KOOTENAI NATIONAL FOREST, NORTHWEST MONTANA
The weather has been off and on gloomy, so I've been trying to coordinate my rest days and least epic hikes with the heaviest cloud cover.
Today was particularly gray, with intermittent sprinkles, so I decided to make a long drive west of where I'm staying to check out Kootenai Falls. One of the locals I chatted with showed me a picture and said it's really pretty, so why not?
It was far - a full two hour drive for a quick 1.5 mile walk, and then two hours back, but it was better than staying home.
Kootenai Falls is located all the way up in the northwest corner of Montana, just a few miles from the Idaho border and not too far from Canada.
Here is a picture of the falls with yours truly.
And here is a picture of the Kootenai Falls Swinging Bridge, which spans the Kootenai River Gorge. The bridge is 210 feet long and sits 100 feet above the water. And it MOVES a lot when you walk on it! Check out how blue that water is below ...
To give you a better idea of just how long the bridge is, there is a man and small child at the opposite end in the picture below:
And here is a little video I took of the falls and of the water under the bridge. Man, it is crazy just how clear and blue the water is, even on such a gloomy day.