The Blue Canoe Lodge - Cascade

Bald eagles nest in nearby cottonwoods and this stretch of the Missouri remains much as it was when Meriwether Lewis climbed nearby Tower Rock to marvel at 'immense herds of buffalo.'

Two hundred years later, the river still churns out of the mountains, creating the perfect habitat for wildlife and an ideal playground for fly fishers attracted to one of Montana's famous Blue Ribbon fisheries.

The Blue Canoe Lodge is a spacious cabin, perfect place for fly fishing or family groups to rejuvenate on the banks of the Missouri in a peaceful and private agricultural area south of Cascade.

Nestled on 11 acres of land, the cabin is decorated with interesting old advertising and antiques, including a 1946 Old Town wooden fishing boat in the kitchen area and an 18-foot cedar-planked, blue canoe that hangs from the ceiling in the dining area. The great room stretches from a set of beautiful 19th century oak entry doors to windows that look out to the river bottom where whitetail deer rest in willow beds and rooster pheasants often crow and strut.

As you settle into the Blue Canoe Lodge, you'll find nooks for private conversations or larger areas for group gatherings. The large fully equipped kitchen includes a sunny breakfast room and easy access to the covered porch with a charcoal barbecue and picnic table. With tables, benches, chairs and gliders places from the cabin to the river bank, there are lots of choices for outdoor eating and relaxing when you're not in the water.

The cabin features four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Each bedroom reflects the color of a season. The second story summer room features an antique, full bed and views of the nearby eagle's nest and mountains. On the main floor, a spring green room is furnished with three single beds, and a cozy winter blue room sleeps two singles. An autumn room with kitschy western accents and a queen bed that has a river view. With two queen size sofa beds in the great room, the lodge can sleep a family group of up to a dozen people comfortably.

The Blue Canoe is a perfect place for floaters to wet a line along our private river frontage. There are great places for wade fishing upstream and downstream from the cabin, and there's a wild island directly across the river. In the spring, Canada geese nest in the backwaters. If you walk out the front door and fish along the riffle of Josh's Cove, don't be unnerved by the beavers as they slap their tails in warning when you wade too close to their lodge.

From inside the cabin large bay windows to the west and east capture the moody Charlie Russell colored morning and evening skies, which influenced the western artist when he lived in Cascade as a young man and worked the nearby cattle ranches. The hearth for the warming stove was built from native stones etched with yellow and orange lichen that have clung stubbornly to the sandstone surfaces for thousands of years. A collection of interesting antiques and comfortable furnishings create the atmosphere of an old fishing camp. But a complete kitchen, including microwave, dishwasher, fridge and range will allow your group to enjoy easy meal preparation.

The Blue Canoe is ideal for fishing or business retreats, workshops, reunions and gatherings, peaceful time outs from stress, as well as wildlife and bird watching.