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 offers you different opportunities for river travel.
Please note a couple of items: We reserve the right to add a surcharge if necessary to adjust for fuel prices. You can easily understand that requirement in the current unstable fuel price environment. Also note: We charge 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 go onward in a different direction from our takeout and need your vehicle there--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.
The White Cliffs during the no-wake rule...our (and your) most popular trip. Time frame-the Sunday prior to Memorial Day thru the weekend Sunday following Labor Day; in other words most of Summer. 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: $275.00 each for the first two passengers to total $550.00--and yes, we will make a trip with just two; $225 for the third person and $125 for the fourth person. So if you make a trip with two the fare will be $275 each, with three it will be $259 each; with four the fare will be $225 each. The charge for a fifth passenger when water allows it is $125.00 (unless it is a White Cliffs Cruise package when the full fare of the Cruise package applies to all equally). 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) that we pick up 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) you are welcome to bring your own lunch. 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.
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 $550 ($275 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, it is the same graduated scale we use for the same graduated scale for our White Cliffs Trip during the no wake rule for additional people if it's possible to carry more passengers (and low water in the fall often-but not always-prevents us from doing these trips with 4 passengers). 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. Plan some flexibility into your river trip date and we will do our best to accommodate you.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, now get yourself back to the put in and you still have to make the river portion of the trip! After the river trip you need to get back to the put-in point.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.