 1996. In the preface of that book I remember reading a passage from Ambrose about how he had taken his family and set of friends ( all L&C fanatics ) on hikes on the Lolo Trail and over the camp fire read the L&C journals to the group. Duncan runs into Ambrose and friends at the White Cliffs on his trip and shares a 3 day canoe ride and camping trip him. During that trip he discovers that Ambrose has been a L&C buff since 1975, that he had re-created the entire expedition route 3 times, hiked the Lolo trail, celebrated the 4th of July in 1976 at Lemhi Pass & even slept in a pick up truck next to Lewis' grave once. Ambrose is " more than hooked" on the L&C history and this meeting pre-dates Ambrose's book by more than 10 years.
Ambrose's book is what got me "hooked" on the Corp of Discovery and the amazing journey they took.
What Duncan adds to my love of the Lewis & Clark expedition is the understanding that they didn't find what they were looking for ( The Northwest Passage) but were richer because of the entire experience.
As Duncan writes: "The final value of any expedition is not what you failed to discover but what you found in it's place, the important thing is not so much the dream you pursued but the fact that you pursued it." Good advice for me to remember when I do take my Lewis & Clark road trip.
December 1, 2015
Dayton Duncan may not be a household name like Ken Burns (at least to fans of PBS), but he has cowritten/produced several projects with Burns including the Lewis and Clark series. The first book of his I read was Miles from Nowhere which was a good introduction to rural and sparsely populated Montana. I even used some of the data he had collected as examples when I taught how to find Census information. I somehow missed Out West but recently came across an old copy. In 1985 Duncan set out to retrace the expedition of Lewis and Clark. It is full of wonderful observations about their journey, the American west, and his travel experiences. It is worth reading for his Road Rules, which I heartily endorse. And I agree completely with him that the White Cliffs of the Missouri and the Locsha/Selway route remain still much as the Corps found them. Am so glad this trip fanned Duncan's interest in the Corps of Discovery and led to the PBS series.
December 11, 2025
Great book on contemporary Western romanticization. I finished the book and immediately wanted to start traveling west, following the Lewis and Clark journey like Dayton Duncan. His focus on interacting with locals in small towns is inspirational and compelling. However, some of his later implementations of excerpts from the Lewis and Clark Journals are uninteresting and led to me counting pages until the chapter was done. Great book, with some minor faults.
January 2, 2022
I love this book. The author follows Lewis and Clark's journey in contemporary America (though it was in the 1980's). He stops along the way in small towns and sees the natural sights, all while filling you in on Lewis and Clark's progress. This book convinced me I wanted to go west, and I did!
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Reread and still love it just as much!
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Reread and still love it just as much!
August 3, 2008
An incredibly enjoyable book! Duncan retraces the steps of the Lewis and Clark expedition. He visits lots of small communities and talks to various people as he recounts the movement of the exploring party. I learned a lot about the expedition that I didn't know before.
April 21, 2009
A blend of travel and history. The author follows the trail of Lewis and Clark from beginning to end. He visits the places and people now to show how much has changed since then and how much has stayed the same.
July 26, 2016
I enjoyed this book immensely. Paired it with a fishing trip in Montana. I have to admit I was sad when i finished it because I wanted it to keep going.The chapter on spending the night in an Indian lodge is hilarious.
January 24, 2010
I re-read this one every 5 years or so, after John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and Blue Highways by William Least-Heat Moon.
August 14, 2011
Enjoyed this combination of road book and Lewis and Clark history very much. A little dated, having been written in the 1980's but also interesting to note the approach to a road trip, pre-GPS.
March 6, 2013
I like Dayton Duncan but the book was a little slow at times and now, very out of date.
June 1, 2013
If you are into Lewis and Clark and a their grand adventure, you will like this travel book, which follows much of their journey. Nice side stories.
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December 19, 2024Jan 1, 1987
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