Congaree National Park! A Swamp to Canoe Through.

Congaree National Park!

A Swamp to Canoe Through

South Carolina is not where you might expect to canoe through a Swamp!  Congaree National Park’s forest is one of the few “old growth” floodplain forests left.  Being from Florida we have spent plenty of time in low swampy waterways and we were looking forward to seeing what the Congaree in South Carolina had to offer.   We took the opportunity to go in March during our daughter's spring break even though we would only have a few days at the park and in the swamp.  The canoeing was good for both couples and we were not disappointed!

The Visitor Center opens at 9:00, but we wanted to get an early start on the river – so a great idea was to register for the backcountry permit the day before.  They have maps of the park and behind the counter they have a waterproof map of the “Congaree River Blue Trail”.  Actually these maps did not help us very much!  They did not have enough detail for us to ascertain where we were.  The recognizable landmarks were the bluffs at the Heritage Park, the railroad bridge, and the one large sandbar only a mile from the take out.  

We were surprised when the Park staff told us that there would be up to 10 portages that we would do on the 8 mile portion of Cedar Creek before getting to the Congaree River.  (The creek from Bannister Bridge to Cedar Creek landing was reported to have 30 portages! Glad we hadn't chosen that one!) Why so many portages?  Downed trees that haven’t been cleared away are the biggest obstacles in the creek.  We were glad that some of the “portages” could be passed under or around and we ended up portaging just 4 times.  Not too bad.  Our next challenge was staying within the Creek.  The creek meanders through the swamp often over the banks making it very difficult to be sure of which direction to turn.  There are some small trail markers attached to trees in the creek here and there and when we saw one we were reassured that we were going the right way. But there were a few times when we had to double track a short distance back. Another time we found ourselves canoeing against the flow of the water.  This does cause one to stop and ponder whether you are on the right track or not. We were glad the water level was where it was (about 3.5 feet according to the gauge) as we were sure to have gotten lost if more of the creek was out of its banks. 

How to Go Around, Under, or Over the Downed Trees!

We started on a Friday morning in mid-March with a temperature of 29 degrees.  At the visitor center,  the famous "mosquito meter”  read “mild”.  It had a rating of 2 on a scale of 6.  Weren't we lucky?   The cold air was keeping the mosquitoes at bay.

We loved the vegetation – the Bald Cypress and their knobby knees, Tupelo with their fluted trunk bottoms (as one little girl told us, the trees look like they are wearing skirts), dangling Spanish moss, resurrection fern, dwarf palmetto, American Beech!  

We loved the knobby knees of the Bald Cypress!

Can you feel the cold, quiet morning?

I love the reflection in the dark water.

The dark tannic water of the cypress swamp, we examine close up, as we meander slowly around the creek’s many bends.  The life of the swamp was heard in the call and pecking of the pileated woodpecker, and the consistent hooting of the barred owl.  An otter was also trying to hide from us as it swam smoothly in and around cypress tree and tupelo trunks.  We kept our eyes “out” for any other wildlife we might see, particularly looking for any alligators.  We are told they are here but it was probably still too cold for them to be out.  A couple of times we did see small groups of the feral pigs that have inundated the Park.  They would immediately scurry away when they saw we were nearby.  This probably adds to the difficulty of removing them from the Park.

Our daughter enjoying Cedar Creek

As we paddled closer to the Congaree River, plastic bottles were everywhere!  It was just too numerous.  It was hard for us to think that those who enjoy being outside would throw their trash into the river.  We came across one dead, cormorant skeleton  hanging in a tree wings spread – having been caught by a  hook left on a line to catch fish without the person present.

Any experienced canoer would cringe to think that they would only canoe 8 miles in 6 hours!  With the backtracking, portages, and slow life of the swamp – that is exactly how long it took us.  We were told that we would reach Congaree River using Mazyck’s Cut, but nothing is marked, so worries start clouding your mind and you think you are on the unmaintained part of the creek beyond Mazyck’s Cut.  If we were we would not be able to know.  But we finally did reach the wide Congaree River.  Yeah!  This part of the Congaree River is part of the community’s Blue Trail.  The river was actually flowing at a good clip and we were ready to find a good sand bar (of which we were told there were many) to camp.  After canoeing for over an hour, we realized that we were not going to find a sandbar – they were all mud.  So we found some higher ground and camped near a field of butterweed on the National Park side of the river.  Open fires are not allowed in the park.   Since the temperature had risen, the mosquitoes did find us that evening as the sun set.  We also woke to find that the river had risen a foot and there was water in a gut very near the tent.  We think that engineers are constantly managing the water level on the Congaree River.

