Rates/Reservations/Cancellations
Return to MBRC home page
- Rates:These are the rates for the 2012 season.
Different times of the year, different put-in and take-out points, shuttle or no shuttle, length in time and distance of voyage, the numbers of people you choose to travel with...all these variables and more make for variable rates and offer you different opportunities for river travel.
Please note: Missouri Breaks River co. charges for the boat trip and not the shuttle ride back to the put in. We trailer the boat back home (Great Falls) so you are welcome to ride with us from Judith Landing, the take out, and we will drop you back at the put in (Coal Banks usually) as a courtesy. If you prefer to ride back in your own vehicle (or continue onward in a different direction from our takeout and need your vehicle at the takeout--and some folks do just this) we are happy to furnish you with names of the various shuttle operators so your vehicle will be waiting for you at the takeout when we arrive.
For further details about each trip see our River Cruises & Day Trips page.
Our Regular Trips!
The White Cliffs during the no-wake rule (June 15 thru Sep 15) ...our (and your) most popular trip. Departs Coal Banks Landing 9:30 a.m. arrives Judith Landing approx. 5 p.m. Ride with us back to Coal Banks (and your auto, about 70 miles) estimated time of arrival 7 p.m. We have a sliding scale rate for this trip and it goes like this: $350.00 each for the first two passengers to total $700.00--and yes, we will make a trip with just two passengers. However, if you choose to make a trip with only two passengers there will be an additional charge of $100 for a shuttle fee to get the truck and trailer to the takeout: so the fare will be $350.00 each/or $700 + $100 for the shuttle to total $800.
If you make the trip with three, (no $100 shuttle fee with 3+ passengers) the fare is $300.00 each; with four passengers the fare is $275 each. The charge for a fifth passenger when water allows it is $150.00. As part of our trip we offer a wonderful lunch (lots of people can't eat it all and it is delicious!--frozen ice tea, frozen lemonade, 2 sandwiches each, snacks, cookies, fruit, soft drinks) we order from the Virgelle Merc. All you need to do is board our boat with your personal gear. It's the same lunch they provide for our joint White Cliffs Cruise below, and is ample, hearty and delicious. If you wish (and some people do because they prefer their own food selections or have some special food need--we do, however, also provide lunch for special food needs, you just have to let us know) you are welcome to bring your own lunch. We'll adjust the fare accordingly. We have room for your coolers and lunch or drink refreshments. So the choice is yours. Just let us know which option you prefer when you make the booking.
- Our Deluxe White Cliffs Cruise.
Two nights lodging (one before the trip and one after), two breakfasts, an on-board lunch, a Montana style sit down dinner after the cruise (an example of food?-whiskey glazed ribs, lemon roasted potatoes, cole slaw, corn-on-the-cob, desert, freshly ground coffee, yum!) all at the Virgelle Merc Bed & Breakfast and the highlight, the White Cliffs day trip with MBRC, $550 per person, based on four guests/passengers. Please see our Possible Trips page for details.
The White Cliffs before or after the no-wake rule (before June 15 or after September 15) Departs Coal Banks Landing 10 a.m. We travel downstream at no wake speed toward Judith, past Eagle Creek, Citadel and Hole-in-the-Wall, Seven Sisters, Dark Butte...usually traveling as far as Pablo Island, another Lewis & Clark campsite (May 30, 1805) and the end of the White Cliffs proper. 
At 3:30 p.m. wherever we are we turn around and jet back upstream, (reducing to no wake speed each time we pass floaters of course) estimated arrival at Coal Banks 5 p.m. The price is $700 ($350 per person---we have lots of couples take us up on this, they get the boat and trip to themselves and lock the time frame in early so they know they have the trip booked) for two people; $300 per passenger for three; $275 each for four. September & October can be glorious, fall is frequently the best time to be on the river; May can be equally wonderful with all kinds of seasonal greenery and the first part of June is often warm & sunny. Plan some flexibility into your river trip date and we will do our best to accommodate you. We'll be adding some Budget Trips to this format. Please check the website later as we get these trips posted.
Okay. So you haven't budgeted the time or money (and yes, it does take both to do a full day trip) for one of our Regular Trips above. And you really do 'just want to see it'. So here's the deal: Before June 15th or after September 15th we can run downstream, turn around and come back up on plane; that means cruising speed, planing. This avoids the longer 49 mile day trip and the time (and our expense and equipment beating) of the shuttle. So before June 15 or after September 15 we can take you down and back on a half day trip, you supply your own lunch and drink refreshments if you want them. We've worked out a tailored pricing, that is, tailored to the length of trip and time it takes. The least expensive and shortest first:
All trips begin and end at Coal Banks Landing.
- Eagle Creek and back.
One or two passengers $500.00 minimum. We depart Coal Banks and run downstream to stop at Eagle Creek, stretch our legs with a walk over to Eagle Creek and take in the overview of the Lewis & Clark campsite then return upstream to Coal Banks; additional passengers are $100 each. This is an unbeatable way to see the river and get into the White Cliffs and on the same trip get an overview of the historic Lewis & Clark campsite. You will visits and see one of the premier places in the White Cliffs. If you want to add some distance and time, like go downstream to Citadel and Hole-in-the-Wall or add a hike to the pictograph at Eagle Creek or a hike to the top of Hole-in-the-Wall, we can do that. The trip can be fully customized and offers flexibility. You can figure 4 hours for the trip timing.
Other trips and distances are available on the Budget Trips deal: Call for details, there are just too many variables to cover here.
If all this seems like a lot of information and a bit complicated that's because it is.
Not to belabor the point but this is big country and it's remote, even by Montana standards. And it's rough country-many miles of roads you have to travel over are washboarded gravel that will rattle your teeth and beat your vehicle to death. The river is shallow and rocky. It has devoured its share of all types of riverboats throughout history and still dines on a few modern watercraft from time to time. Ours included. It exacts its toll on every boat, every season. These are not 'just boat rides'. When you are on a river in a area as remote as this one there is an element ofadventure to every trip. Add to this mix it's a federally regulated river; that means paperwork, permits, understanding regulations, insurance, BLM and Coast Guard licensing. Logistics problems; (how do you get there-we trailer 75 miles from Great Falls just to get to the put in if it's Coal Banks-how do you get your boat there, get your shuttle vehicle to the take out 75 miles downstream, get yourself back to the put in and you still have to make the river portion of the trip!
So these are not 'just boat rides'; the planning and execution takes foresight, and a ton of work and flexibility. It is not always as simple to make a river trip as it first appears. But the rewards the river offers are worth the effort. You will not be disappointed. We try to make our trips as safe, reliable, comfortable and as pleasant as possible, however you do need to be prepared for unexpected difficulties because that is always a part of any river trip. Please see our Safety and Liability page for more information.
