Stay away from Judith Landing

Judith Landing, an isolated outpost on the Missouri River downstream from Great Falls, Montana, is one of those special places that makes an RVer feel selfish; you want to hoard the location and keep it a secret lest publicizing it attract so many visitors that the spot loses its appeal.

So maybe I shouldn’t mention that Judith Landing abounds with history, such as centuries of occupation by native Americans; a Lewis and Clark encampment in 1805; three frontier forts; an 1855 treaty council with representatives from major Indian tribes; the first discovery of dinosaur fossils in North America; a stage coach route; a listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.

And perhaps I should keep my mouth shut about the rugged bluffs, the groves of lovely cottonwood trees, the lush meadows, the wildlife and the inclusion in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. I’d be foolish to point out that the campground lies within one of those grassy cottonwood groves by the river. No, no, my wife and I didn’t sit in our lawn chairs in the cool summer shade just a few feet from the bank and watch the majestic river flow quietly by. We didn’t wave to the occasional canoeist or study deer grazing on the other side, either.

And we didn’t stroll down to the log cabin general store to buy an ice cream and examine artifacts in the display case. Nor did we chat with the friendly BLM host or take a hike amid the wildflowers or go for an evening drive into the hills to watch the sun set over the river valley below.

So if you’re RVing in northcentral Montana, don’t turn off from the town of Big Sandy onto state highway 236 and drive 44 miles (the last 27 miles is improved gravel) to Judith Landing, as my wife and I did. And don’t bring a canoe or kayak so you can explore the famous White Cliffs section of the river. Judith Landing is just too far off the beaten path. Dry-camping only. No McDonalds or Starbucks. Nothing but history and nature and serenity.

You wouldn’t like it.