Our campsite among the Butterweed.

We packed up our supplies, took photos of the butterweed, and recommenced our trip down the Congaree River.  With the quick flow of the river we estimated that we did over 3 miles an hour.  The temperature rose to a glorious 70 sunny degrees in March.  We saw evidence of corrals and corn feeders, which we figured were used to cull the feral hogs that have overrun South Carolina and specifically the National Park. We took a picnic where Bate’s Ferry Trail reaches the Congaree.  Next to it is a small creek spanned by a dismantled wooden bridge.  There was an open spaced grassy area that we used for our picnic. Unfortunately people have used the nearby area too often for their toilet, littering it with toilet paper.  As we picnicked there, we saw the only sandbar just across the river, occupied by 3 different families.  We were only a mile from the take out. The take out spot has 2 ramps, a dock, and was a busy place on a Saturday morning.  The last day we did 9 miles of the Congaree River in 2 ½ hours.  

Early Spring proved to be the perfect time of year to spend some time paddling in Congaree National Park.  We had some good wildlife viewing, had minimal mosquitoes, were challenged by some good paddling punctuated with portages around downed trees, and enjoyed our time going through the SWAMP!  You ready for an adventure?

Paddling the Palisades of the Kentucky River

Paddling the Palisades of the Kentucky River

Early Morning Wisps of Fog 

Imagine being in a canoe, paddling this river.  It is early morning on a cool autumn day and the fog is dense, limiting the ability to see the bends in the river.  As the wisps of fog lift, the 220 foot magnificent rock cliffs loom in front of us.  THIS is why we are on this stretch of river.  THIS is why we challenged ourselves to paddle 18 miles in one day. 

To be able to paddle the 18 miles in one day we had to get an early start, so we organized to shuttle our car to the take out the day before and to stay at the Inn the Country Bed & Breakfast nearby (located right across from Camp Nelson Cemetery) hosted by Marceline who is listed on Airbnb.  This is a great place to start your trip because it is just a few miles from the put in on Hwy 27.  Marceline is friendly, accommodating and has plenty of room and many beds if people are willing to share rooms.  (Ask her about possibilities of a shuttle.)

This section of the Kentucky River is remote and the next access point from Camp Nelson is 18 miles down the river at High Bridge. That being said, we figured that to do 18 miles in one day we needed to be sure to do at least 3 miles an hour.   The almost still river was not going to give us much of a push so making a 3 mile an hour speed was going to be mostly on us.

We were excited to begin early and get on the river.  We loved the feeling of being surrounded by the looming cliffs and the blanketing fog.  As you paddle past the limestone cliffs, you see the weathering of the rocks from the passage of the river over the eons of time.  The river has shaped these cliffs into columns which have acquired names that are listed on the map. The area near Hwy 27 is part of the Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve on both sides of the river. It preserves the natural beauty of the cliffs, which are some of the oldest exposed rock in the state along with the rare plants found in this area.  Some of these cliffs are homes to vultures and birds of prey.  But other than a few turtles out on a cold day, wood ducks, and kingfishers, the only other animals were the cattle roaming around at the base of the cliffs at Polly’s Bend (from mile marker 131-129)

As we paddled along we kept our eye out to find a place to stop and have lunch.  Both sides of the river had steep sides, one with the rock cliffs going up almost from the water’s edge and the other side had steep muddy banks that were several feet high making it difficult to even get out of the canoe.  We did find a rock shelf at the bottom of a steep cliff that would be a waterfall on a rainy day. Today, with having no recent rains, the shelf was dry enough for us to pull up and take on some nourishment.  It was on the left side of the river before the Boat Hollow Creek enters the river about 10 ½ miles from where we put in.

The day was long.  After 5 hours of almost constant paddling our arms and backs were telling us that we needed to stop.  We had Kentucky River Authority Navigation Charts (found online as a PDF file) along and watched to see, by the map, how much of the river that we had left to go – it was probably two more hours. 

