Paddling in Lewis and Clark Territory: On the Upper Missouri River in Montana

Reliving the famous Lewis and Clark exploration of the Upper Missouri River we paddled for 6 days and covered over 100 miles on the very same river.  Only we started from upstream and paddled down with the flow.  President Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to search out a way to the Pacific Ocean, and also to learn and discover as much as they possibly could about the flora, fauna, and peoples they encountered.  We too found ourselves in the "explorer" mode as we spent 6 days on this remote and isolated part of the river.  As a complement to our trip, we read the book, Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose and found so many of the descriptions perfectly matching what we experienced.

We began our trip at Coal Banks Landing, mile marker 41.5, near Virgelle and continued on to James Kipp Recreation Area at river mile 149.  Arranging to have our car delivered to our take out point allowed us to not feel pressured to finish the trip at a specific time.

The night before we pushed off we stayed at the old Virgelle Mercantile, a bed and breakfast run by Don Sorenson.  Visit www.virgellemontana.com  Staying in Virgelle allowed us to get an early start on the river at Coal Banks Landing which is only a mile away.  The bed and breakfast offers rooms in the Virgelle Mercantile itself or in restored one room homesteads.  Sorenson purchased the homesteads and moved them to this location for preservation,  In each there is a description of where the house was originally located and who built and lived in it.  There is an interesting antique store in the front lobby of the Mercantile.  We had a choice between using "historic" pit latrines or the modern bathrooms built into an old ice house.  All was very comfortable.  The B and B owners were very helpful ensuring that we would have potable water the entire time we were on the river.  There are few buildings in Virgelle.  Without the bed and breakfast there would be no one living there.  The numerous old homesteads that now make up the Bed and Breakfast give the place a feeling of a small village.

We had hardly begun our trip when we knew that we were voyaging into primitive open country offering limited shade opportunities from the intense sun.  The days were long and challenging so we were thankful for our hats, lip balm, and sunscreen to protect us from the elements and for the water we brought along to quench our thirst!  Lewis commented that "the air of the open country is astonishingly dry as well as pure".  The hot sun and dry wind were our constant companions challenging our vision and burning and drying our skin.  After 4 days, sun poisoning became a challenge to us and we had to cover up every inch of our body, even though it felt counterproductive in the heat.

The Citadel

Along each side of the river were large high expanses of sandstone cliffs that were bright white in color.  Known as the White Cliffs, this area stretches from Coal Banks to Judith Landing, 40 miles of pure beauty!  The rocks eroded from both water and wind, were intriguing.  Lewis wrote in his diary, "The hills and river cliffs which we passed today exhibit a most romantic appearance...the water in the course of time in descending from those hills...has trickled down the soft sand cliffs and worn it into a thousand grotesque figures..."  Some erosion left round balls at the top, much like a person's head, or flatter in appearance somewhat like a mushroom.  Our imaginations saw the many pillars standing side by side as people lined up along the river, as if they were an audience watching us paddle by.  Past explorers, visitors, and artists gave many of the figures names such as "Dark Butte", "Citadel", "Seven Sisters", and "Steamboat Rock".

A Slot Canyon

The bluffs that came right down to the water's edge housed swallows in the shade of the overhanging rocks.  It is amazing that Lewis remarked on these same swallows over two hundred years earlier, "there were swallows in uncountable numbers, nesting in the banks".

We looked for natural settings to take some short hikes.  We found and walked into a slot canyon near Eagle Creek Boat Camp.  The high sides of the canyon grow increasingly closer together so that we could stretch out our hands and touch each side of the canyon at the same time.  It was a cool relief from the mid-day sun.

200 Year Commemorative Marker:  Lewis and Clark Campsite

Some of these short hikes consisted of searching for the 200 year Lewis and Clark expedition anniversary markers, which were placed at their campsites.  We were pleased to find a few, but without GPS, it can prove difficult.  The markers are less than a foot in height and are hidden by the scrub alongside the river.

