Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
One hundred forty-nine miles of Upper Missouri River carry boaters through badlands, cottonwood bottoms, historic sites, wildlife, and long stretches of roadless public land.
Artwork inspired by C. M. Russell
The Breaks are best understood from the river and through named segments. Geology, Indigenous history, the Corps of Discovery, fur trade, steamboats, homesteading, and conservation layer along a corridor whose remoteness preserved both evidence and risk.
A float requires permits or registration, water planning, camps, sanitation, weather, fire, land-status knowledge, shuttle logistics, and self-rescue. Begin at the Fort Benton interpretive center, then choose a legal launch and segment rather than navigating to the monument’s center.
- River corridor
- About 149 miles
- Management
- Bureau of Land Management
- Plan
- Multi-day float or full-day overview
Quick guide
- Anchor
- Set launch, camps, water, waste, weather, and shuttle.
- Second focus
- Bureau of Land Management ↔ Set launch, camps, water, waste, weather, and shuttle
How to read Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument on site
- Begin indoors
- Use the Fort Benton center to choose a river segment.
- Plan system
- Set launch, camps, water, waste, weather, and shuttle.
- Read banks
- Connect geology, cultural sites, and river history without landing illegally.
- Stay capable
- Carry communication and repair capacity for long roadless reaches.
Good to know
A Google monument pin is not an arrival. Water levels, fire, gumbo roads, private parcels, and scarce potable water can change a trip; use current BLM river maps and register as required.
Notice these
- About 149 miles
- Bureau of Land Management
- Set launch, camps, water, waste, weather, and shuttle.