LIBBY, MT - The Libby Dam Visitor Center is now open for the summer seven days per week from 9:30 a.m – 6 p.m., offering daily tours at 10 a.m., Noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. through Labor Day Weekend.
Please note some tours may be cancelled due to staff shortages (for example: There will be no public tours available June 27 at Noon, July 9 at 10 a.m. and noon, and no public tours available July 18th all day. ) Call (406) 293-5577 for more information.
Visitors wishing to tour the dam must present photo identification and arrive at least 15 minutes before the tour begins to complete the registration process. No cameras or electronic devices are allowed on the tour. Tours are free and last approximately one hour.
The Libby Dam Visitor Center has a variety of hands-on exhibits featuring wildlife and fisheries, flood control, hydropower and recreation in the exhibit area, book/gift sales area, and short films including "The Power and Beauty of the Kootenai", and "The Libby Dam Story." A new display about the Columbia River Treaty with Canada has been added apropos of the 2014 treaty review process.
Located off Montana Highway 37 approximately 17 miles northwest of Libby, the dam stands 420 feet high and a half-mile wide, and forms the 90-mile-long Lake Koocanusa reservoir. The reservoir's name, Koocanusa, combines Kootenai River, Canada and U.S.A. Half the reservoir extends above the U.S.-Canadian border.
The visitor center is located on the west side of the dam and can be reached by driving 3.5 miles up Forest Development Road No. 228. The Visitor Center is located in the Souse Gulch Day use area. The Souse Gulch Day Use Area at Libby Dam will be open May 15 through Mid-September. Activities available here include: horseshoes, volleyball, a challenging 18-hole disc-golf course, fishing, boating and wildlife viewing as well as a plentitude of picnic tables and shelters with restrooms and nearby playground equipment. Some loaner lifejackets and play-equipment are available for checkout from the visitor center.
Great views of beautiful Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai river can be found from the many viewpoints around the dam, as well as the picnic areas. Bring your binoculars and camera, Libby Dam is a designated Watchable Wildlife area!
Below the dam, there are primitive campsites to be found at Dunn Creek Flats, Blackwell Flats Campground, Alexander Creek and in the Downriver recreation area. Campsites are available on first come, first served basis, with no reservations.
More information can be found on the Libby Dam Website:
http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/LocksandDams/LibbyDam.aspx
When playing in and around the water, the Corps of Engineers water safety dog, Bobber, would like to remind everyone to please wear a lifejacket. http://www.bobber.info
We look forward to seeing you!
Call us for more information (406) 293-5577.