Late afternoon, we realized we were getting close to High Bridge when houses started appearing on the right side of the river.  We also started seeing our first sign of other boaters. Many boaters put in at High Bridge and kayak/canoe up stream to the Dix River which they said has a few small ripples that make it fun.  As we approached High Bridge, a train was going over.  We thought it was a pretty cool bridge to canoe under and to think of the past.

Before getting to the take out on the right 1/3 mile past the High Bridge, Shaker’s Landing is on the left.  Parked at Shaker’s Landing is the excursion boat, the Dixie Belle.  The road from the Landing leads to Shaker Village.  There are so many historic possibilities in the area to explore once getting off the river or even on the river. The take out is within view of Lock 7.  Jessamine County has produced the Kentucky River Guide, which includes historic activities that occurred on the river, along with their GPS.  Jessamine County has also been instrumental in establishing a Kentucky River Task Force which includes working with other organizations to create a Kentucky River Water Trail and to be responsible stewards of the River’s watershed and its resources.

This is a beautiful river encompassing lots of history that keeps calling you back to experience yet another day of joy, paddling your canoe.

The Kentucky River Teasing Us

The Kentucky River Teasing Us

            Labor Day was upon us, and we were anxious to be out on a river.  In the fall in Kentucky rivers can often not be runnable due to low water levels.  “A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to Kentucky” gives a start to determine where there are some canoe places but it really doesn’t have the all the details necessary to plan a well thought out trip and also it can quickly become out of date. The Kentucky River is usually easy and runnable year round. We thought we’d try a short stretch because we didn’t have much time.  We put in at Lock 8 and canoed 5 miles to the take out at Camp Nelson RV park at Hwy 27.  It was a beautiful fast flowing river  because of a full day of rain three days earlier.  The most difficult part of the whole trip was scouting out the put in spot and finding the place to shuttle our car for the take out at the RV park.  

            A brief word about the shuttle.  To get to the put-in at Lock 8, we turned onto Sugar Creek Rd. (county road 1268) and traveled on that until we got to Lock 8 Rd.  As one looks at the lock, go down the gravel road to the right of the lock – downstream of the lock – down a deeply graveled road.  It was graveled almost to the water’s edge – except for the piles of deadfall that we had to carry our canoes over to be able to get to the water.  Actually, the huge log jam was steadier than I imagined.  Yeah, we had found the put in.  Now the cars had to shuttle to the take out, and leave a car there.  The map seems to suggest that the take out is right there where the bridge crosses the Kentucky River on US 27. And yes it is!  But there’s a big BUT:  one must drive at least a full ½ mile past the river and make a left at the sign that says “Camp Nelson RV Park”.  There is a Shell station there.  Then you travel on that side road 2 miles as it winds around back to the river – with the take out just past the bridge.  So the short 5 miles on the river is a 12 mile shuttle one way.  There is a box to deposit a boat ramp fee.  All the shuttling finished – let’s get on the river.

Lock 8 behind us.

            At the start of our trip, we enjoyed listening to the rush of a wall of water flowing over Lock 8.  The lock and the storm from three days earlier created a fast current for putting in.  The 5 miles were on a wide flowing river with banks and banks of forests.  Great Blue Herons graced our views while the kingfishers darted in and out. We were hungry from the moment we put in, but the banks are steep and there are not many places to bank the canoe and make a leisurely picnic site.  There was one place on the left side of the river about 2 ½ miles down river, where we hoped to park our canoes on a small island for lunch.  But it seemed to have combatting eddies swirling around it, making it difficult to manage the boat or even paddle forward.  I’m not sure we’ve ever encountered those type of eddies in a river before that were not part of rapids.

            We finally found a place to park the canoes for lunch only a mile from the bridge – on the right side of the river, - a road comes down to the edge of the river (you could put in here – if you can find it on a map) – and we walked up the path a ways to lay out our tablecloth in the shade.  Nice picnic spot.

            We were surprised to take out only 20 minutes after a late lunch.  The take out is on the left side of the river right after the HWY 27 bridge.  After the bridge, there is a railroad bridge that people seemed to be walking as on a walking trail.

Hwy 27 Bridge at Camp Nelson

            As we were nearing the take out, we looked in front of us and the limestone cliffs loomed large….teasing us to want to come back and do the next stretch – Pool 7 -which is a 20 mile trip that must be done in one day – because there are no other access points and no place to camp along the way.

