Downstream from Libby, the Kootenai River enters a canyon and flows over Kootenai Falls, one of the largest free-flowing waterfalls in the northwest. The falls and surrounding area are considered sacred to the Kootenai Indians whose ancestors inhabited the region. A forest trail leads from the highway parking lot down to the Swinging Bridge and makes a nice hike that is not too strenuous. Kootenai Falls was the setting for the filming of the movie, "River Wild". Location: US Hwy 2 between Libby and Troy, milepost 21.

Kootenai Falls on the Kootenai River, adjacent to U.S. Highway 2 between Libby and Troy, is a scenic attraction not to be missed. The calm river suddenly gathers momentum surging first through China Rapids and then over Kootenai Falls, dropping 90 feet in less than a mile. The main falls is 30 feet high and can be viewed from a "swinging bridge" that crosses the river. During the Depression, CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) crews did a lot of work in the area constructing roads and bridges, including the first swinging bridge, across the Kootenai River.

The falls area is a sacred site to the Kootenai Indians who once called this area home. This was a place where tribal members communed with spiritual forces. In the early 1800s, David Thompson, a Canadian explorer and employee of the Northwest Company, travelled into the Kootenai river area and used the Kootenai River as a navigational guide through the area following Native American Indian and game trails. He portaged around the falls, following cairns — piles of rocks marking the trail — built by the Kootenai Indians. 

The falls is accessed by a foot trail from the parking area next to the highway. The dirt trail winds through the trees and has frequent scenic vistas of the river. Benches are located at the top of the trail, and large boulders can be used for resting stops as the trail descends the hill to the river. 

The trail goes over a special enclosed pedestrian bridge over double railroad tracks, then winds down to the Swinging Bridge which overlooks the falls. 

While crossing the swinging bridge may not be for everyone, the views of the river from the trail make the hike well worth the time. Be sure to bring your camera! 

The Libby Lions Club has created a picnic area in a grove of trees just off the parking lot at the beginning of the trail with picnic tables, barbecue cooking areas, and restroom facilities. 

 The river, falls and surrounding rock cliffs create a unique place that commands a feeling of the power of nature to all who visit. In the winter, the falls transforms into a spectacular cascading iceflow, and bald eagles can be seen perched in the bare cottonwood trees along the water's edge.