Neat Coulee on The Upper Missouri River Breaks

Fort Benton, Montana

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Details

Distance

2 miles

Elevation Gain

100 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Chris Engelsman

A slot canyon in the Wild and Scenic Missouri River section accessible only by a river camping trip!

Neat Coulee is a slot canyon in Central Montana that was formed by water erosion of the white sandstone cliffs.

To get to the Neat Coulee, you'll need to do a river trip. The nearest put-in in Coal Banks Landing. You could exit the river at Hole in the Rock road, but most people continue on to Judith Landing.

From the Eagle Creek Campground, it's about a .9 mile hike to the entrance of the slot canyon. At the entrance, there are some tall juniper trees. Typically, people think of southern Utah for slot canyons, but Central Montana has some magnificent ones as well. The coulee is assessable thanks to the land easement associated with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

At Eagle Creek Campground, there is a vault toilet.

Have fun exploring this little slice of awesomeness!

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