            Taking out at Camp Nelson, we took time to visit Camp Nelson Historical Park and Camp Nelson Cemetery, within 3 miles of the bridge over the Kentucky River on US Hwy 27, and is worth a visit.  It was a Union recruitment center and training ground for African-American soldiers and “refugee” camp for their families, who were also freed.  The grounds are enormous.  But it is not really accessible by canoe.  The maps seem to suggest that you can get out of your canoe and be at Camp Nelson.  We did not find that to be true.  But canoeing on the Kentucky River, allows one to explore the interesting historical points in the area.  Find your stretch of the Kentucky, and make a day of it!

The Green River, Our Kentucky Stand By!

The Green River, Our Kentucky Stand By!

We have canoed the Green River for over 15 years and it is our “go to” river for taking beginners and for having a good time. There are not many rivers in Kentucky that you can canoe year round.   Over the years we find more and more people have discovered it as well.  We went the first weekend of November this year, which ended up being an incredibly warm weekend with the autumn colors still present.  Most of the rock bluffs are usually hidden by the vegetation.  At this time, with most of the leaves on the ground and the cliffs visible, the views were more multidimensional.

From Dennison Ferry (just past mile marker 205) to Houchin Ferry (just before mile marker 186), a distance of 19 miles, the Green River flows through Mammoth Cave National Park.  Canoeing is entirely within the National Park boundaries.  Before starting the trip we picked up a Back Country Use Permit and map at the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center.   The permit allows us to camp wherever we want along the river.  The map is more helpful than a few other maps that we downloaded.

Putting in at Dennison Ferry is steep but they have placed a couple of canoe ramps to help lower the canoe down to the river.  Once by the river the concrete pad gives easy entry into the canoe.  We didn’t put in until 12:00 because of the long shuttle to Houchins Ferry.  The river in this section is slow with just a few ripples to let us know that “Yes, it actually is moving.”  Even though the water levels were low at this time of the year, we didn’t scrape bottom very often and were impressed that the river was very clean and we could see down to the pebbly bottom.  We were in Mammoth Cave National Park, so as expected, we floated past several caves.

 We took a break at Green River Ferry boat ramp, and visited the port-o-potties, took a short hike to Echo Spring and watched the ferry handling a constant traffic of cars.  It could only manage 3 cars at once.

Once we left the Green River Ferry boat ramp (a little before the 197 mile marker), we felt a bit rushed to make it to a good campsite.  The banks are generally steep so the best camping is usually found on islands and sand bars.  Once leaving the ferry, we were on a constant vigilance to find a camping spot. For three miles, there was really nothing possible for camping.  We took the first possible campsite we found on Sand Cave Island, 1/3 mile past Mile Marker 194.  At the point of the island there is an enormous log jam that is bigger than a house reaching high into the sky.  We pitched our tents and even finished eating before nightfall.

The next morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast that included sightings of a Bald Eagle with two immatures near a nesting area.  Starting the day with the fog clinging low to the river, we followed the Bald Eagles down the river.  We need to say that along the river there is plenty of wildlife.  Two 8 point bucks on different sides of the river just lazily looked at us, while the does were moving through the bush to stay hidden.  One doe we saw was crossing the river in front of us, swimming with her two ears visible sticking up looking like ducks swimming.  Turkey made their presence known, as well as pileated woodpeckers and kingfishers.  It was difficult to get close to the wood ducks, but we kept scaring them up.  We forgot to mention the many mussel shells we saw on the islands and at the bottom of the river.  The Green River is home to more species of freshwater mussels than any other river in North America.  The live mussels and their shells are protected!  Collecting is strictly prohibited.

We canoed down the river only a mile and “discovered” Sand Cave on the left.  It is right after Turnhole Spring.  I don’t think we could have canoed further the previous day to reach Sand Cave, but this is really THE ideal place for camping.  Deep sand, smothered in leaves, under a large overhang of a cave.  A spring sits in a crevice under the overhang.  We are already making plans to take our grandkids back to camp here.  Canoeing this part of the river feels like there is no current at all.  It is easy to canoe upstream.  We passed Boardcut Island which would also make a good camping spot.

Lunch was at Crump Island and we noted its possibilities for camping.  By early afternoon we had reached Houchin Ferry.  It was an easy 4 hour float.  There is a campground there with port-a-potties, picnic tables and fire rings.

