Libby, Montana Adventure

Four weekends ago, we visited Libby, Montana, an area of Montana that we had never previously ventured to. Libby, located within the Kootenai National Forest, is just a short distance from Troy. We followed the Kootenai River along US Hwy 2 from Bonners Ferry, Idaho. The river can be seen through the trees and amongst the rock outcroppings; what a beautiful area this is! The Purcell Mountains are to the north and the Cabinet Mountains are to the south; they are stuffed with lush green trees. Like many of our prior adventures, we had high hopes of paddling a significant number of miles in the kayak. The largest body of water to paddle in Libby is Lake Koocanusa!

Lake Koocanusa is a reservoir created when the Kootenay River was dammed north of Libby. The reservoir is approximately 90 miles long, with 48 miles on the US side of the border and 42 miles stretching north into Canada. In the morning, we put The Big Mango in at the Libby Dam boat launch and paddled north along the western shore. With the wind picking up, we headed back to the boat launch and loaded the kayak onto the truck. From there, we headed to Koocanusa Resort & Marina, where we anticipated the wind to be a bit lighter. We put the kayak in at the boat launch and began paddling into a small inlet. After kayaking around the inlet, we headed south along the eastern shoreline.

The area has a rugged, untouched feel, which we thoroughly enjoy. We prefer paddling on bodies of water that are kept natural and not developed with houses, and this fits the bill perfectly. We had paddled for about a mile, with a very mild wind. Just as we were feeling confident that we could keep going, the wind swept in! Sadly, we turned around and headed back to the boat launch. Even though we were only able to paddle a total of 4.4 miles, we still had a great time exploring this beautiful place!

Food for Thought: Is it the Kootenay River or the Kootenai River? While either is correct, here is the detailed explanation: The name of the river changes as it crosses the US–Canada border. Kootenay is used when referring to the part of the river north of the US–Canada border or the river as a whole; Kootenai is used when referring to the part of the river south of the US–Canada border.

After kayaking, we grabbed some lunch and then headed to Kootenai Falls. From the parking lot, it is about a one-mile hike to the scenic area(s) of the falls. As our followers know, I (Stella) am not a summer hiker, regardless of the distance. It was over 90 degrees that day, and I decided to take one for the team and go with Larry, who wanted to snap some pictures. Once back in the truck, I told Larry that I had met my summer hiking quota.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Since moving to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho September of 2024, we are eager to continue exploring places in Idaho, Montana and Washington that are so much closer to us now than when we lived in Colorado. We have traveled a lot this summer, eager to paddle many miles, but the wind continues not to be in our favor for that. However, with all the locations we’ve visited this summer, it is easy to visit them as often as we’d like now! We are returning to Lake Koocanusa next weekend so that we may continue exploring this beautiful place with our kayak. Larry picked out another launch area for us to visit.

WHERE IS PADDLE & TRAILS HEADED NEXT?

• August 9: Stanley, Idaho (Redfish Lake)
• August 22-24: Libby, Montana (again)
• August 29-September 1: McCall and Cascade, Idaho
• September 12-14: To be determined
• September 19-21: To be determined
• October 10-13: Port Angeles, Washington
• December 24-28: Island Park, Idaho