Riverbeta
Flathead Valley / Glacier National Park

Middle Fork Flathead

The whitewater fork. Wild and Scenic from headwaters in the Bob Marshall Wilderness to confluence with the North Fork. Forms the southern boundary of Glacier National Park. Free-flowing, snowmelt-driven, no upstream dams. Filmed in The River Wild.

Runs
6
Class range
II–IV
Length
82.8 mi
Season
May–Oct
No. 01 · The river

Where the runs sit

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Every run drawn as its actual river channel, colored by today's runnability. Hover a line for the run; tap to open it.
  • Too low
  • Low
  • Prime
  • High
  • Too high
No. 02 · Runs

The sections, top to bottom

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Listed headwaters to confluence. Pick a run for live conditions, rapids beta, and the whole plan.

  1. Schafer Meadows to Bear Creek

    TOO HIGH
    III-IV · 27.5 mi · 35 ft/mi · Multi-day

    Wilderness multi-day. Great Bear Wilderness corridor. Fly-in or hike-in access only. Several significant rapid series. True wilderness — no road, no cell, no rescue.

    15,400 cfs todayprime 4,000–8,000

  2. Bear Creek to Paola Access

    TOO HIGH
    II-III · 12 mi · 18 ft/mi · ≈ 4 hrs · Half-day

    Class II-III canyon water immediately below the Great Bear Wilderness. Red-mudstone canyon walls, the Walton Goat Lick, and the historic Izaak Walton Inn at Essex as a landmark.

    15,400 cfs todayprime 1,000–8,000

  3. Paola Access to Moccasin Creek

    TOO HIGH
    II-III · 18 mi · ≈ 6 hrs · Full-day

    Long Class II float with one Class III feature (Brown's Hole), opening to broad braided cobble bars in Nyack Flats. Cascadilla Access (mi 11.62, river-right) is the recommended takeout — Moccasin Creek as a takeout is impractical.

    15,400 cfs todayprime 1,000–8,000

  4. Moccasin Creek to West Glacier

    TOO HIGH
    III+ · 8.9 mi · 18 ft/mi · ≈ 4 hrs · Half-day

    Continuous read-and-run whitewater. The most popular day-trip whitewater run on any of the three forks. Railroad along river-left, Glacier National Park on river-right.

    15,400 cfs todayprime 1,500–8,000

  5. West Glacier to Blankenship Bridge

    HIGH
    II+ (III) · 5.4 mi · 8 ft/mi · ≈ 2 hrs · Half-day

    Scenic float with one Class III rapid. Deep gorges, impressive cliffs, deep pools. The family-friendly section.

    15,400 cfs todayprime 1,500–12,000

  6. West Glacier to House of Mystery

    HIGH
    II+ (III) · 11 mi · ≈ 4 hrs · Half-day

    A long scenic float — West Glacier down through the Middle Fork / North Fork confluence and onto the mainstem. Popular as a SUP and family float.

    15,400 cfs todayprime 1,500–12,000
No. 03 · Multi-day trips

Multi-day trips

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Overnight trips — you camp on the river. Committing wilderness with no road bail-out, or a road corridor you can shorten or break into day-runs. Each rolls up today's runnability across its whole length.
No. 04 · Reference

Gauges & outside resources

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Where the live readings come from, and the outfits with the deeper river-by-river database.
Gauges & flow
  • USGS 12358500 · Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier MTUpdates every 15 min
Run databases
No. 05 · From the group

From the group

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Ranger's note ·Beta pulled from the Flathead Valley Paddling Society on Facebook — organized, attributed, and kept here so it doesn't vanish into the feed. The original conversations are at the bottom.

Safety

LeeRecent report

Mid-May 2026: lots of trees/wood reported in the river and it's running muddy and off-color. Be on your game.

Barbara / AJRecent report

Late May 2026: Jaws is 'gnarly' right now — high, fast, and punchy; it flipped a mini-raft (swimmers OK). A paddler lost a flip line and a locking carabiner in it — a possible entrapment hazard for others. Bonecrusher, by contrast, was reported small. Expect brutal wind in the corridor too.

CajunAlways true

Paddleboarding the Moccasin section — wear a helmet and a vest.

The run

RoyFlow-dependent

Devil's Elbow: the river makes a big turn to the right, and at medium and higher flows the current pushes you into a large rock outcrop. You can avoid it entirely by portaging the gravel bar on river-right.

Jimmy11,000 cfsFlow-dependent

Browns Hole at high water (~11k): start left and move right as you enter, avoid the wall on the left, and eddy out to scout — the wave can be as tall as a 14' boat is long.

EthanFlow-dependent

Box Canyon (on the West Glacier → Blankenship stretch): nothing to worry about around 4 ft / moderate flow. But at high water (~10–15k) the boils and eddy seams in the canyon get tricky. Community-named feature; not yet cross-confirmed.

JonAlways true

Moccasin is read-and-run, but boily and swirly — expect continuous, pushy water rather than clean discrete drops.

Kevin / Beth / MelissaAlways true

At lower/later-season flows you'll likely need to line the raft through some drops in the Three Forks Series. Take the smallest boats you can, keep it a paddle rig over an oar boat, and budget an extra day — you'll move slower than you expect.

Conditions

RobertRecent report

Late May 2026, ~6 ft: Cascadilla → West Glacier is tan-green with about 4 ft of visibility. Two non-threatening strainers ~2 miles above where Moccasin/Deerlick Creek enter; obstacles are visible well ahead. Tunnel → West Glacier is fast and semi-smooth, not washed out.

CarmenFlow-dependent

Don't run the lower section into Blankenship on a windy day — the wind down there will blow you backwards up the river. Check the wind forecast.