The Green River is peaceful and navigable throughout the year for all levels of paddling expertise.  It offers an easy get-away providing beautiful scenery, frequent wildlife sightings, caves to explore and an all-around positive opportunity for getting your ‘nature’ fix.  Come canoe the Green!

Two Thousand Years Later: Floating Under the Pont du Gard

Two Thousand Years Later: Canoeing Under the Pont du Gard

Can you imagine canoeing under an over 2000 year old Roman aquaduct?  We couldn't either, but a chance to add another river to our "rivers paddled" list, especially since it is in France, was a must do and the fact that the Roman aquaduct, the Pont du Gard, a World Heritage site, was part of the experience made the whole thing that much more exciting!

We made reservations online before we left the United States.  There are 3 canoeing companies in Collias,  which is found in Languedoc, southern France. We used Le Tourbillion Canoeing.  Le Tourbillion made it so easy:  Just pull up, park, sign up and pay, walk a few hundred feet to the water, be assigned a plastic canoe which is pushed down the hill to the water.  This canoeing company adds the additions which we would usually have to pay for in the states.  Each canoe was provided with a "bidon"  to secure your items from getting wet and personal flotation devices.  We were asked if we wanted double paddles or single paddles.  We chose our usual single paddle whereas everyone else on the water used the "double paddles".

During the summer, the water levels are so low on the Gardon River, that there are only these 8 km that are floatable.  If you canoe in early spring, you can canoe a longer stretch of river from Pont Nicholas, which is also a really cool medieval bridge, and then through the Gorges du Gardon; just amazing scenery. We started at Collias and paddled approximately 2 kms past the Pont du Gard.  Canoeing was on very clear water with a shallow pebbly bottom.  Every so often there were pockets of deep water where  people were seen jumping from the cliffs.

Usually, we navigate the canoe through deadfalls but with this river we navigated through waders, including a kid who called Doug "Pere Noel".   The Gardon River was "plein" of people sunbathing, listening to music, walking and wading in the water besides the canoers. It seems like everyone in Provence comes to the banks of the Gardon to relax and enjoy the cool river.  We felt like we were paddling on a public beach.  Several times we were cut off by other canoes or accidently rammed. Yet the river was moving nicely and if you can look past the people, the scenery is beautiful interspersed with limestone cliffs.  We even enjoyed going over a 1 foot cascade.

At the approach of the Pont du Gard, we chose a picnic site far from other bathers.  Our picnic site was complete with a view of this world heritage site late in the afternoon with the sun shining on it, making for good photography and allowing us to take in its beauty.  We couldn't imagine canoeing under this magnificent enormous edifice, yet for most bathers it is just part of the environment of a clear cool bathing spot..  There were even young men doing flips off the underside of the Pont du Gard into the deep water.  I guess modern times call for new uses of this historical structure of over 2,000 years ago, built during the Roman empire.

The Pont du Gard, seen from the river.  The best way to see this World Heritage Site. 

We took out 2 km past the Pont du Gard, which became a bit boring because we were just paddling to finish.  We were given 2 hours to canoe and could have used 3 to allow more time to enjoy swimming in the clear water or sitting in a canoe drawing the scenery.  Pick up times at the end are every hour and a "luxury" bus takes you back to Collias.  We didn't see any Romans around the Pont du Gard but here, over 2000 years later, their work still stands and is an amazing tribute to their engineering skill.  This will always be one of the most memorable paddle trips we will have done! 

Niobrara National Scenic River Is there really a good canoeing river in Nebraska?

Niobrara National Scenic River

Is there really a good canoeing river in Nebraska?

            As we started driving into Nebraska, we asked the locals how to say “Niobrara” – and found out that we had been saying it wrong all this time.  Nigh-o-Braira is how the locals say it.  We invited friends to join us on this canoe trip and they wondered aloud, “Seriously, Is there really a good canoeing river in Nebraska?” The fast paced canoeing and falls said it all. 
   

The sand hills, falls, sandhill cranes and river were inviting us to venture to Nebraska. We combined this spring canoe trip with a viewing of the sandhill cranes near Kearney. The stark dry rolling hills dotted with windmills symbolized Nebraska as we entered Valentine to begin our canoe trip. 

