Stillwater River, Montana, 9th - 14th July 2023

Charlie and Heidi invited us to join them in a camping spot which was new to us. After leaving I-90 near Columbus we drove south-west for about 50 miles before reaching the campsite on the Stillwater River.

It was certainly an out-of-the-way location surrounded by high mountains and beautiful forest.

The scenic hike to the nearby waterfall proved tricky as the bridge over the Stillwater river had been washed away the previous winter. The river obviously did not live up to its name! We had to improvise and found a fallen tree trunk lying across the river which could be crossed on all fours, whilst desperately hoping not to fall in with the camera. It was worth the peril as we had the trail and waterfall entirely to ourselves.

Searching for a route to cross the river.

The next day's adventure also proved tricky. We rode our bikes upstream to another trailhead, where the car park resembled a lava field due to the action of flood waters. A section of the riverside trail had also disappeared into the river at some point and the hike upstream involved a long but scenic detour into the woods. We took our chances on the way back though and scrambled across the remaining rocks on the closed path.

Phil determined to cycle all the way to the trailhead.

Trail beside the Stillwater River.

Who needs a path?

At least the detour had good views.

As we arrived back in Bozeman, we received this photo of Harvey from our Charlie, who had spotted Harvey-the-RV waiting at the stop light headed to their house for a bonfire party to round off the weekend.