My pal and I paddled from Broadus to Hwy 12 (132 river miles), June 4- 7, 2024. This trip met all our requirements exactly: no (major) rapids, closer proximity to MN, no reservations, no dams, wilderness solitude (lots of farm/ranch land, but we did not see a single human in 3 1/2 days). Requirements are 1) aluminum canoe (traversing over the top of rocks) 2) wilderness packing gear- I personally recommend Sealine products. 3) potable water for duration (figure at least 2 gallons/ person/ day- there is no access to drinking water the entire trip and filtering… let’s just say you would need some serious settling time). 3) Require a minimum of 1290 cfs at the Locate (Hwy 12) bridge and 1260 cfs at Moorhead. This is nearly double the suggestions in the Fischer book, Paddling Montana- we were already scraping bottom occasionally, probably a total of 75 yards total. Plan for a May or early June trip as the water level drops precipitously later in June. 4) At least a rudimentary knowledge of traversing rapids as there are numerous small rapids- we took on water several times. Running a line through all the gear is a great precaution in the event of an upset. Both of us are over 65 years old and still averaged 4.5 mph. We saw no bears or snakes. The article and map on page 134 of Paddling Montana is a great planning aid. for water levels, go to: Powder River near Locate MT - USGS Water Data for the Nation
1 Like
Should read “2 gallons of potable water per 3 1/2 day trip”. I could not find a place to edit the story. We bathed and washed dishes in the river.
2 Likes
There are not that many long trips fit your selection criteria. I liked the Upper Missouri R From Ft Benton to Kipp Bridge. Very historic and plenty of current. It is fun to get out and go somewhere in a canoe.
1 Like