This trip is a variation of our
longer four day guided trip. It starts at Coal Banks Landing and takes out
at Judith Landing, covering 48 miles on the Missouri River. You camp at two
Lewis and Clark campsites, pass through the white cliffs area, and hike to several points of interest along the
way. The guided version of this trip includes all food, camping gear, canoes, river guides, and river access transportation.
(See more details below)
Pricing:
$325/person/day, guided.
$175/person/day, unguided, outfitted (includes the same food and gear as the
guided version).
$45/day/canoe, self-guided.
Submit your
request to join a trip by clicking here...
Details:
From our headquarters at Virgelle, Montana, you travel to Coal Banks Landing
and embark on your river expedition. Around noon, you stop to have a
riverside lunch near the confluence of Little Sandy Creek, some 10 miles
downstream. While at Little Sandy, you may hike to the site of an ancient
Native American encampment to view rock circles where tipis once stood. You paddle
another 6 - 7 miles into the White Cliffs
near Eagle Creek (Lewis and Clark's Stonewall Creek) where you set up camp
for the night. (There are 2 contingent campsites at 5 miles, and at 12 miles,
downstream from Coal Banks Landing.)
While at Eagle Creek, you may enjoy
hiking to another Native
American site 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 following 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 2 miles farther. 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 usually aren't 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 echantment, 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
their 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 last 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 trade 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 you are greeted by our shuttle
driver, who brings you back to Virgelle.
(Trips begin at the Virgelle Mercantile at 9
A.M. on the scheduled departure day. Trips end around 5 P.M. on the third
day of the trip.)
Pricing:
$325/person/day, guided.
$175/person/day, unguided, outfitted (includes the same food and gear as the
guided version).
$45/day/canoe, self-guided.
(NOTE: The guided version of this trip is similar to our
4-day river trip , less 2 nights B&B accommodations,
airport shuttle, and one night/day on the river. Otherwise, it is the same…)
Submit your request to join a guided trip here:
As of today, we are
looking for other guests to join the following group(s) on a shared guided adventure:
Let us put your dates here...
