Riverbeta
Blackfoot River · Missoula / Bonner

Russell Gates to Roundup

The first leg of the Recreation Corridor — Russell Gates Memorial FAS down to the Roundup access at the Highway 200 bridge, about 11 miles. Missoula outfitters treat Russell Gates to Roundup as its own section at spring flows, and SUP Montana grades it for experienced paddlers, 'ending with Roundup Rapid, the Blackfoot's largest rapid.' Trail Head River Sports describes the ten miles below Russell Gates as holding numerous rapids, several Class III at higher flows — beginners in rafts should be wary here. Bear Creek Rapids comes about four miles in, and the Clearwater River joins mid-run, roughly doubling the water from the put-in. Watch for wood every spring: river-wide debris and log jams form on the Blackfoot each year.

Class
II-III
Length
11.1 mi
Gradient
—
On-water
—
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
Off season. This run is typically paddled May–July; today is August. The flow is doing what it's doing, but treat the runnability colors as a year-round reference, not a “go right now” signal — confirm conditions match the run's season.
Air Quality AlertAir Quality Alert issued August 2 at 9:12AM MDT by NWS Great Falls MTNOAA ↗
4 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.

  • Where the whitewater starts

    Big Sky Fishing calls the start of the whitewater “Sperry Grade”; outfitters anchor it at Russell Gates. They may be the same spot — Sperry Grade isn't in FWP's access-site list. Big Sky Fishing ↗

    Is Sperry Grade the same access as Russell Gates, or a different launch?

  • 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?

  • 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?

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?

↘
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

↘
The upper-canyon whitewater leg of the Recreation Corridor. Continuous Class II water with rock gardens that sharpen toward Class III at spring flows, finishing at Roundup Rapid — the biggest rapid on the river — right at the take-out bridge. American Whitewater ↗In this section: ⚑ 1 claim awaiting local confirmation · ⓘ 1 rating 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 4.1Bear Creek Rapids

Bear Creek RapidsII

Class II on the FWP float map, just upstream of the Bear Creek Flats float-in campsite.
mi 11Roundup Rapid

Roundup RapidIII

The Blackfoot's largest rapid, at the Highway 200 bridge directly above the Roundup access — 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.
No. 04 · Getting there & back

How to get there. How to get back.

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

Russell Gates

47.0234, -113.3060Directions ↗
Notes
Russell Gates Memorial FAS on river right at Highway 200 — gravel ramp, drinking water, toilet, and primitive campsites ($12/night with a Montana fishing license, $18 without). Marks the upstream end of the Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor.
Take-out

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.
Shuttle

9 mi self-shuttle

≈ 10 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 July for whitewater at snowmelt flows; lower and rockier by late summer. Local guides run this section when the water is up.
No. 05 · Hazards on this run

What to watch for

↘
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

↘
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

↘
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
Related runs