Last Upper Missouri River trip post. I'm sad to see it go already, a good part of the fun is looking at photos afterwards. Before I finish up, some quick details if you're interested in doing the same general trip we did. We recommend the driving route below, for a good dose of varying Montana landscapes.
Leave Redmond 5:00 am
I90 to Missoula, north on 200, then north on 83 to Holland Lake
Next morning, Holland Lake south to 200 then east to 21
east to Great Falls, then north on 87 to Fort Benton
Take care of canoes etc in Fort Benton, north again on 87 to the cutoff dirt road to the river. On the river that evening
Recommended campsites on river
1st night - Little Sandy
2nd night - Dark Butte
3rd night - The Wall
If you don't fancy going 22 miles on the river aftter the first night, split it up by staying an extra night and camp at Eagle Creek before staying at Dark Butte. We will probably do this next time.
4th day off the river at Judith Landing. We were going to camp on the way home, but as soon as we left the river, it started raining and rather than unload and camp in the rain, we just drove straight home to my brothers place in Redmond. Well not straight home, we took the long, scenic route(recommended even if it's raining) Also, if you haven't been to Glacier National Park, you should see it on the way home. We stayed there the year before on our way home and it's worth seeing. This time due to rain, we headed straight home
87 north to Havre, west on 2 to Kalispell, south on 93 to west on 28 to south on 200 to west on 135 to I90 to home
Costs
Holland Lake Campsite $15(camping on the river is free)
Canoe Rental $30 per day We recommend
Adventure Bound CanoeShuttle service $150(carpool with someone else and split this)
Gas(carpool and split this as well)
Poop Bags $2 per.(illegal to not have poop bags in your canoe- see tips below)
Tips
Stop by the general store in Fort Benton and stock up on water. You're in a canoe so you can. It isn't recommended to even filter the river water due to ag runoff.
Bring raingear just in case(both years no problems during the day, it has rained nights)
Bring mosquito repellent/netting just in case(both years not a problem, but if the river wind dies down, you're toast without them)
Bring a couple poop bags. It is illegal to poop along the river AT ALL unless it's in one of the camp toilets or in a bag you pack out. You can get a hefty fine for NOT HAVING A POOP BAG in your canoe.
We unloaded at The Wall, which is everybody else's favorite site. Partially for the countless birds that inhabit the trees.
Just behind the campsite there is a nice little hike, but you have to cross praire dog town. You can see hundreds of little praire dogs poking thier heads up all across this field and all talking to eachother. Pretty fun.
You can see some of the burrow openings poking up here.
The unpleasant part(mostly for the ladies) is this is also rattlesnake country. There's rumored to be a rattler for every square foot along this river. Where it gets unsettling is that you have to cross this field of knee deep grass to get to the hike.
Trying to decide if it's worth it...
It was generally decided to be worth it and we waded across. Stopping to check a praire dog hole
We successfully navigated, got up the hill and were rewarded with nice views.
Bros
Back to camp in time for dinner
Then we played some cards in the palatial suite
This is a great tent if weight is not an issue
Good times almost made us miss the sunset, scrambled for a camera and just caught the last light
The end.
In case you haven't picked up on it, we heartily endorse this trip. We'll be back at least once a year, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have if you are considering it yourself.
