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PWT pro from Havre Have you ever wondered why we citizens of Montana travel to other states and countries to learn about history, do some sight-seeing, go camping, meet "good ol' people" and, if time permits, do some huntin' or fishin'? I have been contemplating just such a question for a long time and am unable to come up with but two feasible answers: 1) To spend more money than the next guy, or 2) To be able to say "Been There! - Done That!" The absurdity of the need for any of this travel beyond Montana's borders really hit home as I attended the annual Montana Outdoor Recreation Exposition (M.O.R.E.) held in Billings. The MORE show brings in just about every outdoor activity known to man, from outfitters to outboards, mounts of world class deer, elk, and fish to manufacturers of log furniture, and the list goes on and on. If you haven't attended the MORE show, I would strongly recommend it. If nothing else, it will certainly show you the wide variety of outdoor activities and locations available in Montana and beyond. At the show, I had the pleasure of working in one of the booths with Myron and Mary Beth Kibler, owners of Kibler Charter Fishing and Outfitters. Their booth, like all the other charter fishing/outfitter/guide booths, distributed information on the many services they provide. I had the opportunity to speak with literally hundreds of people from Montana, surrounding states, and Canada. The one thing that I learned from these conversations was the huge number of people from Montana that had never seen Fort Peck Reservoir, let alone been to the historic town of Fort Peck. Not having been on Fort Peck Reservoir, they certainly didn't know anything about the marinas and facilities available at Rock Creek, Hell Creek, and Crooked Creek. Some had never been to Scobey, Wolf Point, Nashua, Malta, Nelson Reservoir, Havre, Fresno Reservoir or a myriad of other Eastern Montana locations. It was amazing how a lot of these same people were making plans to travel to Canada to fish for Northern Pike and/or Walleye. Others were making plans to travel to the West Coast or to Alaska to fish for Salmon or to southern states to fish for bass. Still others were making plans to travel to far away locations to get a feel for some tiny bits of history or to get a look at some type of man made architectural wonder. WAKE UP MONTANANS!!! If you have the slightest need to fish, hunt, sight-see, relax and yes, even spend money or be able to say "Been There! - Done That!", why go outside the borders of what some of us call "Outdoor Heaven" - otherwise known as home - or Montana. So if you haven't been to Fort Peck. I have and to be perfectly honest, I can't think of any place outside Montana that offers such a wide variety of activities and facilities to please even the most particular of folks. Some of the places of interest at Fort Peck include, but are not limited to the Fort Peck Summer Theater, Fort Peck Hotel, Power Plant Museum and Tours, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Downstream Recreation Area campground, and the Wildlife Viewing Area. Along with all of these comes the best kept secret in Montana: Fort Peck Dam and Reservoir. The Fort Peck Theater provides various live shows and plays during the weekends in June, July and August. I have attended many of these plays and would rate each and every one of them first-class. If you have never attended a live performance or production play, I would strongly recommend you add this activity to your summer plans. The Fort Peck Hotel has been designated as a National Historic Site. Once you enter the Hotel, it becomes more than apparent why the owners have tried to maintain the integrity of the building. If you are looking for a four star hotel; complete with elevators, bell boys, valet parking, crushed velvet upholstery, and rooms with guest slippers, robes, TVs with HBO, and desk clerks that always smile while they collect upwards of $200 for your one nights stay, pass up the Fort Peck Hotel. If, however, you are looking for a clean, comfortable, full-service facility that allows you to step back in time to the late '30s and early '40s with the time period fixtures and furnishings, the Fort Peck Hotel is just what the doctor ordered. The owners, staff and management have but two things in mind when you stay at this hotel - courtesy and affordable comfort. The comfortable rooms, great food and down-home hospitality are a rare treat. I have personally stayed at the Fort Peck Hotel on numerous occasions and will certainly attest to their being part of our "Outdoor Heaven." The Power Plant Museum and Tours is a must-see for anyone traveling to, or through, the Fort Peck area. The museum and tour covers all aspects of the building and maintenance of the Fort Peck Dam. It all began as one of the first and largest Federal Works Projects initiated by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The result was the construction of the largest earth-filled, man-made dam in the world This dam has created a water impoundment that has literally more shore line than the entire state of California. The museum and tour take you through the entire project, from planning to completion. You will discover the many architectural and construction problems encountered and how they were solved. You will also learn the little known fact - that the dam actually gave way while under construction, killing some of the workers and sending tons of sediment down river. If the Powerhouse Museum and Tour is not considered part of Montana's "Outdoor Heaven" I don't know what is. If camping is in the cards, the Downstream Recreation Area is one of the finest campgrounds in the area. It's located on the downstream side of Fort Peck Dam and provides a scenic view of the dam itself and the two powerhouses of Fort Peck. The campground has shower facilities, rest rooms, and asphalt covered sites and paths. Most of the camp sites have electricity. Water is available throughout the campground. A nature trail is incorporated into the land around the campground. The campground also boasts an outside amphitheater. During the summer months, a wide variety of topics, shows, seminars and presentations are given from the amphitheater. The campground is well maintained and the campground attendants are always available for your camping needs, or information. The wildlife viewing area is adjacent to the town of Fort Peck. A gravel road takes you around the viewing impoundment. At times you can observe bison, elk, deer and antelope. It is one of the finest places I have found to actually observe these animals in a natural environment. Better yet, it's a great place to take kids. They get to see these animals up close and get an appreciation for just how magnificent this part of the animal world can be. No comments on Montana's "Outdoor Heaven" would be complete without some discussion about the body of water called Fort Peck Reservoir. Allow me to start with the fishing opportunities available on Fort Peck. Few bodies of water in the world provide such a diverse array of species of fish to be taken by anglers. Just to mention a few, Fort Peck's bounty of fishing opportunities includes Catfish, Chinook Salmon, Drum, Sauger, Saugeye, Walleye, Perch, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Burbot, Goldeye, Lake Trout, Paddlefish, Sturgeon, Crappie, and many others. In fact, Fort Peck Reservoir is the holder of no fewer than nine current state fish records along with the world-record saugeye and co-world-record sauger. The fishing methods available vary from bank fishing, to jigging, to trolling spinners or crankbaits, and even using downriggers. The best means of seeing Fort Peck Reservoir is certainly by boat. There are a number of marinas and/or boat ramps available all around the lake. There are four marinas that provide gas, bait, lodging facilities, boat ramps, and camping sites. Those four marinas are located at Rock Creek, Hell Creek, Crooked Creek and the main boat ramp just west of the Fort Peck Dam. I have had the pleasure of utilizing the facilities at all four marinas and have found the staff and amenities at each more than adequate. With all the open space surrounding the reservoir, it is no wonder that the hunting opportunities abound for elk, deer, antelope, upland game birds and migratory waterfowl. I will leave the hunting comments to those that focus on hunting as an outdoor activity, but suffice it to say that when the fishing is slow, there are other things that we anglers can do to take advantage of "Outdoor Heaven". I hope that I have provided some food for thought when it comes time to plan your next vacation. Why travel great distances to far away places when "Outdoor Heaven" truly is in our backyard? As Montana citizens, we pay for it every day. We might as well take advantage of it. | |
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