Dreamflows Montana Cross-Listing
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General Information

Montana Rivers

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Symbol	Meaning
	Click for weather information local to the gauge site
	Click for the gauge location, shown as on the displayed map
	Click for the rating table
	Click for the graph of recent flows
	Click for the put-in location (could be one of several possibilities), shown as on the displayed map
	Click for the take-out location (could be one of several possibilities), shown as on the displayed map

General Information

The following lists the various flow sites reported by Dreamflows, and some whitewater runs associated with those sites.  This list isn't by any means exhaustive, but should provide a useful cross-listing.  Sites reported by Dreamflows appear against the left-hand margin in bold, while associated runs appear indented underneath.  Where available, gauge location information appears beneath the site name, while put-in and take-out locations appear to the right of the run.  The terms "above" and "below" mean "upstream from" and "downstream from", respectively, and distances are in river miles.

In general, the flow on any given run will differ to some extent from the reported flow for its gauge.  For example, the flow on the Chamberlain Falls run of the North American will usually be lower than the inflow at Clementine, since the run starts many miles upstream from Clementine (side creeks make up the difference).  For runs marked ***, the difference is likely to be radical.  Please consult a good white-water guidebook for information on how to estimate the actual flow on any given run.

Information on the runs listed below was taken from one (or more) of the following sources:

Tag	Title and Author
AllAbout	All About Rivers (on online guide) - Brad Goettemoeller
AWA	American Whitewater
Turner	Montana Surf - Nick Turner, Matt Wilson, Russ Fry
WWW	Western Whitewater - Cassady, Cross and Calhoun
World	World Whitewater - Jim Cassady and Dan Dunlap
Hearsay	Opinions expressed by humble river runners (not guidebook authors)

Almost all of the runs below have some basic information about the run: the length, the class, and a tag indicating which guidebook the information was taken from (see the above table for a list of tags).  The page numbers (where given) are for the specified edition of the guide. The class ratings listed here never include all the nuances in the guidebook.  Note very carefully that the information supplied here is intended only as an aid to selecting runs which might appeal to you.  Different authors rate runs differently, some runs have significant rapids and hazards not covered by the rating given here, and ratings change with flow.  Also, only a fraction of the information in the guidebooks is presented here.  PLEASE CONSULT AN APPLICABLE GUIDEBOOK before selecting a run to paddle.

Many of the runs listed below have links to web pages that describe the run and associated logistics.  Many also provide interesting photos.  Note: these are third-party web sites, though, and as such Dreamflows cannot vouch for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided; nor are the opinions expressed necessarily shared by Dreamflows.  Note also that for many runs, the logistical information is taken from a hardcopy book, even though there are one or more links to online pages as well.  This offers the reader multiple sources of run information.

Return to Index.

Montana Rivers

No. Blackfoot - Near Ovando

Gauge located near county road bridge, 2.2 mi above Main Blackfoot confluence.

North Blackfoot - Upper Run (4 miles, III to V-, Turner p44)

Blackfoot - Near Bonner

Gauge located 5 mi below Union Creek.

Blackfoot - Roundup FAS to Johnsrud FAS (18 miles (or 6 miles), II to III, Turner p42)

Clark Fork - At St. Regis

Gauge located at St. Regis, 0.4 mi below St. Regis River confluence.

Clark Fork - Alberton Gorge (Cyr Bridge to Tarkio) (10 miles, III to IV, Turner p38)

Prospect Creek - At Thompson Falls

Gauge located 500 ft downstream from Dry Creek, 0.5 mi upstream from mouth.

Prospect Creek - Lower Run (3 miles, IV+ to V, Turner p52)

No. Flathead - Near Columbia Falls

Gauge located 1.5 mi below Canyon Creek, 3.8 mi above Middle Fork confluence.

North Flathead - Big Creek to Glacier Rim (11 miles, II to III, Turner p120)

Mi. Flathead - Near West Glacier

Gauge located 0.8 mi below McDonald Creek, 3.5 mi above North Fork confluence.

Middle Flathead - Schafer Meadows to Bear Creek Access (27.5 miles, IV+, Turner p114)

Middle Flathead - Moccasin Creek Access to West Glacier (8 miles, III to IV, Turner p112)

So. Flathead - Above Hungry Horse Res

Gauge located 0.4 mi above Twin Creek, 2.5 mi above Hungry Horse Reservoir.

