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Cave Point Group Use Shelter is located at the very north end of Canyon Ferry Reservoir, 30 miles east of Helena, Montana, along Highway 284. Cave Point offers year-round access to a wide range of recreational opportunities. The Canyon Ferry area has a rich mining history. Cave Point is named for one of the first settlements in the area, Cavetown. Visitors to the shelter can envision the original horse drawn ferry crossing that transported miners across the mighty Missouri River to work the mining camps.
Cave Point Group Use Shelter sits at the north end of Canyon Ferry Reservoir between the Big Belt and Elkhorn Mountain ranges.
Canyon Ferry Reservoir offers a wide range of year-round recreational opportunities. Water related activities include everything from swimming and fishing to sailing and motor-boating. Canoeists and kayakers explore the many quiet backwater bays. Jet skiers, windsurfers and water skiers skim the summer waves, while winter draws ice fishermen, ice boaters and skaters.
Cave Point Group Use Shelter is a small 30 X 36 shelter with six picnic tables and an accessible vault toilet and can accommodate up to 50 people. Access is shared with a road through Kims Marina.
If heading north along MT highway 12/287 from Townsend, MT, turn right onto Spokane Creek Rd. Follow Spokane Creek Rd for 4.6 miles and turn right onto Co Rd 430/Canyon Ferry Rd and continue 16 miles to Kims Marina. Turn right into Kims Marina and continue straight to Cave Point. If heading east along Co Rd 430/Canyon Ferry Rd from Helena, MT, continue for 16 miles to Kims Marina. Turn right into Kims Marina and continue straight to Cave Point.
New experience unlocked!!! Absolutely beautiful place to go!!
The beauty of this area was amazing.
My grandchildren love it here. This is the first ice cave I have seen. Sadly we forgot flashlights, but our phone lights worked okay. The Stairway down was definitely well maintained. I heard there were more in the area so we will explore further. The main road that takes you to the campground where we stayed had one long section of road that was very rough and appeared to not be maintained. If you are camping, make sure that things are tucked away. Big thanks to the forest service for good roads clean area.
Avoid if there have been rains. In the dry one can do it in a normal car, but it would slow and rough. Ruts, rough, and rocky but I didn't see anything I couldn't do in a car if I slowed way down and choose one's path. No 4WD needed when dry, but a pickup or something with a good travel suspension makes it tolerable. It took me 70 minutes from the 310 to get there at a leisurely pace in my Tundra.
As others mentioned it's about 10 minutes to observe. Normally I would not recommend spending hours of driving for something cool but so short, but the drive is beautiful. One should think of the whole drive as part of the experience. Amazing vistas.
It's hard to see inside the cave, one needs a few minutes for ones eyes to adjust. A spotlight would be useful. Short walk from the parking area on a paved path with a few good stairs.
I drove up further as a friend has seen wild horses up there on top, but I didn't see any. Consider making it a loop by continuing driving that way which will come out at Lovell.
