Upcoming Annual Gatherings


Kansas City 2025
Gateway to the West:  Rivers and Trails

Kansas City Marriott Hotel on the Plaza

September 14–17, 2025— Register now for an extraordinary journey through history, culture, and adventure in Kansas City, Missouri. Our host venue, the Kansas City Marriott Hotel on the vibrant Country Club Plaza, offers unmatched convenience and comfort. With access to the KC Streetcar and nearby world-class attractions like the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery, Kemper Museum of Modern Art, and the National World War I Museum, the setting is perfect for this unique event.

The Kansas City Marriott Hotel sits atop a hill

Meeting Guide

Open directly at https://publuu.com/flip-book/561309/1551670/.

Excursions

An early American soldier views the Missouri River from Fort Osage

Travel back to 1808 as we visit Fort Osage, a pivotal outpost established under William Clark’s direction. Explore the reconstructed fort, view a rare circa-1800 dugout canoe from the Big Blue River, and learn about the fort’s critical role in early American history and relations with the Osage Nation.

Experience living history at Kaw Point, where the Kansas and Missouri Rivers converge. Enjoy river excursions, Dutch oven cooking, tribal crafts, fiddlers, and engaging frontier games. Hear stories of the Corps of Discovery’s time at Kaw Point in 1804, bringing history to life.

On our return we will stop by Lewis and Clark Point in Case Park. When Lewis and Clark stopped at this spot on September 15, 1806, atop a  high bluff with a sweeping view of the Missouri River Valley, they noted that the site offered a “commanding situation for a fort.”

Eugene Daub’s sculpture depicts Lewis, Clark, York, and Sacagawea holding her baby Jean Baptiste and Seaman (Lewis’s newfoundland dog)….a perfect place for the Instagram selfie!

Kansas City skyline is the backdrop at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers

Discover More

Extend your adventure by visiting nearby landmarks like the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Truman Library, the Steamboat Arabia Museum, or Science City at Union Station.

Don’t miss this celebration of history and camaraderie. Hotel reservations are now open, and general registration begins in January 2025. Visit our YouTube channel for a sneak peek, and join us for an unforgettable event!

Make your visit to the 2025 Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance Annual Gathering even more memorable by exploring some of Kansas City’s most beloved eateries. Whether you’re looking for fine dining, iconic barbecue, or hidden gems, here are a variety of suggestions to suit every taste and budget.

  • 57th Annual Gathering
  • September 14–17, 2025
  • Venue: Kansas City Marriott Hotel on the Plaza
  • Promo video at YouTube

Great Falls 2026

June 21–24, 2026

The 2026 LCTA annual gathering coincides with the Lewis and Clark Festival June 18–19 and will feature the Canoe Camp site where Clark’s detachment built additional canoes to continue up the Missouri in the summer of 1805. The land has recently been donated by Harry Mitchell.

The Great Falls area has many Lewis and Clark sites including Upper and Lower Portage Camps, the waterfalls themselves, the Charles M. Russell Museum, Giant Springs, First Peoples Buffalo Jump, Sulphur Springs, Decision Point, and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center—the home office of the LCTA and our William P. Sherman Library and Archives.