Lewiston (Idaho)

city in and county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States

Lewiston is the county seat of and largest city in Nez Perce County, Idaho. It is the second largest city in the Idaho Panhandle region behind Coeur d'Alene. It sits across the river from Clarkston, Washington. In 2020, Lewiston was hone to 34,000 people. Like Pocatello, Lewiston has a strong working-class heritage. Industries related to timber and logging pursuits have long been key to the city's economy. Because the Columbia and later the Snake River are navigable by some ocean-going vessels all the way to Lewiston, the city has the distinction of being Idaho's only port city, and the furthest inland port in the western United States.

Understand

Founded shortly after gold was discovered in the nearby Clearwater River in 1860, Lewiston played an important role in the state's early history. The city became the capital of the newly-created Idaho Territory in 1863, but lost the distinction to Boise shortly thereafter in what proved to be an enormously unpopular decision in northern Idaho. To this day it is not unusual to hear locals lament losing the capital to Boise.

It's easy for visitors to confuse Lewiston's two main rivers. The Clearwater River is on the north side, and runs straight into the Snake River. However, the Snake on the city's west side makes a left turn at this point, going into neighboring Clarkston, Washington.

Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of both Nez Perce County in Idaho and Asotin County in Washington.

Get in

By plane

🌍 Lewiston Nez Perce County Airport (LWS ) (on 5th St and Burrell Ave. 3.5 mi (5.6 km) south of town; go south on 8th St and Bryden Canyon Rd to get to the airport from downtown). Skywest operates daily flights to Salt Lake City as Delta Connection and to Denver as United Express. Car rental is also available. 

The next nearest airports served by more airlines, including Alaska Airlines, Southwest and United Airlines, at more competitive fares are in Boise BOI (273 mi (439 km) south) and Spokane Geiger Field GEG (109 mi (175 km) north).

By car

By car Lewiston is accessible by a series of US and state highways which becomes local streets. WA-Hwy 193/128 bypasses north of town, north of the river on a two-lane highway.

  • Comes in from Walla Walla, WA 101 mi (163 km) in the west and Missoula, MT 219 mi (352 km) in the east through the Nez Perce National Forest. Goes through Clarkston as Bridge St and along the river as Dikes Bypass in Lewiston.
  • Connects Coeur d'Alene 118 mi (190 km) to the north and Ontario 242 mi (389 km) to the south at its junction with I-84. If coming from Boise go north on SR-55 its junction with US Hwy 95 in New Meadows (119 mi (192 km) north of Boise)
  • Comes in from Spokane, WA (the largest city in the region) from north 106 mi (171 km) through Colfax and Pullman in the Palouse country via the Memorial Bridge just east of town.

By bus

Get around

See

Do

Buy

  • 🌍 Lewiston Center Mall. (updated Oct 2019)

Eat

Drink

Sleep

  • 🌍 Cedars Inn, 1716 Main Street. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 3:00. $35+. 

Connect

Go next

Routes through Lewiston
Walla Walla ← Clarkston ←  W  E  → Orofino → Missoula
Coeur d'Alene ← Moscow ← Jct N ←  N  S  → Cottonwood → Payette-Fruitland


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