It provides one of Montana's most exceptional floating opportunities, following the same route Captain Clark and his men followed when crossing Montana on their return to St. Louis in 1806. Winding through wooded bottomlands shaded by rocky bluffs, a lower Yellowstone trip offers solitude and easy floating. It's an excellent choice for an extended boat trip. Despite its aridity, the prairie section of the Yellowstone contains a greater diversity and abundance of wildlife than any other part of the river. Walleyes, sauger, northern pike, and channel catfish add to the fisherman's smorgasbord.
Fishing can be quite good, particularly where tributaries enter the river.
The lower river often sustains unexpected avian species, including white pelicans, eared grebes, and double-crested cormorants. The endangered whooping cranes occasionally visit the river during migration, and sandhill cranes and whistling swans are common. Antelope can often be seen from the river. Turkeys are abundant. Although a few organized float trips are conducted each year between Forsyth and Miles City, the lower river is usually devoid of people.