Planning A Canoe Trip

Unsure of when to plan your trip? Click here for Weather & Time of Year Considerations.

Don’t forget the guidebook! Our comprehensive river guidebook and history digest is perfect for pre-trip study and a companion for your canoe adventure through time.

How to get here

There are several other airports located ‘close’ (by Montana standards) to Fort Benton: Helena Regional Airport (HLN) - 2 hours; Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) - 3.5 hours; Butte’s Bert Mooney Airport - 3 hours; Missoula International Airport (MSO) - 3.5 hours; Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) - 4 hours. Any city listed can be a base for endless Montana exploration!

Flight/airport info: The closest airport is Great Falls International Airport (GTF).

There are several other airports located ‘close’ (by Montana standards) to Fort Benton: Helena Regional Airport (HLN) - 2 hours; Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) - 3.5 hours; Butte’s Bert Mooney Airport - 3 hours; Missoula International Airport (MSO) - 3.5 hours; Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) - 4 hours. Any city listed can be a base for endless Montana exploration!

Car Rental and Shuttle Information

Fort Benton is approximately 45 minutes north. There are several car rental agencies located at the airport, including several major companies such as Hertz, Enterprise and more. There is also Uber and a taxi service: BlackedOut 406 Taxi (call in advance to arrange airport pick up - 406.781.5218)

Are you flying into Great Falls? Don’t know how to get to Fort Benton? We can help.

For our guided trip folks, we can offer shuttle service for $145 each way (for the van, not per person). Thus, if there is multiple people, you can split the cost. Sometimes, renting a car and storing it at our headquarters is less expensive. Send us an email or call if you are interested in arranging a shuttle through us.

Are you doing the Badlands? And are you driving and hitting the road, going either South, North or East?

From James Kipp Recreation Area (our take out on the longer trips or Badlands-only trips), it may be more efficient for you to have us shuttle your car to the the take out, depending on our shuttle driver availability. The drive back to Fort Benton from James Kipp is 3 hours. Thus, you might be able to cut off 3 hours from your drive! Please give us a ring and we can discuss details.

Driving: if you are close enough or on an extended trip, driving can be a vastly rewarding option with endless possibilities for activities, history and sights along the way. Contact us for driving route and activity suggestions.

Accommodations

The Grand Union
Receive a discount if you mention you are going on a trip with us!
1 Grand Union Square
406-622-1882
888-838-1882
info@grandunionhotel.com

Emily's Vacation Cottage
806 Franklin Street
406-231-2764
info@emilysvacationcottage.com

Franklin Street Guest House
1105 Franklin Street
Contact: Dennis & June Bough
406-868-8711
jmbough@msn.com

Campgrounds in Fort Benton

Are you traveling to Fort Benton with your camper in tow? Great!

There are three options in Fort Benton for parking your camper the night before and after the trip: Canoe Launch Campground, Benton RV Park & Campground, and D & S RV Park. You can easily find their contact information from a quick Google search. We definitely recommend you call ahead of time.

The canoe camp launch at the fairgrounds is a favorite. During the trip, you will park your camper at our headquarters. We have a very large parking area. You can also run an extension cord to our facility to keep your fridge running.

About Fort Benton, Montana

Fort Benton is considered the “Birthplace of Montana,” and although it boasts a population of only 1400+, this small town is packed with history, quaint shops and nostalgia. We recommend spending at least one afternoon/night in order to absorb all this unique town has to offer.

The Fort Benton Chamber of Commerce: explore all Fort Benton has to offer including events, restaurants, and more.

Summer Celebration: Want to see small town Montana at its finest (and most fun?)? Experience Montana's premier small town festival! From live performances, community picnics, arts and crafts vendors, sidewalk chalk art contests, and a parade during the day to street dances and fireworks at night, you will find lots of reasons to love small town life for the weekend. We recommend attending the festival before or after a canoe trip - the combination will be unforgettable.

Fort Benton Museums and Attractions

If nothing else, we recommend you take a stroll through the past along the riverfront walking path. Fort Benton is unique in that there are virtually no buildings actually on the waterfront. Thus, one can meander peacefully on a paved path with the quaint building of downtown Fort Benton on one side and the magnificent river on the other. If you aren’t staying at the Grand Union Hotel, we recommend you stop in or have a drink or dinner. Generally, we simply recommend you take the time to visit shops, restaurants and other establishments and chat with the locals. We absolutely love the people of Fort Benton - they are our river family - and they make this place special!

Fort Benton boasts several wonderful museums and interpretive centers. Click here for more information.

Historic Old Fort Benton - Tour the fort which is packed to the brim with period furnishings, buffalo robes, beads, trinkets, blankets and other period trade goods. There is also a large collection of fur trade era items and also displays a blacksmith & carpenters shop.

The Museum of the Northern Great Plains

This fabulous collection displays the past one hundred years of life through the Montana plains focusing on stories of homesteaders and more.

Homestead Village

Located adjacent to the Museum of the Northern Great Plains, this display offers a chance to visualize a typical rural community set in the early 1900’s

The Museum of the Upper Missouri

Take a voyage into the past and through the history of the Upper Missouri River and Fort Benton. Dive into how Fort Benton became a fur trade post and lawless river port.

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument Interpretive Center

This center offers natural and cultural history of the National Monument, wildlife on the river and more.

The Starr Gallery of Western Art

Located in the Council Room of the newly construction Bourgeois House, this gallery features Montana sculptor Bob Scriver’s More Buffalo Collection along with rare Karl Bodmer prints.

Montana Travel

Our great state has it all, so take your time and stay a while. It is impossible to list all the sights offered by the great state of Montana. We are happy to help - get in touch for local recommendations.

Visit Montana is a comprehensive resource for planning an extended through Montana with endless sights, trips ideas and more. This is a great place to start. Do not hesitate to contact us – we do lots of exploring in and around Montana – and we might just let you in on a secret spot or two…

Our friends around the state:

• Glacier Adventure Guides: Adventure in Glacier National Park and beyond

• Sleeping Giant Tours: Scenic & fishing day or overnight trips on Yellowstone River

• In Our Nature Guiding Services: Expertly guided wildlife watching tours and hikes in Yellowstone and Gallatin National Forests.

• Seasonal Montana: Farm-to-Table culinary experience. Also offering fly fishing lodging packages.

• Dropstone Outfitters: Guided hiking and stock supported trips into the Bob Marshall Wilderness.