Kootenai River

We arrived in Libby, MT on June 13th. Jan found a wonderful COE (Army Corps of Engineers) campground a couple miles from Libby, three miles below the Libby Dam on the Kootenai River. For the ten days we were there, there we were mainly the only ones there, out of 7 camp sites. Green grass, paved road, right on the river, a bowery with picnic table, and stone steps down to the river. No amenities, no cell service, but it was free, so a great deal!

During the June heatwave, 90°-112°, we had it really good! The water was about 45°, and there was a light breeze coming off the water most of the day, keeping us quite cool. That was a real blessing! Also took the opportunity to do some fishing, but only terrified the fish.

We discovered some great places to eat lunch in Libby. The Amish store had great sandwiches and ice cream, and a little diner named Diane's had really good homemade soups and sumptuous sandwiches.

When you drive west of town you will come to the Kootenai Falls, a place not to be missed! Not only was it cool, the river, falls, and rapids were beautiful. We walked east to the falls and eventually back west to the suspension bridge which crosses the river. We were there for several hours, and finished up with slushees at the concession stand. We know to handle heat!

The way the river goes over “steps” is unique. The falls are actually a series of steps. The water is a crystal clear green color, and quite cold.

The last destination was along a cool trail to the suspension bridge over the river.

At camp we saw a number of critters. A mouse entertained us as he foraged under our chairs for goodies. We also saw an eagle pair showing their youngster how to hunt fish. Twice a day we would see them doing slow circles over the river, followed by the eaglet. Several times the youngster would land in a tree and complain quite loudly that he was hungry and wanting them to feed him. They sometimes landed near him and just waited. We also saw deer.

A couple days before leaving a couple stopped by to visit. They have the same model fifth wheel that we have. A 15 minute visit turned into a 2 hour visit, and an invitation to dinner the next evening at their camp a couple miles away. what a delight! Josh has a Traeger pellet grill, and made us the best melt in your mouth brisket we have ever tasted! After dinner, Elizabeth gave us a harp concert. We were there until dark. We are enjoying this lifestyle and the wonderful fellow RVers we meet.

Our time in Libby came to an end two days later. We had a wonderful time, but it was time to move on to Priest River.