Paddling Montana

Guide books such as this are designed to provide the reader with good basic information or areas so that the user can more efficiently find their way to and around new places. This book succeeds in that respect. As far as the reviewer's comment about the lack of GPS coordinates goes, the reviewer ought to reexamine those comments. NO book should be viewed as providing an "essential safety role." Safety is the responsibility of the boater, and no one else. If you decide to get on the water it is critical that you accept this fact. Most river runners are competent and comfortable enough in their skills that they do not need GPS coordinates to navigate rivers and streams. If you are not capable of running rivers without needing to rely on GPS, I suggest you stick to something safer, without the potential for unknowns or surprises (which is what we used to refer to as adventure, or even fun). In fact, I think that in this case GPS coordinates could be potentially detrimental anyway. River features change, access points are moved, and the time between editions is usually so great for this type of book, that the inclusion of much GPS information would virtually guarantee inaccuracies very soon after publication. Thousands of people have enjoyed Montana's rivers utilizing much less information than contained in these pages. I would like to see more information on more challenging stretches of water, but there are other guidebooks dedicated to whitewater. This book is a solid introduction to Montana's waterways. Buy the book and then get paddling!

This books gives great detail about the each river, best times to go, where the crowds are(n't), basically everything you would need to know. The author explains that many of Monatana's rivers are in the western end, with a few in the dry eastern side. Many rivers described are also Class I (on the river rating system). Keep in mind that Class I can cover alot of levels, including those that are almost Class II. (for you beginners, just because it's class I it's not as smooth as a lake).I mainly bought this book for the Flathead River routes, but discovered so many more river. The book also mentions where to get detailed maps for certain river routes, including the Flathead.If you've got lots of time, you can even explore the route Lewis and Clark took back in the early 1800's.

The authors are competent paddlers and good writers. This is a well organized book with an excellent format. It contains helpful hydrographs and good photos. The informations is dependable. If you desire to paddle a Montana river, this is the place to start. I highly recommend it as THE guide book to get for our state.