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FOUR DAY GUIDED RIVER
TRIP
Touch the trail of Lewis
and Clark on a four-day river trip through the White Cliffs of the Missouri River from Coal Banks
Landing to Judith Landing. This trip includes camping at two different Corps of
Discovery campsites. The guided version of this trip
includes everything you need from the time you arrive in Great Falls or Havre,
Montana. The guided version includes all meals, camping gear, canoes, river
guides, lodging, and regional overland shuttle transportation.
(See more details below guest list...)
Pricing:
$325/person/day, guided.
$175/person/day, unguided outfitted (includes the same gear, food and river
access shuttle transportation as the guided version).
$45/canoe/day, self-guided.
Submit your
request to join a trip by clicking here...
As of today, we are
looking for other guests to join the following group(s) on a shared adventure:
-June 22, 23, 24, 25, & 26, 2008...This
is a fully Guided and Outfitted 5-Day River Trip, designed exclusively
for women by the Wild Institute. Two nights' accommodations (before and after
river trip) in Virgelle Mercantile B&B included with this package...see
http://www.thewildinstitute.com/trips/2008_cal.htm for more details.
-July 22, 23, 24 & 25, 2008... Two
adult men invite up to 6 others to join them on a four-day guided river trip
through the white cliffs. They enjoy hiking, and love the outdoors. They try to
get together at least once a year to go on this type of trip... This is our
Four-Day Guided Premium Package offering, including all food, transportation
(including airport/Amtrak shuttle(s)), camp gear, river guides, and overnight
accommodations before and after the river trip. See details below...
- August 20, 21, 22, 23, & 24, 2008...This is a
fully Guided and Outfitted 5-Day River Trip, organized by the Montana State University
Elderhostel program. Package includes Overnight hotel accommodations before and
after the river trip, transportation to and from river/airport terminals, all
food, guided river trip and more... For more details, call us, click on a contact button,
or go to
http://www.montana.edu/cpa/news/nwview.php?article=5723 ...
Deposit:
A 50% nonrefundable deposit is required to reserve space on
a trip. If we must cancel a trip, we will refund all money you have paid.
Coal Banks to
Judith Landing Itinerary
(Touch the White Cliffs)
Details: (This description is specific to the guided version of this river
trip. Use it as a general guideline for unguided trip planning.)
Missouri River Canoe Company strives for
perfection in everything we do for our guests. With a guided river trip package, we
seek to make our guests comfortable from the moment we greet them. As our
guest, you can expect personalized service from our courteous staff. If needed,
we will greet you at the airport or Amtrak station with a van, which brings you
to Virgelle, Montana.
At Virgelle you will find comfortable
accommodations in our bed & breakfast rooms and/or restored homestead cabins. On
the day of your departure into the Missouri River corridor, you start with a hearty
breakfast at the Virgelle Mercantile. Then some short instructions on packing
your gear, followed by a 5-minute shuttle ride to the launch site.
On your river expedition, you may
stop around noon to have a riverside lunch at Little Sandy Creek, some 10 miles
downstream. While at Little Sandy, you can hike to the site of an old Indian
encampment to view tipi rings. From here we paddle into the White Cliffs another
6 - 7 miles to Eagle Creek (Lewis and Clark's Stonewall Creek) where you set up camp for the
next 2 nights. (There is a contingency camp just 12 miles from the launch point
in case of paddling difficulties.)
While at Eagle Creek for the next
2 nights, you may enjoy
hiking to other Native
American sites, including a petroglyph. Another hike includes an excursion
into a slot canyon, formed by snowmelt, and rain water's erosion into the
white sandstone. (The amount of hiking is contingent upon time
limitation and physical ability of each guest.)
On the 3rd morning, you load
your canoes and paddle further into the White Cliffs. Just 1 mile downstream
you pass the subject of one of Karl Bodmer's paintings, known as the Grand Natural Wall.
This is an impressive exposure of igneous intrusion that seems to be the
ancient remnants of a manmade dam. In a short distance, you pass the
ruins of an abandoned homestead, and an earlier house made of blocks, cut
from the sandstone of the White Cliffs.
Then you may sit back and enjoy the
scenery as you
pass Eagle Rock and approach Kipps Rapids. These rapids are
maneuvered with basic skills as you approach Haystack Butte. In 2 more miles
you pass Citadel Rock (Cathedral Rock, as Karl Bodmer named it).
Just downstream from Citadel Rock,
you can stop at the Hole-In-The-Wall area for a hike to the top of the
sandstone formation from which the name comes. This is a rigorous 2-mile
round trip hike. You will encounter 2 areas along the hike, which require
some short climbing. With a little help from others, these areas aren't usually significant obstacles.
From Hole-in-the-Wall you again turn
your canoes downstream to have lunch as you float toward Steamboat Rock. The
next 7 miles reveal the scenes of visionary enchantment, described so
eloquently in the journals of Lewis and Clark. Hundreds of sandstone figures
line the rim of the river valley, evoking the imagination of all who pass
this way. Twelve miles past Hole-In-The-Wall you approach a campsite used
by the Corp of Discovery on both their inbound and outbound journeys. This
spot makes a good campsite still today.
On the 4th morning you pack your canoes and
paddle through Dead-Man's rapid. This class one rapid is also easily maneuvered with
attention paid to keeping the canoe pointing downstream.
Beyond Dead Man’s Rapid, you enter the
Judith Landing Historic District. This area has been used for profit since
prehistoric times. The native Americans used this site for buffalo hunting
and camping. Earlier European settlers built trading posts and forts, to
accommodate the westward expansion during the glorious era of steamboat navigation between
St. Louis and Fort Benton, MT. Today, there are extensive farm and ranch
operations in the area, utilizing water from the Missouri for irrigation.
At Judith Landing our shuttle
greets you, for the return trip to Virgelle. At Virgelle you are treated to a
hot shower and a sit-down supper prepared by the Mercantile. The final morning includes a
Mercantile breakfast and a friendly farewell...
((The Guided version of this trip includes: All food (5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4
suppers, and 2 complimentary snack baskets in the
B&B room...), all transportation, canoes/kayaks, camping gear, friendly local
guides, 2 nights accommodations at the historic Virgelle Mercantile, and all
necessary advanced planning for a hassle-free adventure.))
(River trips begin at the Virgelle
Mercantile at 9 A.M. on the scheduled departure day. Trips end around 5 P.M.
on the 4th day of this itinerary.)
Pricing:
$325/person/day; Guided.
$225/person/day; Unguided, outfitted (1-3 persons)
$175/person/day; Unguided, outfitted (4 or more persons)
$45/canoe/day; Self-guided, non-outfitted.
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