little mo

[eac]

anyone ever float the little Missouri river from hwy 84 to lake Greeson? what water level should I look for, and how long does it take? looks like it would be good fishing.

[Jim Krueger]

It's been a while since I have floated that section, however I've made many trips down it over the years, a very scenic favorite of mine. Tom Kennon suggests a level between 4ft - 6.5ft. in his Whitewater book. I've floated it in the 3ft range when there was some dragging, up to a little over 5ft. I personally like the 4ft. range. The trip down to the bridge at Star of the west(Hwy 70) is about 11.5 miles, so I'd budget 5-6 hours at a minimum, more if fishing any at all.
Most often on this section, we take out on Weyerhauser Rd. 12,000 (also called Oldam rd.), that cut's off the last mile and a half or so down to the bridge.

This is a long float in a remote setting, and does have some pretty challenging WW features when the water is flowing pretty well. In the years past, before the timber company gated-off it's roads along the river, my friends and I made week-long trips on this section. For ten years, we were able to drive in and base camp where Blocker Creek joins the Little Missouri. This was just the perfect spot, roughly half way through this section. We could/did routinely put in at the bridge in the morning, take out at our camp for lunch, then ran the lower stretch in the afternoon. There were times when the river was low enough for lots of swimming and fishing, or times when it was a bit high and kicking our rear ends, that half the section was all we wanted in the day.

Have a good time if you go, you'll enjoy many of the WW features along the way, some even with names, like 'Meeks Falls' I do suggest going with a group for safety.

Best Regards
Jim

[eac]

it was four foot Saturday when I was looking at it and it looked just about right for a float. next time it's at that level let's cook up I trip, I'll need a guide.