Hole in the Wall moonrise

The first night we camped at "Hole in the Wall" and were relieved to find a shelter for shade.  The BLM provides developed and primitive campsites along the river for canoers.  These are clean campsites because campers follow the guidelines of packing out everything so that no trace is left.  At the Hole in the Wall camp, the full moon lit up the sky and rose up from behind the hole in the wall formation.  Its imposing beauty captivated our attention.  We pitched our tent with the door facing the view.


Vigilant to not miss anything we were ever watchful for wildlife.  Cattle were present but didn't qualify as wildlife.  Bald Eagles do qualify and we were thrilled to see so many of them.  Mating for life, the eagles often had young with them.  We've seen bald eagles before but never this many or this frequently.  In our 5 days on the river we saw at least 25 eagles.  Exciting.

The second evening we stayed at "The Wall" a primitive boat camp.  Along the river, shade is limited so we were happy to be underneath the sparsely scattered cottonwood trees.  As the day cooled, we brought our fold-up chairs behind the campsite to the edge of a prairie dog town.  We had to remain still in order to see the interactions of the prairie dogs.  If these skittish cuties become aware of you, they bark a warning and then all disappear into their holes.

Abandoned Homestead

The homesteads along the river intrigued us; seeing how people lived. Visiting homestead sites, we imagined the hard lives of homesteaders working to survive.  One site was an ice house built into the ground where people would cut ice blocks from the frozen river and store it for use into the summer months.  We learned to watch out for snakes hiding in shaded and secluded corners.  Another site had a sod roofed house that had plants growing on it including cactus.  At several homesteads we saw the historic farm equipment left from so many years before.  It was a curious thing for us to find the pit latrines were always double holed.  Did the early settlers not want to go out alone?  As visited these homesteads we were feeling as if we were intruding into someone else's home.  Usually historic homes are restored and kept in "pristine" condition making it feel artificial.  Whereas, these homesteads were falling apart but had furniture with items still on the kitchen shelves, as if the person who left had intended to come back one day.

Exploring these homesteads we stepped very carefully to avoid the prickly pear cactus all around.  Lewis also observed that "that walking was difficult, partly because of the prickly pears...These low cactus plants were so numerous that it requires one half of the traveler's attention to avoid them."

Space does not permit us to share about all of the journey, so we only have given you the first few days to whet your whistles, making you want to go out and see what the rest has to offer you...

Here are the places along the river where we stayed.

Started at Coal Banks Landing (mile marker 41.5)

First night:  Hole in the Wall (mile marker 63)

Greasewood Bottom Campsite

Exhausted after 28 miles of canoeing on the third day.

Second night: The Wall (mile marker 81.3)

        Judith Landing (mile marker 88.5)        water was delivered by Virgelle Mercantile to replenish our supply.

Third night: Greasewood Bottom (mile marker 109.6)

Fourth night:  Lower Woodhawk (mile marker 131.2)

Fifth night:  "stairs" site (not designated( (mile marker 142.2)

Take Out:  James Kipp Recreation Area (mile marker 149)

Such a fantastic time we had as we canoed this river.  Imagining ourselves in homesteaders footprints and reliving the well-known voyage of Lewis and Clark kept our senses peaked for what was to come.  We found the upper Missouri River, which is designated a wild and scenic river, to be in keeping with its name, it truly was wild and scenic!

In planning our trip, we found the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument Boater Guides http://www.blm.gov/mt/st/en/fo/umrbnm/boatersguide.html written by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to be essential for river travelers.  These detailed guides give     exact locations of campsites, historical markers, homesteads and other interesting places to visit and see.                                                                                                                             

The boater guides highlight the famous Lewis and Clark expedition showing where             commemorative markers have been placed to indicate where Lewis and Clark camped as they traveled.  The guides showed islands and wooded areas along each side of the river letting us know exactly where we were and how far we had gone.  Visiting where           homesteaders set up their cabins was an exciting part of the trip for us.  The guides marked out where the homesteads were and indicated when we were on public or private land.