The Falls at Ryan Dam

The area known today as Great Falls, MT was noted in the Lewis & Clark journals as having five waterfalls. There are now four because one became submerged in the early 1900’s when hydroelectric power dams were installed.

The most spectacular of the falls (in my opinion) would be the great falls at Ryan Dam.

The other day we drove out to Ryan. Of course, I was yakking, playing tour guide, and drove right past the turn! When you drive four miles north of Great Falls on US Hwy 87, there is a large brown sign that says Ryan Dam – I just wasn’t paying attention. After you take that turn off the highway you drive 9 miles (paved) to Ryan Dam. The road is curvy so take your time and enjoy the beautiful scenery as you pass along many grain fields. All of a sudden, the road starts to drop down towards the Missouri River and the scenery changes dramatically.

There is a picnic area at Ryan and you walk across a really cool swaying bridge to get to the island. On the island there are viewing stations to see the falls. It’s well worth the short drive to see all the water going over the falls.

One of our group also took a video to capture the thundering water. You can view that at Missouri River falls