Shuttle Services

We offer shuttle service for all of the launch and take-out points in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument as well as pickup at the Great Falls Airport, at hotels in Great Falls, and at the Amtrak Station in Havre. This is big country, with long driving distances - we strive to keep our prices affordable.

Below is a comprehensive price list for most shuttle needs, listed by the various trips that are possible on the Upper Missouri.

At the bottom of this page is some "About Us" information, which tells about our vehicles and drivers.

Our largest shuttle vehicle will hold 10 persons, maximum; larger parties will require a second shuttle vehicle.

SHUTTLE: Starting at Fort Benton and Paddling to: Wood Bottom (Loma), Coal Banks Landing, Judith Landing, or James Kipp Recreation Area

If you are renting canoes from us, we will deliver them to the Fort Benton launch point for no charge, and you can park your car at our shop for the duration of your trip. If you are providing your own canoes, you can drop them off at the lauch point, and park your car at our shop for no charge. In both cases, we will provide shuttle service at the end of the trip to return you, and the canoes, to Fort Benton. Charges for the return shuttles are as follows: pickup at Wood Bottom - $50; pickup at Coal Banks Landing - $140; pickup at Judith Landing - $230; pickup at James Kipp Recreation Area - $335.

SHUTTLE: Coal Banks Landing to Judith Landing - (The White Cliffs)

If you are renting our canoes:

Option 1: You can drive yourself to Coal Banks Landing (the lauch point), and we will deliver your rental canoes there. Charge for canoe delivery is $120. At the end of the trip we will pick you up at Judith Landing (the take-out) and return you to your car (at Coal Banks Landing). Charge for this service is $230. We will then return our canoes to Fort Benton - no additional charge.

Option 2: You can meet us in Fort Benton at our shop, where you can park your car for the duration of your trip, at no charge. We will provide transportation to Coal Banks Landing for people, gear, and canoes. Charge for this service is: $120 for the first six (6) persons; additional persons incur a charge of $15 each. At the end of the trip, we will pick you up at Judith Landing and return directly to our shop in Fort Benton.

If you are using your own canoes:

Option 1: The most popular and economical option is for you to drive to Coal Banks Landing, launch with no support from us. At the end of the trip, we will pick you up at Judith Landing, and return you, with gear and canoes, to your vehicles that you left at Coal Banks Landing. Charge is $230.

Option 2: You can meet us in Fort Benton at our shop, where you can park your car for the duration of your trip. We will provide transportation to Coal Banks Landing for people, gear, and canoes. Charge for this service is: $120 for the first four (4) persons; additional persons incur a charge of $15 each. At the end of the trip, we will pick you up at Judith Landing and return directly to Fort Benton at a charge of $230.

Option 3: You can drive to Coal Banks Landing, launch with no support from us, and - while you are on the river - have us transport your car to Judith Landing, where it will be waiting for you whenever you get off the river. This will involve making arrangements to provide us with car keys. The charge for this is $230 for the 1st vehicle, and $50 for each additional vehicle.

SHUTTLE: Coal Banks Landing to James Kipp Recreation Area
(The White Cliffs and The Badlands)

If you are renting our canoes:

If you are renting canoes from us, then the most economical shuttle for this trip - both in terms of cost and time efficiency - is for us to shuttle you to Coal Banks Landing at the beginning of the trip, with you leaving your cars parked at our shop for the duration of the trip. The cost for us to shuttle you -with gear and canoes - is $120 for the first six (6) persons, and then $15 for each additional person.

At the end of your trip, we will pick you up at James Kipp Recreation Area, and transport you back to Fort Benton. The charge for the return shuttle is $335 for the entire party, with no additional per person charge.

If you are using your own canoes:

Option 1: The most economical shuttle for this trip - both in terms of cost and time efficiency - is for us to shuttle you to Coal Banks Landing at the beginning of the trip, with you leaving your cars parked at our shop for the duration of the trip. The cost for us to shuttle you -with gear and canoes - is $120 for the first four (4) persons, and then $15 for each additional person. We will then arrange to pick you up at James Kipp Recreation Area and return to Fort Benton. Charge is $335.

