In the morning, I got my first look at Bull Lake and the surrounding Cabinet Mountains. Our cabin sat right along the lake. As the sun rose, I watched the dense fog clear to blue skies above the lake.
Kootenai Falls
Less than a half-hour away, we visited Kootenai Falls. The falls also includes a swinging bridge over Kootenai River. There is a parking lot right off Highway 2 between Troy and the town of Libby.
Kootenai Falls
2019 Price: Free
A foot trail starts at the parking lot and then splits to reach the upper falls (right) or the swinging bridge and lower river (left). There is a universally accessible paved path to an overlook of the falls. However, the path to the swinging bridge and a closer view of the falls is rougher and inclined. There are also benches along the path and rocks lower on the trail to rest.
Swinging Bridge
To get to the swinging bridge, the trail includes an enclosed pedestrian bridge over railroad tracks.
Dog owners beware because the stairs down from the railroad bridge are metal grate steps with sharp points. I assume this is for traction but we watched several dogs attempt the stairs and they seemed upset about walking down them.
The swinging bridge has spectacular views of the falls and the river. It is long though (over 200 feet) and moves a lot when people walk – so if you have a fear of heights, it might not be for you. If you do cross the bridge, you can get down to the shore and relax at the water’s edge.
Kootenai River drops 90 feet in less than a mile starting with some smaller falls (what I call the upper falls) and then a larger 30-foot drop that can be seen from the bridge. We did the swinging bridge and shoreline first before heading to view the upper falls.
Upper Kootenai Falls
We took about 2 to 2.5 hours to walk the trail to both the upper falls and the swinging bridge; however, we did pause a lot to take photos.
Libby, Montana
After Kootenai Falls, we stopped in Libby and had lunch at Cabinet Mountain Brewing Co. I had a delicious Reuben sandwich.
While we were in Libby, we drove around looking at the wing murals on buildings in town. The murals were done to inspire people to spend time exploring the area. They make for good selfie shots.
Our final destination for the day was Kalispell, Montana. We ate dinner at Nickel Charlies Restaurant & Casino. Nickel Charlies has a fun atmosphere and good food.
Fun fact: Almost all the restaurants in Kalispell had casinos included. There were seven casinos within a mile of our hotel.
Travelodge by Wyndham Kalispell
2019 Price: $842 for five nights
Another well photographed area, thank you. Kootenai Falls looks like a colorful area to visit minus the swinging bridge.