Cow Island

The hike to Cow Island, in the heart of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, is a historical and scenic treasure. Starting off on high bluffs above the river, you’ll meander through eerie sandstone formations and be treated to stunning views of the Missouri River. Eventually, you’ll drop down to the river bank and the island itself. Down here, you’ll see old homesteads, the old Cow Island steamboat landing, and traces of the Battle of Cow Island, an 1877 skirmish between the U.S. Army and the Nez Perce Tribe, who had been forced to flee their ancestral lands in Washington and Idaho. Photo by Tim Faber