Garrison Dam Tailrace (Missouri River)

The tailrace below Garrison Dam near Pick City and Riverdale, about 70 miles northwest of Bismarck, is North Dakota's signature dive: a cold, dark drift/current dive famous for close encounters with 6-7 ft American paddlefish, plus sturgeon, walleye, burbot and catfish. Water released from the bottom of Lake Sakakawea keeps the tailrace frigid year-round, and visibility tops out around 15 ft; locals time dives to zero-release (dam shutdown) periods announced by the Army Corps for calmer, clearer conditions. The riverbed downstream is the longest unaltered stretch of the Missouri system and yields bison bones and other artifacts.