Towns along the river include West Glacier, Nyack, Pinnacle, Essex, and Nimrod. provided to the NWS by the gauge owner. Winter storm in Glacier National Park. The Middle Fork of the Flathead River forms the southwest border of Glacier National Park. 12362500 South Fork near Columbia Falls 12363000 Flathead River at Columbia Falls 12367500 Stillwater River at Lawrence Park Flathead River Class: Class III - IV River Length 26 miles Time: 3 - 4 days Season: June to August. Flathead River Flathead River near Perma Flathead River near Polson Flathead River at Columbia Falls. Flooding affecting low lying areas adjacent to the river will occur. However, if you drew a line to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, celebrating its 50 th anniversary this year, it'd lead straight to the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, right here in Glacier Country, Montana.. Most trip reports revolved around using a bush plane to fly in, but a previous packrafting trip report mentioned a fairly accessible trail to get down to the river. Together the North, South and Middle Forks of the Flathead River drain approximately 4,464 square miles (12,000 km2) with an average annual discharge of 9699 cubic feet (275m3) per second, as measured in Columbia Falls. Beginning in Essex, the river turns into a recreational class river and follows Highway 2, dwarfed by tall mountains on either side. The Middle Fork Flathead River is a 92-mile (148 km) river in western Montana in the United States, forming the southwestern boundary of Glacier National Park. USGS 12355500 N F Flathead River nr Columbia Falls MT. Middle Fork Flathead River. Flathead Lake Current Elevation Select USGS Streamflow Readings. FOIA The highway follows the river from Bear Creek all the way to West Glacier at the confluence of the North and Middle Forks, however the road is hardly noticed. In the winter the only activity along the river might be the … 6 of us hiked down Morrison Creek to just the above the confluence with the middle fork. Several commercial rafting businesses use this section of river. The river is divided into several distinct sections. Many sections of the Middle Fork of the Flathead are comprised of canyons as well as class II-III whitewater. Camping is limited to one … Reaches designated wild and scenic include the entire North Fork south of the Canada–US border, the entire Middle Fork, and the South Fork above Hungry Horse Reservoir. As the Middle Fork Flathead River flows through numerous canyons, many of the portages are difficult. 12355000 North Fork at Flathead BC 12355500 North Fork near Columbia Falls 12358500 Middle Fork near West Glacier 12359800 South Fork above Hungry Horse Res. Flathead River Montana – The drainage is one of America’s coolest river systems. Description; River Details ; Map + Directions; Description. Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps, Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps, Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks, Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks. USGS 12358500 M F Flathead River near West Glacier MT. PROVISIONAL DATA SUBJECT TO REVISION. Middle Fork Flathead River rafting trips float several different sections of the river due to easy access from US Hwy 2. Just completed a low water trip on the middle fork with flows at about 1200 cfs at West Glacier. Northwest Montana River Flows. Camping is limited to designated river sections; see map above. Undesignated River Camping Regulations. During the summer watch for rafters. For details. U.S. Geological Survey Roads and homes may experience flooding due to backwater. Flooding to low lying areas adjacent to the river will occur. Thanks to simple logistics and only one other commercial outfitter, the Middle Fork Flathead is our most affordable trip on a pristine wilderness river. Click on any of the links below to view current real time river flow data for northwest Montana rivers. URL: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/uv? It does get all of the western freestone insect hatches but slightly muted in numbers. Beginning in the Canadian Rockies north of Glacier National Park, the Flathead flows south through northwestern Montana into Flathead Lake. From deep in the wilderness, it flows roughly 70 miles before it’s confluence with the North Fork of the Flathead. The primary advocate for the preservation and protection of whitewater rivers throughout the United States and connects the interests of human-powered recreational river users with ecological and science-based data to achieve goals within our mission. Primitive recreation in a straight line many roads will be inundated with Water! 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