TRIP PLANNER

Staying in Craig and the Missouri River Canyon

You won’t find any big hotel chains here. Just mom & pop lodging, private homes and cabins. There are a couple of smaller full service lodges as well a handful of eateries and drinkeries scattered down “the Canyon” between Wolf Creek and Cascade. All of our firefighters are volunteers, and a Sheriff’s deputy swings through once every few weeks.

Lodging

We operate the largest lodging service on the river, and by “we” we mean Julie Arnold. Craig often runs out of lodging before it runs out of guides, so it pays to make your reservations at least 6 months in advance if possible. But, if you are on short notice Julie will do everything in her power to get you hooked up with some lodging. Check out our lodging selection.

Eating & Drinking

In Craig, Izaaks Restaurant is the most popular restaurant in the area, and has become a legendary meeting spot among traveling anglers. The full bar and restaurant is a lively post fishing hang out. Walk a block south and you’ll find the Craig Taphouse, with local and regional brews along with delicious burgers and pizza. The tap house has both indoor and outdoor seating as well. A reach cast to the north you’ll fall into the Craig Bar, aka “Joe’s”. Famous as a place to drink cans of beer and mingle with fishing and non-fishing locals, you’ll find a great Jukebox, pool table and the crew might even throw a frozen pizza in the toaster oven of you get off the water really late.

Upstream from Craig, you’ll find Wolf Creek and the Lazy I Beerworks, serving Montana craft beers and classic bar food including baskets, salads, burgers and fish taco’s. Under the freeway overpass you’ll find the Oasis Bar & Grill, a longtime local establishment known more for the “bar” than the “grill”. Next to that you’ll find The Wolf Hoagies and Ice Cream if you’re looking for a quick takeaway sandwich or milkshake.

Downstream at the community of Prewett Creek the uniquely named Missouri River Bar & Grill serves cocktails, burger, fries typical of a stream side joint in Big Sky Country. The location is key, across the street from the Prewett Creek boat ramp a popular end point for a Canyon float.

Groceries

If you plan on doing any of your own cooking, we strongly encourage you to stop in Great Falls or Helena and load up there. In Great Falls it’s easiest to stop at the Marketplace where you’ll find Smith’s Market, and at the airport exit where you’ll find Town Pumps for fuel and vices. You can also make a quick stop in Ulm for fuel, snacks and beer/wine/liquor, but definitely get your groceries in Great Falls first. In Helena, the easiest stop is at the Custer Avenue exit #194 where you’ll find SuperOne, WinCo, Costco and a Exxon/Town Pump for fuel and vices. You can get everything you need at the 468 Market in Cascade, a quick 20 minute drive from Craig. It’s a small store, but has a full beer selection, deli, fresh veggies, a butcher, and pretty much all of the basics.

Gas & Mini-mart

Gas is available in Wolf Creek (5 miles), Cascade (20 miles), Ulm (30 miles), Helena and Great Falls. If there’s gas, there’s a mini-mart attached. And in Cascade it’s a small, full service Grocery Store - the 468 Market. Definitely fill up before you make that final push to Craig. Everything is so close here, you probably won’t need to fill up during your stay if you arrived with close to a full tank.

Beer, Wine and Liquor

You may also want to stop and get alcoholic beverages before you arrive, and that’s an easier thing to find in Craig than groceries. In Montana, you can purchase alcohol to go at any bar, including Joe’s Craig Bar and Izaak’s Restaurant in Craig. You’ll likely pay a bit more for a bottle of Jameson at the bar than at the liquor store in Great Falls, and if the bartender is running low he may deny you. So if that’s really important, it’ll be worth the few minute stop in Helena or Great Falls on your way to Craig. There are liquor stores at most Town Pump’s in Montana, and those are easy to find everywhere. There is also a liquor store in Ulm, which is between Great Falls and Cascade.

Cell Phone Service

Cell phone service is not great in Craiglandia. In fact by 21st century standards it’s horrible. Basically, service exists from Wolf Creek almost to Craig, then again as you approach Cascade below Pelican Point. WiFi is more common in Craig and the Canyon, so if you have WiFi calling enabled on your phone (not everyone does) you can use that service to make and receive calls and use data (that’s how our staff does it). Headhunters - and a few other spots - have a cell signal booster that works fine of you stay close. The lack of a fiberoptic network between Wolf Creek and Cascade also limits the type of TV you’ll find in rental units. Bottom line… if you have really important business calls, or absolutely must watch a big sporting event on TV, we suggest you go somewhere else. If you just want to experience great fishing, scenery, people and enjoy a few cocktails, come here.

Dog Boarding

If you want or need to board your dog while on a fishing trip to the Missouri River, or need Veterinarian services, then you can contact Dr. Miedtke at Switchback Vet Clinic in Cascade at 406-750-9588 or switchbackvet@gmail.com.