Nebraska Sandhills

We stopped at the Niobrara National Scenic River welcome center in Valentine and the ranger said, “You are in for a treat”.  The welcome center provided helpful information which included a movie and great maps to which they added details like how to avoid a Class II two foot drop and where to find other hidden falls that were worth a short walk. https://www.nps.gov/niob

We embarked on this trip the beginning of April - and were ready for cold weather!  We were pleasantly surprised that daytime temperatures were in the 50’s.  Perfect canoeing weather.  Yet, it seems that most campsites and cabins do not open until April 15 or May 1^st.  We thought that real canoeing enthusiasts were missing the opportunity to canoe this river during high water levels, cool weather, and the absence of crowds.

Only Smith Falls State Park campground and Sunnybrook Camp were able to accommodate us.  Most other outfitters were closed or refused to even let us camp on their property.

We put in at Cornell Bridge – after a round about drive trying to find the place.  There is no road sign on Hwy 12 letting you know that you need to turn off the road to get to the river access.  So basically follow the sign for Niobrara Wildlife Refuge – 4 miles from Valentine.

We quickly realized that this river was faster than most rivers we had canoed on before. The ranger told us there was a scenic falls less than a mile after we put in.   We struggled to cross the river to the opposite side to be able to stop to see the falls. It was extremely hard to make a quick decision to change direction or make a quick stop.  And we call ourselves experienced canoers.    We were told the river level was up and yet there were still many shallow areas that scraped and caught the bottom of our canoe. 

The oak and red cedar open forests were accompanied with high sandstone bluffs creating awesome scenery. But the highlights are the many diverse falls alongside the river or within reach by a short walk.  As, we pulled over to the bank, I asked, “Now, why are we stopping here?” “Another falls?”  YES!!  There are never too many falls to enjoy on this river.

Disconcerting was that we thought we had left congested highways behind with their huge billboards.  This is the only river we have ever canoed on and been assaulted by the disruption of the scenery by billboards.  To name the company who is doing the assaulting, Niobrara River Ranch!

As we canoed, pairs of Canada geese would be our constant companions always keeping in front of us as if they were our guides.  We also saw deer, turkey, large soft-shelled turtles sunning themselves, and kingfishers. Blue-winged teal pairs were a treat for us.  Oh yes, did we forget to mention even a tagged elk who was so tame he stood at the water’s edge for us. The presence of the tagged elk reminds us to say that most of the land on either side of the river is privately owned, including property owned by the Nature Conservancy. 

After 3 hours of canoeing (really floating and steering because the river is so fast), we camped at Smith Falls State Park.  We were the only campers there.  The more modern facilities had not opened for the season yet, so we had to be satisfied with the pit latrines.  The campsites are right next to the river, so we didn’t need to carry our gear very far.  Smith Falls, the highest falls in Nebraska, is beautiful, accessed by a well maintained boardwalk. 

The bulging rock formation of the falls is common on the river because the falls flow over a rosebud formation of sandstone which is resistant to erosion.

There was a lot of wind that evening which made for an interesting night.  The wind was so strong that it pushed the tent down on top of us sleeping inside.  The tents held up but at times the sides were pushed down on our faces.

We had a leisurely start to the second day of canoeing.  Only ¾ of a mile down the river from Brewer Bridge at a small spring fed riverlet, we stopped to view Big Cedar Falls a short walk from the river. The Nature Conservancy is maintaining access to this Falls, owning much of the property on the right side of the river.  Along the right side of the river, there were crews of men cutting, piling and removing the red cedar.  The red cedar is crowding out other pioneering tree species reducing the biodiversity. This is important because the Niobrara river valley is known for its biodiversity where several ecosystems come together.

At Fritz’s Narrows we went around the island to the left to avoid the 2 foot drop and then immediately crossed the river to the right, to visit Stair Step Falls – a beautiful, quiet, undulating falls – you just have to step through the muddy marshy slough to get there.  Sitting in the woods beside this small stream with falls is totally relaxing.

We were again the only canoe on the river the entire day and took out at Sunny Brook Camp a mile before Rocky Ford Rapids.  Our friends almost missed the landing and we threw them a rope and pulled them in.  The owners of Sunny Brook were very accommodating.  The warmth of a cabin  was appreciated and we were also able to buy drinks and ice and get a warm shower! 
sunnybrookcamp.com

The locals need to advertise this river as something for real canoeing enthusiasts during late spring and early fall.  Forget the summer and the party floaters.

Yes, Nebraska not only has a good canoeing river, it has a great fast river that we enjoyed paddling on. 

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.