Option 2: If you drive to Coal Banks Landing to launch, your vehicles will be parked there for the duration of the trip. At the end of the trip we will pick you up at James Kipp Recreation Area, travel back through Fort Benton, and then continue to Coal Banks Landing, where you will be reunited with your vehicles. Charge is $455. Note ... using Option #1 eliminates the leg from Fort Benton to Coal Banks, thus saving time on the day that you get off the river; cost is identical.

Option 3: You can lauch at Coal Banks Landing with no support from us. While you are on the river, we can pick up your car and deliver it to James Kipp Recreation Area, so that it will be waiting for you whenever you get off the river. This will involve making arrangements to provide us with car keys. Charge is $365 for the first car, and $80 for each additional car.

SHUTTLE: Great Falls Airport - Great Falls Hotels - Havre Amtrak Station

Great Falls: The arrival time of most flights in Great Falls makes it impractical to launch on the river on the same day; so you will want to spend a night at a hotel in either Great Falls or Fort Benton. We can meet your flight, and transport you to a hotel in Fort Benton, and then get you on the river the next day. If you stay at a Great Falls hotel, we will pick you up in the morning, and transport you to you directly to your launch point. One-way charges are: To/From Fort Benton & Great Falls - $125; To/From Coal Banks Landing & Great Falls - $165; To/From Judith Landing & Great Falls - $285; From James Kipp Recreation Area to Great Falls - $350.

Havre: Pickup at Havre Station to Fort Benton $100; to Coal Banks Landing - $100. Return trip to Havre Station from Judith Landing - $190; from James Kipp Recreation Area - $350.

Resupply at Judith Landing

A popular option for paddlers on extended trips is a resupply at Judith Landing. This allows you to launch on your trip without carrying supplies for the entire trip, making your canoes lighter and faster. We can arrange to meet you at Judith Landing with a resupply of drinking water, dry goods, frozen and refrigerated goods (which you can keep cold in our shop), cold beverages, and ice. Charge is $230.

About Our Shuttle Service

Our shuttle vehicles are well maintained, air-conditioned vans, and are driven by responsible, conservative adults. If we are transporting your vehicle we want to assure you that it too, will be driven by the same responsible individuals. Pictured at the right is John Lulf, a fifth-grade teacher in Fort Benton, who runs our shuttle service and is our primary driver.

To assure the safety of your vehicle we offer the option of storing your vehicle at our shop in Fort Benton, avoiding the need for you to leave your vehicle unattended for several days at the launch site. This option may  involve a small additional charge for us to pick up your vehicle at your launch site and transport it to Fort Benton, but there is no charge for the storage. Another advantage of this service is that at the end of your trip (depending on what segment of the river you're paddling) your return shuttle may be shorter - in both miles and time - and therefore less expensive.

If you have questions about shuttle services, you can call John at 406.622.3652.

General:
Gear can be reserved in advance with a 50% deposit; cancellations must be made 60 days prior to reservation date to receive refund. Full payment is due at the beginning of your trip, at which time you will complete a rental agreement. See below for damage deposit information for specific items. We accept check, cash, money order, and travelers check; sorry, no credit cards.

We provide high quality gear - in good working order - that will make your trip safe, enjoyable, and comfortable. It is our expectation that all gear will be returned in good condition. We will provide general cleanup of equipment upon its return. 

Canoes:
If you're renting canoes from us, we prefer that you utilize our shuttle service. We will pick you up in an air-conditioned van at your takeout location at a predetermined date and time, and return you and our canoes to your put-in location or to our shop in Fort Benton, where your vehicle will be waiting for you. Other shuttle options can be arranged to suit your needs.

Canoe Damage/Loss Deposits:
It is our sincere goal to return 100% of any damage deposit money that we collect from you. If you return our equipment in good condition your deposit will be promptly refunded.
We will provide you with clear, thorough instructions on proper use and care of our canoes and equipment.

For Royalex canoes (Sundowner, Champlain, and Spirit II models, retail value of $1200) a deposit of $100.00 (cash or check) payable at time of rental is expected.
For Kevlar canoes (Itasca, Escape, Minnesota 2, 4 models, retail value of $2500) a deposit of $500.00 (cash or check) payable at time of rental is expected. 

Equipment Damage/Loss Deposits:
A damage/loss deposit equal to 50% or the total amount of your equipment rental bill will be due at the beginning of your trip (cash or check)