South Flathead - Big Prairie to Mid Creek Access (47 miles, I to II very scenic, Turner p118)

Swan - Near Bigfork

Gauge located 0.2 mi below Johnson Creek, 0.4 mi below Swan Lake.

Swan River - Wild Mile (1.2 miles, IV to V, Turner p122)

Flathead - Near Polson

Gauge located 0.5 mi below Kerr Dam, 5 mi below Flathead Lake.

Main Flathead - Buffalo Rapids (Kerr Dam to Buffalo Bridge Road) (6.5 miles, III to III+, Turner p124)

Kootenai - Below Libby Dam

Gauge located 0.7 mi below Libby Dam.

Kootenai - Below Kootenai Falls (1 mile, IV+, Turner p134)

Yaak - Above Kootenai Confluence

Gauge located 500 ft above bridge on Hwy-2, 0.3 mi above mouth.

Yaak - Yaak Falls to Hwy-2 (9 miles, III to IV, Turner p136)

Madison - Below Hebgen Lake

Gauge located 0.3 mi below Hebgen Dam.

Madison - Earthquake Lake Run (1.7 miles, IV+ to V+, Turner p146)

Madison - Below Ennis Lake

Gauge located 500 ft below Madison powerplant, 1.5 mi below Ennis Lake.

Madison - Beartrap Canyon (10 miles, III+ to IV+, Turner p148)

Gallatin - Near Gallatin Gateway

Gauge located 0.3 mi below Spanish Creek, 7.3 mi above Gallatin Gateway.

Gallatin - Big Sky to Moose Flats (8 miles, II to III, Turner p152)

Gallatin - Moose Flats to Storm Castle (8 miles, III to IV, Turner p154)

Gallatin - Storm Castle to Squaw Creek (2.5 miles, II to III, Turner p156)

Yellowstone - At Corwin Springs

Gauge located 20 ft below county road bridge at Corwin Springs, 1.3 mi above Mulherin Creek.

Yellowstone - Black Canyon (20 miles, V to V+, Turner p228)

Yellowstone - Gardiner Run (4 miles, II to III+, Turner p224)

Yellowstone - Yankee Jim Canyon (4 miles, III to IV, Turner p226)

Yellowstone - Near Livingston

Gauge located 2 mi below Suce Creek, 4 mi south of Livingston.

Yellowstone - Springdale FAS to Grey Bear FAS (9 miles, II to III, Turner p214)

Yellowstone - Otter Creek FAS to Pelican FAS (10 miles, III, Turner p216)

Boulder - At Big Timber

Gauge located 150 ft above Old Boulder Bridge, 1 mi east of Big Timber.

Big Timber - Hells Canyon (3.25 miles, IV+ to V, Turner p210) ***

Big Timber - Bible Stretch (6.5 miles, III to IV, Turner p212) ***

Stillwater - Near Absarokee

Gauge located 3 mi below Rosebud Creek, 3.5 mi northeast of Absarokee.

Stillwater - 3-day Mission Run (24 miles, V+, Turner p170) ***

Stillwater - Woodbine Run (3.5 miles, V, Turner p176)

Stillwater - Absarokee to White Bird (8 miles, II to III, Turner p178)

Stillwater - White Bird to Fireman's Point (4.5 miles, III to III+, Turner p180)

West Rosebud Cr - Near Roscoe

Gauge located 1 mi above West Rosebud Lake, 2 mi below Mystic Lake.

West Rosebud Creek - Emerald Lake to Pine Grove CG (3 miles, III to IV+, Turner p188)

Rock Creek - Near Red Lodge

Gauge located 3 mi above West Fork Rock Creek.

Rock Creek - Lake Fork to outside Red Lodge (2.5 miles, III to IV, Turner p190)

CF Yellowstone - Near Belfry

Gauge located 1.3 mi below Wyoming-Montana State line, 3 mi above Dilworth Creek.

Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone - Stix and Stones (4.7 miles, V+, Turner p62) ***

Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone - Day Stretch (4 miles, IV to IV+, Turner p70)

Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone - Honeymooner (3 miles, V to V+, Turner p72)

Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone - Box (19 miles, V to V+, Turner p64)

Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone - Lower Run (3 miles, IV to V-, Turner p76)

Montana Links

USGS - Montana Real-Time Flow Index

This page was last updated Sat, Mar 8, 2008.

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