Riverbeta
Blackfoot River · Missoula / Bonner

Roundup to Johnsrud Park

From the Roundup access at the Highway 200 bridge, 16.4 miles through the heart of the Recreation Corridor to Johnsrud Park. Montana River Guides' half-day covers this 16-mile section at high water; Adventure Missoula runs it as their full day, about six hours on the water. Roundup Rapid sits at the bridge just above the put-in — scout it from the highway during the shuttle. Below, the river alternates easy water with rock gardens that firm up at higher flows; FWP's floaters guide notes the stretch from Roundup down to Ninemile Prairie turns to rock gardens and shallow gravel bars that are hard on drift boats and heavy rafts below about 800 cfs. Thibodeau Rapid comes twelve miles down, and The Ledge surf wave shows up a quarter mile above Johnsrud when spring water is up. Access points sit every few miles, so the run shortens easily.

Class
II-III
Length
16.4 mi
Gradient
—
On-water
≈ 6 hrs
NO
Very low at 866 CFS — boney and likely unrunnable.
Updated 40 min ago · USGS 12340000 Blackfoot River near Bonner MT
≈42nd percentile — about normal for the date
Air Quality AlertAir Quality Alert issued August 2 at 9:12AM MDT by NWS Great Falls MTNOAA ↗
5 things on this page we haven't confirmed locally — know this river? Open to weigh in.

Everything below traces to a published source, but no local paddler has confirmed these yet. The same items carry a ⚑ flag where they appear on the page; a confirmation or correction from you clears them.

  • Launching above or below Roundup Rapid

    The rapid sits at the Highway 200 bridge just upstream of the Roundup FAS ramp. No source states whether trips start above it (and run it) or at the ramp below. FWP Float Map + NRS, inferred ↗

    Where do boats actually launch relative to the rapid — above the bridge, or at the ramp below it?

  • Spring wood reputation

    Trail Head River Sports says wood on the Blackfoot accounts for more fatalities than other rivers west of the Divide. We couldn't find a second source, so the page carries it as a softened caution. Trail Head River Sports ↗

    Does the spring-wood reputation match what you see out there? Any current strainers worth flagging?

  • Thibodeau campground fee

    FWP lists $12/$18 a night; BLM's corridor page says no fees. The agencies disagree and neither page is dated. BLM Lower Blackfoot corridor ↗

    Camped there recently? What were you actually charged?

  • Pin rock in Roundup RapidRoundup Rapid

    NRS's Missoula guide describes a large rock at the base of the main wave train with real pin potential. No other source mentions it. NRS Duct Tape Diaries ↗

    Run it recently? Is the rock a genuine hazard, and at what flows does it matter?

  • When The Ledge is inThe Ledge

    American Whitewater says the surf wave shows up at moderate spring flows; nobody publishes a cfs range for when it forms. American Whitewater 984 ↗

    Know the flow window when The Ledge forms? Even a rough cfs range helps.

No. 01 · Today

What the river is doing today

↘
Live flow and weather, straight off the gauge — updated every fifteen minutes.

FLOW USGS 12340000 ↗ Blackfoot River near Bonner, MT

866
cu ft / sec
steady · -26 over 24 h· gauge 2.45 ft
≈42nd percentile for the date — about normal for the date · median ~928 cfs
9,5406,5673,594621MONSATFRIWEDFORECAST →NOW · 866
Too low <1,050Low 1,050–1,500Prime 1,500–6,000High 6,000–9,000Too high >9,000

Zones are a community estimate — no agency publishes a flow window for this run. Today's flow sits in the band of the same color. Dashed forward lines: the NOAA NWPS short-range forecast ↗ on 7-day & 30-day, and the NWRFC ensemble outlook ↗ on Season.

ON THE WATER

Smoke · Monday · NOAA forecast ↗
Water
69°F
Air high
73°F
Precip
6%
Wind
7mph W
Sunrise
6:17AM
Sunset
9:07PM
No. 02 · Honest read

Is today the day?

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A read for what's actually running — not a generic class description. Updated with every gauge tick.

Too low to recommend

Well under the best-at range. Long boney drags between pools — more portaging than paddling.

