Lewis and Clark Caverns Spring Trip

When I began thinking about what do and where to go this Memorial Day Weekend I was really hoping to get on some water somewhere..anywhere.  I schemed up this grand plan to go somewhere I can't remember going and where my girls have never gone, Lewis and Clark Caverns along the Jefferson River.  I've never spent time in this part of the state and my only reference was maps, Google Earth, and various websites about the Jefferson River Canoe Trail.  I was excited to get a reservation at the state park and went about trying to figure out how to do our shuttle.  I thought the road to a bridge 9 miles down from the camp area looked remote and totally safe for the girls and I to ride our bikes along to do our shuttle.  Easy, we could just leave Skip at camp and take the boat down to the launch, drive the car to the bridge and ride home.

As the weeks went on and I told people my plan I got some looks, concerned looks, some questions, "Are you sure you can ride that far?"  It wasn't until my Mom gave me the "your going to kill me" look that I conceded that the river part of this trip wasn't going to pan out.  It finally got warm in Montana and the rivers were flowing.  After getting to camp I was sure glad we made the decision to just camp, hike, and bike for the weekend.  Lessons learned.

Our neighbor, Kendall, is like a sister to my two girls.  I was packing up the car and she somehow convinced her mom and I to let her "stow away" on our weekend camp trip.  Three girls, one dog, three bikes, a packed car, we were set.


The campground was a little bit of a disappointment.  We had the only site in the whole place without any shade.  I do recommend using Reserve America for state parks but I don't recommend site P006!  It was hot and horrible setting up our tents.  We left soon after setting up to find a spot to put our feet in the river.  At my "takeout bridge" we got firewood and cooled off in the flooded backwater..again so glad we didn't raft.  Then into Three Forks in search for ice-cream.  We made it back to camp just in time to batten down the hatches, throw together food, and head for our tents.  It was an awesome storm!  After the rain cleared there were some great trails right off the campground for hiking and mountain bike riding.

The next day we hit the L & C Cavern tour. What a great experience for the girls! They even have kennels for no extra cost for the dogs in a shaded place.  It's a two mile hike in total starting with a trek up to the entrance.  Avery and Kendall were glued to the tour guide's side right off the bat, Kyndra and I had to push our way to the front to be with them.  They hung on every word he said, asked great questions, and had a blast.  After the tour we went to the Missouri River Headwaters State Park.  The girls were totally unimpressed but I thought it was pretty awesome seeing the roiling, muddy waters.  The water looks so different than what we see on the Missouri around here.

Before we knew it we were packing up camp.  Kyndra helped roll pads, bags, and tents while the other two played at the campground.  It all goes together pretty easily with exception of putting the bikes on the rack. If anyone knows how to do this without throwing a hissy fit I'd be grateful!  Before heading home we walked/biked along the Headwaters Trail System that runs along the former Milwaukee Railroad bed.

We had a fun weekend hiking, getting some sun, and exploring.  I can't wait to go back and tackle the rivers over in this part of our beautiful state.

North Shore Trail - River's Edge

Today is the first post in a new journal of our adventures with kids across Montana's beautiful places.  I have been blogging for quite some time and have hit a bit of a dry spell...mostly I was wondering "who cares." Who cares what we are doing.  Tony and I had this idea that we could share the cool places we try to see with our kids, and hopefully encourage more people like us, people who love the outdoors but have the reality of life to deal with, "Get Lost" in Montana.

Last weekend we visited part of the River's Edge Trail called North Shore Trail.  I can remember this trail being around for quite some time.  However, the Rivers Edge Trail has updated the trail head, markers, and route even in the last year.  

You start out right above Ryan Dam and head in one of three directions.  You can take the loop either North or South.  The South route has an upper or lower segment.  The lower segment takes you along the bottom of the rock formations while the upper segment gets you right onto the rock formations that are so fun to explore.

This is an easy hike.  Nowhere did we hit any elevation gain or anything that caused too much grumbling from the troops.  

The day we went out was fairly windy, as you can imagine it can be along the Missouri River, but it was plenty warm once we got going.  I ended up being the coat Sherpa before we even hit a half mile.  

There were two majestic bald eagles checking us out along the entire route.  Their giant wings coasting with the wind were a fantastic sight to behold.  

 The view of the Highwood Mountains is comforting for this Great Falls girl even though they are quite obstructed by random power lines bringing utilities to ranches.

We all enjoyed the Hoodoos...who can resist standing on top of one of these cool formations or peeking through some random hole created by Mother Nature.

 Eventually, after our exploring was worn thin we decided we better beat feet if we were going to get the loop done in our short time frame.

 All the girls involved wanted to reach the "Dry Waterfall" but we had only made it half way there, 1/4 way through the entire loop, in an hour.  We had one kiddo that needed to be home before too long so the real hike began in earnest.

 So we made it to the overlook of the Dry Waterfall...I'm not showing a picture because we didn't make it...we saved it for another day.  The mud got pretty mucky and we turned back before our hikers got too discouraged.  As Tony said, "It's ok to not make it...it gives us something to come back and see next time."

 Besides, we were taking a large chunk out of the trail back with us as it was!

 I can still hear the giggles as they were slogging through the mud.  It made me laugh how they were all holding up their pants as their shoes were sunk in up to the brims.

 This old car has been target practice for some time but I think it could have been a beauty in it's prime.

 The Rivers Edge North Shore Loop was just over 3 miles.  Next time I'll make sure my GPS is on and tracking a trail for you to see.  Sherpa Mama was able to devise a backpack out of the two dog leashes but I will bring a real one next time.  I'd advise bringing water and plan for extra time to explore the rock formations.

This is an easy trip for kids of all ages.  You don't have to do the entire loop to see some of the Missouri River's unique rock formations.  I imagine there might be some rattlesnakes in the summer so be prepared!  Happy Trails!  Enjoy.

all photos ©Tony Bynum

Outdoor Adventures

Finally!

We finally got some outdoor time.

These little girls have become quite the little geocachers,

hikers,

rock climbers,

and rafters.

Life is good!