North, Middle and South Forks · 219 designated miles

Experience each access site before you arrive.

Explore 25 river access sites, 17 photographed from the water in 360 degrees by Terrain360. Field information comes from Flathead Rivers Alliance and DREAM Adaptive Recreation, Inc.’s ongoing collaboration, Removing Barriers for River Accessibility. See the site, ramp gap, grade, tread width, and surface information available before you arrive.

Find an access site Choose a fork
North Fork 1,080cfs Nr Columbia Falls · Holding · 55°F water Middle Fork 1,020cfs Nr West Glacier · Holding South Fork 614cfs Above Twin Creek · Holding · 53°F water
Live gauge data 12355500 · 12358500 · 12359800 SEP 22 · 12:39 PM MDT · PROVISIONAL Full conditions

Choose your fork

Each fork is its own river. River miles descend as you float downstream, and every rail on this site is drawn to scale.

North Fork Remote. Gravel roads. Improbably turquoise water on the Glacier boundary. 58.3 mi 10 sites Class Ii Middle Fork The whitewater artery on Highway 2. Class IV runs Moccasin Creek to West Glacier. 100.6 mi 8 sites Class Ii-iv South Fork Wilderness, earned. Spotted Bear country past Hungry Horse Reservoir. 60 mi 6 sites Class Ii

Designation and river miles

3 OUTSIDE DESIGNATION · 1 RIVER MILE PENDING
The line Designated mileage, to scale Designated, no access site Not designated Not to scale past here
The tick Access site on the rail No river mile River mile pending Whitewater

Wurtz is on the designated North Fork of the Flathead. Its river mile has not yet been measured, so it holds an approximate place on the rail until that measurement is available. Three access sites in this guide are outside the Wild and Scenic designation. Hungry Horse HWY 2 Bridge and House of Mystery sit on the main stem below the confluence. Reservoir Road Below Dam sits on the South Fork below Hungry Horse Dam, where dam releases set the flow.

The Wild & Scenic Rivers Act · October 2, 1968

The Three Forks of the Flathead River provided the initial inspiration for the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and in 1968 Congress passed the act that would ultimately protect waterways across the country.

219 miles of the North, Middle, and South Forks are designated today. Through this guide you will be introduced to them, gain a better understanding of access, river flows, and information about the organization working to protect this river system.

Every access site

Open the full index

All 25 launches, grouped by river and in river order, with available field information from the Alliance. 3 sites are outside the Wild and Scenic designation. Wurtz is on designated North Fork water with its river mile pending.

RM Access site River Min tread Max grade Survey
58 Canadian Border North Fork 5.9ft 36% Measured
44 Ford North Fork 6ft 38.2% Measured
39.3 Schnaus Cabin North Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
33.9 Polebridge River Access (Upstream) North Fork 4.5ft 24.6% Measured
33.8 Polebridge River Access (Downstream) North Fork 14.2ft 19.8% Measured
24.5 Coal Creek North Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
15.3 Big Creek North Fork 6ft 15.3% Measured
11 Great Northern Flats North Fork 3ft 25.9% Measured
3.8 Glacier Rim North Fork 3ft 16.1% Measured
Wurtz North Fork n/a n/a No sheet published
53.4 Bear Creek Middle Fork 4.2ft 37% Measured
48.7 Essex Middle Fork 25ft 10.8% Measured
41.6 Paola Middle Fork 3.8ft 16% Measured
30.6 Cascadilla Middle Fork 12ft 12.6% Measured
23 Moccasin Creek Middle Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
14.9 West Glacier Middle Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
9.5 Blankenship River Access (West) Middle Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
9.4 Blankenship River Access (East) Middle Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
House of Mystery Main stem n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
55.8 Cedar Flats South Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
46.5 South Fork South Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
44.6 Billy Garrett Memorial Bridge South Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
40.8 Upper Twin Creek South Fork n/a n/a Sheet, no statistics
Hungry Horse HWY 2 Bridge South Fork, below dam n/a n/a No sheet published
Reservoir Road River Boat Launch Below Dam South Fork, below dam n/a n/a No sheet published

11 launches carry FRA's full field measurements, 11 have a survey sheet that says the statistics are not available yet, and 3 have no sheet published. Ramp gap is not a column here: it has only ever been measured at Cascadilla, and it is on that launch's own page.

The partnership

Flathead Rivers Alliance (FRA) surveyed access sites through its ongoing collaboration with DREAM Adaptive Recreation (DREAM). FRA secured grants to fund this access project and worked with local, state, and federal agencies to improve accessibility. Terrain360 photographed 17 of this guide’s 25 access sites from the water in 360 degrees. DREAM advocated for access for all users and connected the partners so that any river user can use the available data and images to make decisions for themselves.

25access sites 17captured in 360 22surveyed by FRA
Flathead Rivers Alliance DREAM Adaptive Recreation
Read about the partnership →
Keep access open

River access sites are maintained by their responsible agencies and land managers, including the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service. FRA volunteers give their time to river education, safety and stewardship, while FRA works with partners to improve access. Donations and volunteer support help sustain this work.

Donate at flatheadrivers.org Volunteer
Homelands

The river system flows through the traditional homelands of the Ql'ispe (Kalispel or Pend d' Orielle) Ktunaxa/Ksanka (Kootenai), and Séliš (Salish or "Flathead") Nations, who have long cared for this landscape, and the Amskapii Pikuni (Blackfeet) Peoples who often traveled in the river corridor.

About the homelands FRA's own acknowledgment language appears here verbatim.