Out of the Breaks
Russell NWR to Great Falls
Into the Breaks introduced you to a land route tour in this rugged landscape. Out of the Breaks takes you from Lewistown to Great Falls with an option to travel part of the Nez Perce National Historic Trail.
Visit the American Prairie and then travel north to Judith Landing State Park for a visit to a site honoring multiple historic and cultural events and structures from early day Montana.
This route travels through the C M Russell Wildlife Refuge including the opportunity to see American Bison on American Prairie’s Sun Prairie Unit and traverses one of the most geologically unique, remote, and historically significant areas in Montana, virtually unchanged from when explorers Lewis and Clark described the area as “Mauvaise Terres, the ‘Bad Lands.’ ”
Be Aware- the Byway is unpaved and many sections are recommended for high clearance vehicles (4×4) only. Furthermore, slick mud surfaces and seasonal creeks become impassable when wet due to the local prevalence of bentonite clay, or gumbo! Please check local conditions before making the trip! Make sure you have enough fuel, food, and water for your trip. Cell phone coverage is limited. It is not recommended you take the Byway after heavy rains, during the winter, or during periods of heavy spring run-off. Contact the Lewistown Field Office or Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument’s Interpretive Center with any questions!
Read our Out of the Breaks Digital Travel Magazine for an additional Back Country Experience at the C M Russell NWR and the American Praire.
You may also like our L&C Travel Magazine!
A self-guided auto tour route, which may be accessed from two points along Highway 191 on the west side of the refuge, provides visitors the chance to see the refuge close-up and gain a better understanding of its unique natural resources, ecosystem, and wildlife. The tour route follows an all-weather gravel road that parallels the Missouri River before climbing out onto upland prairie and rolling rangeland. Interpretive stops along the route provide information on the wildlife, geology, and history of this unique landscape. This auto tour route is 19 miles long and takes 2-3 hours to complete.
Auto Tour Route - CMR National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA
American Prairie Antelope Creek Campground, DY Junction, MT, USA
James Kipp Campground, Winifred, MT, USA
Miner's Club, Whitcomb Street, Zortman, MT, USA
American Prairie Antelope Creek Campground, DY Junction, MT, USA
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Buffalo Camp is American Prairie’s most remote lodging option. The campground is on the rolling sagebrush steppe and mixed shortgrass prairie of their Sun Prairie property, which is home to a herd of American plains bison, prairie dog towns, pronghorn, a wealth of birdlife,and more. The campground is located 4 miles north of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and is close to a variety of recreation opportunities. Tent sites and RV spaces are available to reserve, and guests have access to vault toilets, an amphitheater, group pavilions, and a 1-mile hiking trail.
Buffalo Camp is open year-round. The campground is a self-service facility accessible on gravel and unimproved roads with a high clearance AWD/4WD vehicle in dry conditions. Reservations are required and must be made online.
UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge is a remote area within the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. The land maintains much of the same character as when the Lewis and Clark Expedition went around this sharp, southward bend in the Missouri River in May 1805.
Activities include hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, biking, and hiking. Be prepared for extreme temperatures, little water, and no maintained roads or trails. High-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles are required and in wet weather, most tracks are impassable.
Decision Point is a must for those following the Lewis and Clark Trail. It is here that the two captains had to choose between the Marias and Missouri Rivers. Just a mile off the highway near the town of Loma, Montana, Decision Point will lead you on a short trail to an overlook above the old confluence of the two rivers. The captains literally stood on this high point mulling over which river to follow. They spent several days scouting both rivers and ultimately chose the Missouri even though most of the enlisted men thought that the Marias was the main river.
Decision Point, Loma Ferry Road, Loma, MT, USA
Bear Paw Battlefield - Nez Perce, Chinook, MT, USA
Fort Belknap Agency, MT, USA
158 Tribal Way, Harlem, Montana, USA
At Fort Benton, you will find food and refreshments, parks, historic buildings, museums, lodging, and two campgrounds. A narrow park along the old steamboat landing is packed with statues and interpretive signs about Fort Benton’s role as a transportation hub linking Canada to the north and gold fields to the south and west. Worthy of a visit are Historic Old Fort Benton, the Hornaday Bison Collection at the Museum of the Northern Great Plains, and the BLM’s Upper Missouri River Breaks Interpretive Center.
Fort Benton, MT, USA
Museum of the Northern Great Plains, 20th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Old Fort Benton, River Street, Fort Benton, Montana 59442, USA
1513 Washington St, Fort Benton, MT 59442
Old Fort Benton Bridge, 15th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Grand Union Hotel, Grand Union Square, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center, 7th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
Museum of the Northern Great Plains, 20th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
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Old Fort Benton, River Street, Fort Benton, Montana 59442, USA
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Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center, 7th Street, Fort Benton, MT, USA
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In June 1805, Sacagawea became “extreemly ill” and both captains failed to administer any effective medicines. Lewis sent a canoe across the river from their Lower Portage Camp:
“to procure the water of the Sulpher spring, the virtues of which I now resolved to try on the Indian woman. I caused her to drink the mineral water altogether.”
Her condition improved the next day. Today, you can still visit this Sulphur Spring via a 3.6-mile (round trip) trail with viewpoints, interpretive signs, and of course Sulphur Springs itself. The trail is for hikers only—no bicycles allowed.
Sulphur Springs Trailhead, Great Falls, MT, USA
Lower Portage Staging Area, Salem, MT, USA
“. . . the grandest sight I ever beheld…whin my ears were saluted with the agreeable sound of a fall of water and advancing a little further; I saw the spray arise above the plain like a collumn of smoke . . . which soon began to make a roaring too tremendous to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri . . .”
—Meriwether Lewis, June 13, 1805
The best view of The Great Falls is from the highest point at Ryan Island Park, which is accessed from a suspension bridge across the Missouri River. The island has a large picnic area, and just above the parking lot is a trailhead for the River’s Edge Trail which goes to Great Falls and connects with the Sulphur Springs Trail.
Ryan Dam, Great Falls, MT, USA
Giant Springs State Park, Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT, USA
4201 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT 59405, USA
Giant Springs State Park, Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT, USA
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4201 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT 59405, USA
View ListingOur bi-weekly newsletter provides news, history, and information for those interested in traveling along along the Lewis & Clark Trail.
