- Visit the historic and scenic Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
- Stay in a luxury camp on the Missouri's riverbanks while golden eagles, hawks and falcons gracefully soar above
- Visit camps where Lewis & Clark stayed some 200 years ago
- Hike incredible eroded sandstone crags
- Explore Native American cultural sites and pioneer homesteads
This Missouri River canoe trip traces the path of Lewis & Clark’s return voyage in Montana. The Missouri River's pleasant current makes this trip suitable for anyone in reasonable physical condition and is a great family vacation for paddlers age five and up. This canoe trip offers an intimate visit to the historic and scenic Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. To help bring a part of the river's history alive, you travel in 34' canoes that replicate those of the early voyageurs, or fur traders and are similar in size to the dugouts used by Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery. Each will carry up to 14 paddlers and two talented ROW guides, making the perfect platform for spinning yarns and pointing out the many points of interest along the way. For those who prefer a smaller craft, we offer the option of paddling a 17' Mad River canoe.
From the launch at Coal Banks Landing, the river carries our canoes down a wide, meandering valley into the famous White Cliffs area. The White Cliffs area is a deep, rugged gorge where steep, eroded sandstone cliffs reach a height of nearly one thousand feet, revealing ten million years of geologic history. Wind and water have eroded the dazzling White Cliffs to create massive rock crags and carved castles that loom high above the river. A storybook of geology unfolds as we continue downstream from White Cliffs to the Missouri River Breaks.
Summer days are typically hot and dry and the cool river water welcomes swimmers. Each night we set up our luxury camp on the Missouri's riverbanks while golden eagles, hawks and falcons gracefully soar above. Cottonwood, juniper and pine grow along the Missouri River with sagebrush, cactus and wildflowers which provide food and shelter for beaver, prairie dogs, antelope, deer, elk and big horn sheep.
Highlights include: visiting camps where Lewis & Clark stayed some 200 years ago, hiking incredible eroded sandstone crags, and exploring Native American cultural sites and pioneer homesteads. The weather and water is typically very warm and wildlife is abundant.
- N/A
- Only ground transport
- Missouri River
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100% Recommend
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T
TS
Best Vacation Ever! August 2017
- Value 5.0
- Guide 5.0
- Activities 5.0
- Lodging 3.0
- Transportation 5.0
- Meals 5.0
Operator ROW Adventures
K
KS
There is no better getaway than somewhere with ROW August 2015
- Value 5.0
- Guide 5.0
- Activities 5.0
- Lodging 5.0
- Transportation 5.0
- Meals 5.0
Operator ROW Adventures
A
Angela
Would love to go again! August 2015
- Value 5.0
- Guide 5.0
- Activities 5.0
- Lodging 5.0
- Transportation 5.0
- Meals 5.0
Operator ROW Adventures
JS
Julia S
A great way to get off the beaten path! January 2017
- Value 5.0
- Guide 5.0
- Activities 5.0
- Lodging 5.0
- Transportation 5.0
- Meals 5.0
Operator ROW Adventures
A
Alison
Love Row! January 2017
- Value 5.0
- Guide 5.0
- Activities 5.0
- Lodging 5.0
- Transportation 5.0
- Meals 5.0
Operator ROW Adventures
Day 0:
Travel from your home to Great Falls, Montana. Meet with ROW's team leader at a local hotel at 7:30 PM Pacific Time for a one hour orientation meeting to start your Missouri River canoe trip and to answer any last-minute questions and give you your waterproof bags to pack. Your adventure holiday has begun.
Day 1:
Meals included: Lunch and Dinner
Depart at 7:30 AM in our bus for a two-hour ride to the canoeing trip launch point. Along the way we stop for a brief visit to Montana's first town, Fort Benton. From here we continue to "Decision Point" at the confluence of the Missouri and Marias rivers. We then proceed on to Coal Banks Landing where our staff prepares you with a thorough safety orientation while your personal gear is loaded onto our cargo raft. We launch on the river and enjoy paddling a few miles before stopping for a delicious riverside lunch.
We canoe on the Missouri between 8 and 11 miles the first day and arrive at camp around 4:30 PM. After you carry your personal gear to the tent of your choice, enjoy free time for swimming, hiking, reading or just relaxing. Hors d'oeuvres are served around 6:00 followed by dinner around 7:30. After dinner a campfire is lit and an evening of laughter and sharing begins.
