The community of Troy is to the west of Libby 12 miles. It is located on the river and is also close to Bull Lake and the Yaak River close by. The area called the Yaak is north of Libby and Troy and covers forest land up to Canada.

The Kootenai River begins in Canada and flows into the United States near Eureka and flows to to stand still at Lake Koocanusa. Libby Dam spans the Kootenai 17 miles upstream from Libby. The lake is 90 miles long with the deepest part being 370 ft.. Almost half of the lake is in Canada. The dam holds back 5.8 million acre-feet. An acre-foot of water is one acre of land covered with one foot of water, equally 325,804 gallons. That means the lake spread out one foot deep would be larger than Massachusetts. Fishing is very good for trout and kokanee salmon and recreational site are avaiable on both sides of the lake.

The Kootenai continues west from Troy towards Idaho and the town of Bonners Ferry,elevation 1930. Bonners Ferry has about 2500 people. It is known as "Idaho's most friendly town." Another excellent recreation area with Mountains ,rivers and lakes near by.

The river is just under 100 miles long in Montana and flows north into the Snake in Canada. The Kootenai is the third largest tributary to the Columbia River. Almost 20% of the lower columbia comes from the Kootenai. The Snake and the Clark Fork/Pend Oreille contribute more according to the Corp. of Engineers.

The Libby Dam is about 17 miles north of Libby. The Lake Koocanusa is known for its good fishing with kokanee and trout in abundance. Below the dam,the largest Rainbow trout recorded in the U.S.A was caught, it weighed 33 lbs. 1 oz. and was 38.6 inches! The river also produced the largest Mountain Whitefish. What makes the fish so big? This river has a lot of feed and fish. It is a good river to access and easy to float with the exception of the Falls!.

There are a number of lakes in the area besides the one mentioned. The Thompson chain, McGregor and Bull Lake are in easy drive time. Each is great to boat and fish and camp. This part of Montana is quit remote and a great place to escape.

If you are looking for good buys and enjoy the out doors then check out the property in the area. Homes on the river can start below $150,000 and generally won't go above $500,000.

The dam controls the flow of water so flooding is rare up near the dam but as you go towards Idaho the river is large and flooding has occured in that areain the spring but not nearly as much before the dam was installed.