Kayaking Lewis and Clark's Gates of the Mountains

One of the main reasons we made this stop in Helena was its vicinity to another famous Lewis and Clark site--The Gates of the Mountains. We had been told several times that this was a not-to-be-missed trip. So in spite of the smoke, we made the 20 mile trip north of Helena to the boat dock.

Most tourists will see the Gates of the Mountains on a boat ride that starts at this marina. But we much prefer our own kayak when possible. We did our homework, and found that this trip is definitely doable on our own. So we launched the kayak into the perfectly still lake by the dock.

Then we kayaked next to the limestone walls as we turned out of the lake and into the canyon.

The Gates of the Mountains is a name given to this area by Lewis and Clark on their famous trek to discover a path to the Pacific Ocean. When the Corp of Discovery looked down the canyon with 1,200-foot-tall cliffs, it looked like they were gates that were closed over the river ahead.

But as they continued through the Missouri River Canyon, the "gates" opened. That's when Meriwether Lewis named this river gorge "The Gates of the Mountains." That name has stuck for the last 200 years.

It was nice to see a bit of blue sky above the limestone cliffs. We got blue sky times two, with it also mirrored in the river as well.

We found that it was hard to take a picture that captures the size and grandeur of these 1,200 foot tall cliffs. We saw one other group of kayaks on the Missouri River today, and they give a little bit of the scale of size. You can barely see the red and yellow kayaks in the water in the bottom right hand corner.

On July 1, 1805, Lewis recorded this description in his journal: "This evening we entered much of the most remarkable clifts that we have yet seen. These clifts rise above the waters edge on either side perpendicularly to the height of 1200 feet." In their long voyage up the Missouri River, these cliffs were their introduction to the rugged Rocky Mountains ahead.

These cliffs run for 6 miles, and of course we had to kayak to the end. We were glad to take a break at the picnic grounds about half-way into our journey.

Just past that point is Mann Gulch. In 1949, lightning started a wildfire that entrapped 13 men that were part of a smokejumper crew in this steep canyon.

We paddled the six miles to the end of the canyon, and were ready to turn around. That's when a fisherman urged us to paddle a little further. Just around the next curve is a natural mineral lick where big horn sheep often come to the water's edge.

Sure enough, our extra effort was rewarded with some close-up views of a small herd of sheep. These ladies are not as regal as the males with their large curving horns.

But they have with them the long-legged babies that are cute in their own lanky way.

With our silent kayak, we didn't seem to bother the herd. This mother came down to the water not far from our boat. The banks are steep, and getting a drink is a precarious exercise.

We wouldn't have gotten that close-up look at the herd if we would have been riding in that noisy tour boat. We could hear them a mile away as the engine noise echoed off the canyon walls.

We watched as the tour boat left us behind. We recognized one advantages to riding on that boat, when we knew that we had to paddle six more miles to get back to the dock. The good news is this stretch of the Missouri River has a dam on both sides of the Gates of the Mountains. So this six miles is almost without current to row against. Of course, the afternoon winds have picked up a little, giving us some resistance on our trek back.

We had some entertainment from more wildlife along the banks. There was this mule deer with ears perked in two different directions as she checked out the kayakers in the water.

We assume these mule deer have incredible hearing, with ears that look out of proportion to their dainty heads.

There were also a few birds on our voyage, including this sizable white pelican reflected in the water.

We have to admit that our arms were really tired by the time we rowed the 12 miles today. As pretty as those tall limestone cliffs were, we were both glad to shut the door on the Gates of the Mountains. The mirror-like lake beside the dock was a welcome sight.

We have done some Lewis and Clark hikes, but this was the first time we rowed where these famous explorers rowed. Besides some sore shoulders and some smoky views, it was a great day on the Missouri River at the Gates of the Mountains.

The next two days we saw air quality worsen as winds brought in more smoke from the wildfires in Montana. We did make a trip to downtown Helena on Sunday morning for church. We enjoyed the services at Narrate Church, held in the Grandstreet Theatre. This building was built as a church, then re-purposed as a theatre. It has come full circle now that it has church services on Sunday mornings once again.

Aside from that trip to church and a shopping trip for food supplies, we spent an unusual amount of time inside the motor home, staying out of the smoke. When shopping for a motor home, we looked for one that would be comfortable on those rainy days when we couldn't spend time outside. We didn't realize that there would be smoky days that kept us inside as well. It's all part of the adventure, but we're ready to move out of the smoke!