We spent a week near Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa in the northwest corner of Montana. We kayaked, biked, hiked, fished, and even played frisbee golf…This area is great!
The metropolis of Libby has less than 3,000 people. It’s the population center in this part of Montana. The region is quiet and uncrowded…just the way we like it! Even during the weekend we noticed only a few more people out playing.
Our camp site had full hook ups (i.e. water, electric, and sewage) so we were very comfortable. There was zero cell phone coverage, spotty wi-fi internet, and spotty satellite TV. This made it tricky when we got an offer to buy our house, but we made it work. Hopefully the house sells soon…stay tuned on that one.
The Army Corps of Engineers manages Libby Dam. There is a great visitor center and multiple recreation sites on Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River. The facilities are impressive and the tour of the dam was really interesting. The picnic and boat launch area near the visitor center are top notch with group sites and a nice swim area. They even have an 18-hole frisbee golf course through the woods. A couple of the holes teeter above the lake ensuring a lost frisbee with an errant throw. We were really impressed with the Corps of Engineers facilities and will eagerly seek them out again in the future.
There are good paved roads for road cycling and seemingly endless dirt forest roads begging to be mountain biked. We especially liked the 8-mile loop along each side of the river, though the final half mile climb out of the river valley has a 10 to 12% gradient. It was great exercise!
We also kayaked about 3 miles of the river just below the dam. The current moves along at 2-3mph and is an easy class I float (no significant dangers). It was very peaceful. We saw multiple eagles and ospreys perched in trees and soaring above the river waiting to pounce on trout. I also made mental notes on potential fishing holes.
We hiked to the top of Alexander Mountain. The vegetation was pretty thick and the trail was hard to follow in spots. It was obvious that the trail is used sparingly. This is bear country and we were on alert after finding a few piles of bear poop on the trail! So to avoid surprising any bears, Arleen and I told them loudly and repeatedly that we didn’t taste good. We also saw a lot of evidence of deer and moose, but didn’t see any critters. We climbed about 2,000 feet to the top of Alexander Mountain and couldn’t see much through the trees. However, we had a few great views along the way and got an excellent workout.
Bear poop! “Go away bear. We don’t taste good!”
We finally got fishing licenses! We fly-fished for trout in the lake, Kootenai River, and Fisher River. We caught rainbow trout that ranged 3-13 inches and one endangered bull trout that was about 17 inches long (released immediately!). Many of them were caught with floating flies on top of the water. It’s a blast to see the trout come up and attack the fly! We ate one of the trout…it was yummy! It’s been awhile since we fished like this. There will be much more of it in the future.
Surf and turf night…yum yum!
We did a lot the week we were here, but we’d happily stay for a month or two. We’ll be back!
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