At 866 CFS this is below a fun float. You can drag a boat down it, but most parties will wish they had waited. Give the snowpack a warm week and come back.
  • ✦Reconsider the day. A different run or a wait of a few days will pay off.
  • ✦Two boats, minimum. Long runs with no road. You are your own rescue.
  • ✦Helmet, throw bag, whistle on every paddler. Pin kit split between boats.
  • ✦Dress for the swim, not the float — dry layers waiting at the take-out.
  • ✦Tell someone your plan and the time you expect to be off the water.
No. 03 · The run

Mile by mile

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The classic Blackfoot whitewater day run — the section most Missoula outfitters use for commercial trips. Mostly Class I-II water between distinct rapids, with Roundup Rapid at the top and Thibodeau in the lower half; big friendly wave trains at spring flows. American Whitewater ↗In this section: ⚑ 2 claims awaiting local confirmation · ⓘ 2 ratings our sources disagree on — the marks next to rapid names open the details.

Read-and-run at most flows — but rivers change. Scoutanything you can't read from upstream, and treat a flaggedportage / scout note below as the minimum, not the whole story.

mi 0Roundup Rapid

Roundup RapidIII

At the Highway 200 bridge, directly upstream of the Roundup launch — parties putting in at the FAS ramp may start just below it, so decide on the shuttle whether you want it. A big wave train leading to a drop; NRS's Missoula guide warns of a large rock at the base of the main wave train with pin potential (single source — verify locally). Easily scouted from Highway 200.
mi 12Thibodeau Rapid

Thibodeau RapidII-III

About two miles below Whitaker Bridge — watch for the large rock right-center as the river drops (American Whitewater). Big Sky Fishing calls it the Blackfoot's best-known piece of whitewater with the safest route on the right; FWP's float map grades it Class II. Flow-dependent. AW ↗
mi 16.2The Ledge

The LedgeII

A surf wave a quarter mile above Johnsrud that comes in when spring water is up — parking directly above and across the road, popular for park-and-play laps (American Whitewater). AW ↗
No. 04 · Getting there & back

How to get there. How to get back.

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Put-in, take-out, and the shuttle between them. Confirm road conditions before a remote launch.
Put-in

Roundup

46.9460, -113.4331Directions ↗
Notes
FWP access at the Highway 200 bridge with a raft-slide launch and toilet; day use. Roundup Rapid sits at the bridge directly upstream of the launch and can be scouted from Highway 200 during the shuttle.
Take-out

Johnsrud Park

46.9164, -113.6785Directions ↗
Notes
The largest site on the river and the downstream end of the Recreation Corridor — concrete ramp, drinking water, toilets, and a reservable group picnic shelter (406-542-5500). Day use; closed in winter. On hot summer days it is a full-on beach scene, and the take-out gets very busy.
Shuttle

15.8 mi self-shuttle

≈ 19 min driveShuttle route ↗
Route
Spot a vehicle at the take-out, drive boats to the put-in, retrieve at the end of the day.
Source
Driving distance via the Mapbox Directions API; matches a standard road shuttle, not a back-road shortcut.
Permits
None to float for private boaters; a Montana Conservation License is required to use FWP fishing access sites. Recreation Corridor rules apply: no riverside camping outside the designated float-in campsites (permit required year-round), fires in a fire pan only, no glass, portable toilet and bear-resistant food storage required. Non-motorized watercraft only.
Season
May through September. Best Class II-III whitewater at May-June snowmelt flows; mellows toward a relaxed float as summer drops the water.
No. 05 · Hazards on this run

What to watch for

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Hazards we have on record for this run specifically. Universal river-safety practice — gear, group, emergencies — is on the disclaimer & safety page.

No standout hazards are flagged for this run — which is not the same as none. Woodmoves and channels shift; scout anything you can't read from upstream.

No. 06 · Before you head up the highway

Today's gear call

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Tailored to today's water temperature and this run's difficulty. The full always-bring list is on the disclaimer & safety page.
Today-specific · 69°F water · class II-III

At 69°F, this gear is non-optional.

Synthetic layers and a change of dry clothes.
Water is 69°F — still chilly on a long swim.
Helmet rated for whitewater.
Class II-III — boulders and shallow hits.
Throw bag per paddler; pin kit split between boats.
Self-rescue is the only rescue out here.
Dry clothes and a warm hat in a dry bag.
Hypothermia prevention after a swim.
No. 07 · From the boats that ran it

What the last few boats said

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Sorted by similarity to today's flow. Reports are the best signal we have for what a run feels like — leave one when you get home.
No trip reports on this run yet — be the first.The rapids you ran, the flow at the gauge, the line you took — that is the best signal there is.
Gauges & flow
Land managers
Community
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