Water is a natural draw for people looking for leisure fun – and with Great Falls sitting at the junction of the Sun and Missouri rivers, there are lots of places for aquatic fun.

Slow-moving Broadwater Bay, a stretch of the Missouri near the Sun River confluence, is popular with swimmers, boaters, floaters, fishers, water skiers and personal-watercraft riders.

"The river is just a real gem for our community," says Craig Madsen, Owner of Montana River Outfitters.

People in Bozeman have told him they have to have a pond to demonstrate water gear because "we don't have a river like you guys."

"What a treat it is to have it there for canoes, kayaks, rafts, even powerboats," he says of the Missouri, near downtown and urban areas of Great Falls.

A new river access at Black Eagle Memorial Island "opens a whole new aspect of the river," he says.

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Madsen would like to see more access in or near the city. "There's lots we could do to bring the river to the forefront."

Jill Voegel, a Great Falls native and nurse at Benefis Healthcare, tried kayaking about 10 years ago on the advice of a co-worker.

"It looked fun and I tried it. I loved it. It was very relaxing and very easy. Pretty much anywhere in town you'll find easy access," she says.

"The neat thing is, around here, there's water to challenge all skill levels. You can just load up a boat and be on the river," says Voegel. "On the Big Bend area south of Great Falls, you can see bald eagles."

A short ride upstream finds world-class flyfishing waters; around Great Falls, warm-water fish tempt Missouri anglers too.

Canoeing, kayaking and rafting can be done in a short float or multiple-day trips near the city.

There is blue-ribbon trout fishing below Holter Dam south of Great Falls and "that extends the economy of this whole area," Madsen says.

Below Morony Dam east of Great Falls, bass, walleye, trout and carp are abundant, he notes. "Warm-water fishing there adds a whole ‘nother interest factor to the river."

While tourists from around the country and beyond call to float the White Cliffs area of the Wild & Scenic Missouri – typically a multiday float-and-camp excursion – "they can experience similar scenery below Morony Dam, 16 miles to the Carter Ferry. There are only two inhabited houses on that stretch and it takes less than a day."

Montana River Outfitters operates a flyfishing-oriented guiding and lodging business in Wolf Creek, with some floating rigs available.

The main location in Great Falls is geared toward floating, with rafts and rafting equipment making up the largest part of the volume.

"On a raft you can take anyone from (age) 8 to 80," Madsen says

The biggest growth is in kayaks.

"They're very popular with women," says Madsen. "They will get into it and then drag in their husbands to buy another one. They are light, easy to transport, stable and pretty inexpensive."