Day 2:
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
We wake you around 7:00 AM with the smell of fresh-brewed coffee. Breakfast is served around 7:30 and while we clean up the kitchen you pack up your personal gear. The canoes and cargo raft are loaded and we depart from camp about 9:30 for an adventure-packed day of canoeing, great Western scenery and fun. Soon we arrive at Eagle Creek where Lewis and Clark camped on the night of May 31, 1805.
We spend several hours hiking in the vicinity of Eagle Creek and Neat Coulee. After lunch we paddle in our canoes downstream passing Citadel Rock, a massive igneous intrusion immortalized by German Prince Maximilian's artist Karl Bodmer in 1833. We arrive in camp by 4:00 PM with plenty of time to hike to the "Hole-in-the-Wall," swim in the Missouri River and relax. After dinner and the evening campfire, watch for a glorious star-studded sky.
Day 3:
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
We proceed on the mighty Missouri, at times paddling and others just drifting with the gentle current. The impressive landmarks of Steamboat Rock and Dark Butte loom on the horizon. We pass the May 30, 1805 camp of Lewis and Clark. They stopped here after a miserable, rainy day on which they only made 5.4 miles. We stop at one or two pioneer homesteads and imagine life 100 years ago. Eagles soar overhead.
In the late afternoon we pass Slaughter River where Lewis and Clark camped on both their upstream and downstream journeys on the Missouri. It's a satisfying day of history, paddling and nature. Tonight's camp is within walking distance of a prairie dog town and with binoculars and a spotting scope we can observe their antics and social behavior. Enjoy another night of camaraderie and sharing.
Day 4:
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
As we float in our canoes today we hear the remarkable Indian legend about Arrow River. The river canyon widens and we float through the Judith Basin where the first military post, Camp Cooke, existed from 1866-1870. The Judith Basin was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 because of its rich history. Within a few miles we enter the Missouri River Breaks and a completely new landscape. Tonight's camp features a superb mud bath, excellent hiking opportunities and is our last night on the river.
Day 5:
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
You may hike downstream a mile, or float, to the Hagadone Homestead where we explore old horse-drawn farm implements, the original homestead cabin and pioneer life. After a few more miles we stop for lunch then continue to our take-out point at the Stafford/McClelland Ferry, arriving around 2:00 PM. We carry personal gear to the waiting bus and climb aboard for a three-hour drive back to Great Falls. Enjoy a hot shower and change of cloths and then meet your guides for ROW's hosted dinner at a local restaurant around 7:00 PM to finish this incredible Missouri River canoe adventure.
Day 6:
If you drove to Great Falls your car is patiently waiting for you. If you are flying, take the hotel shuttle 10 minutes to the Great Falls airport.
- Deposit Price: $ 500
5-Day Canoe Trip
- Departures: Every Monday June 19 - August 28
- Adult Price: $1395
- Youth Price: $1235
4-Day Canoe Trip
- Departures: Every Monday June 19 - August 28
- Adult Price: $1125
- Youth Price: $975
4-Day Private Trip
- Departures: Private Trip Rates: Up to 12 guests = $13,200; Up to 20 guests = $19,900
5-Day Private Trip
- Departures: Private Trip Rates: Up to 12 guests = $16,600; Up to 20 guests = $27,900
- Meals and Accommodation as mentioned in Itinerary
- International Flights
- Passport and Visa Charges
- Personal Expenses
4 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches and 5 Dinners
Your trip is enriched by knowledgeable guides who share the canyon's cultural and natural history. No other company trains guides like we do, and most of our guides are also Certified Interpretive Guides through the National Association for Interpretation.
Cancellation Policy:
If you find it necessary to cancel your trip, please notify us as soon as possible. If written cancellation is received by ROW (call to verify) before the final balance is due, you will be given a refund less the amount of deposit. Deposits are non-refundable. If cancellations are made on or after the final due date, no money will be refunded. You are welcome to find a replacement for yourself. Please understand that once you’ve signed up, we lose the right to sell your reserved spaces to other individuals or groups. Therefore, we regret that we cannot make exceptions for personal emergencies. For this reason we a strongly recommend you consider purchasing a travel protection plan.
Trip Protection Plan
We offer a comprehensive cancellation and trip protection plan through our office and recommend this coverage which protects your payments if you have to cancel for medical or other covered reasons.
Trip ID#: MisRivRow
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