JonFlow-dependent

Moccasin is best mid-summer, when flows bring out the rapids; late summer gets too low. One paddler's gauge-stage read (note: gauge height in feet, not CFS): good around 3–4 ft for a raft, 2–3 ft for a kayak.

James2,000 cfsFlow-dependent

Lower navigability floor: ~2,000 cfs is close to a hard minimum for a small raft on the upper reach from Schafer — at ~2,300 a 14' boat drags off a few rocks but goes. Flows pick up considerably once Granite Creek enters below Three Forks. (This is the 'navigable but dragging' floor; it's well below the prime band.)

Is it for you

Andy11,000 cfsFlow-dependent

At high water on the Bear Creek run you want real experience on it and dry suits.

LehiFlow-dependent

Bear Creek runs better at higher flows — high water covers a lot of the rocks so it's less bony.

CajunAlways true

Locals rate West Glacier to House of Mystery as a standout float — and you don't need a guide for anything below Moccasin.

CajunAlways true

West Glacier to Blankenship is a little rougher — more whitewater — than the water below Blankenship.

Ethan / CodyAlways true

West Glacier to Blankenship is an easy section at moderate flow — Devil's Elbow and Box Canyon are non-issues around 4 ft. Note Bonecrusher and Jaws are NOT on this run; they're upstream above West Glacier (the Moccasin run). Even so, locals stress that easy water still demands respect.

The original conversations

Amy asked

Does anyone have any idea about the condition of the Middle Fork from West Glacier to Blankenship? I have a hard kayak and usually paddle starting in July, but I'm dying to get out there. Anyone?

CodyIt's not massive but bigger than you'd be used to most Julys. I'd run it in any boat since it's an easy section — but even Class II can take lives, so it depends on your skill set.
RoyRunning about 4 feet. Few things to watch for: Bone Crusher and Jaws.
BenAren't Bonecrusher and Jaws up above West Glacier?
EthanYes, those are above West Glacier. From West Glacier to Blankenship you'll be totally fine. Devil's Elbow and Box Canyon are nothing to worry about at 4k. If it were more like 10–15k, the boils and eddy seams in Box Canyon can be tricky.
View the original thread →
Keagan asked

Upper Middle Fork trip planned, Schafer Meadows down to Bear Creek, put-in June 29. Packrafts and small 10ft rafts as a paddle boat or oar rig. Looks like the river is peaking early this year. Anyone have experience getting down the upper part at lower flows? We're ready for bony nonsense, but I don't want to get totally stuck.

James2000 cfs is close to a hard minimum for a (small) raft on the upper stretch from Schafer. Flows pick up considerably once Granite Creek drops in below Three Forks.
KevinYou'll do fine in packrafts and likely that smaller raft. I'd keep it a paddle rig rather than an oar boat. You'll likely need to line the raft through some rapids in the Three Forks Series. Going that late, take an extra day if you can — you'll be slower than you anticipate.
MelissaRan it at 2300 in a 14' 1000lb boat the last 3 years. Had to drag off a few rocks, but it's fine. A 10-footer should be gravy.
BethTwo years ago we did this and spent a lot of time getting our boats off rocks — we left around July 7. Take the smallest boats possible; you'll enjoy the trip more.
View the original thread →
Natasha asked

Looking for some insight. My friend and I come up every year and float on SUP's from HH to Teakettle or Kokanee. We've done Blankenship to Teakettle and HH to Old Steel Bridge before. Those are the only routes we know. Are there any other stretches of the river that you'd recommend? I've done white water rafting a few times and have been paddling the river on my SUP for around 4-5 years. Nothing crazy though, and no training.

CassidyI like middle fork golf course to Blankenship.
CajunYou need to start at West Glacier! Take out at House of Mystery. Best stretch imo.
NatashaHow long? Rapids? Do it with someone knowledgeable first?
CajunYou don't need a guide to do anything below Moccasin.
CajunYes rapids, but nothing crazy.
CajunWest Glacier to Blankenship is a little rougher than Blankenship down, in terms of whitewater.
RoyWhen are you coming? The water level makes a big difference. As Cajun said, consider West Glacier to Blankenship. There is one rapid, Devil's Elbow, worth mentioning. The river makes a big turn to the right. At medium and higher flows the current pushes you into the big rock outcrop. You can totally avoid it by portaging over the gravel bar on the right.
CarmenJust not on a remotely windy day! That last part will blow you backwards up the river!
CajunOh, I should've mentioned that. Always check the wind forecast before getting on the river.
CajunI've paddleboarded Moccasin, but I recommend a helmet and vest for that.
NatashaWe usually come mid-to-late July.
RoyA good time of year for SUP. Unless we just got a bunch of rain, the flow should be on the lower side of moderate. Definitely West Glacier to Blankenship. It'll probably be a good level to play around in Devil's Elbow — carry back up and run it multiple times trying different lines, and practice ferries, eddy turns, and peel-outs at the bottom. Have fun!
View the original thread →
Hannah asked

Hi crew! Interested in doing Bear Creek to Cascadilla tomorrow. We have run this stretch many times but never at these flows. Looks to be running around 11k. Any advice, intel, words of wisdom?

LeeRan it last year at 11,000 — it's a bunch in places. Depends on your experience. A friend who lives on the river said this morning there are a bunch of trees in the river now and it's muddy.
AndyAt this water level, you should have some experience on that stretch and dry suits if you plan on running it.
JimmyStart left and move right as you enter Browns. It'll be HUGE. You really want to avoid the wall on the left. Definitely worth an eddy-out and scout.
AndrewDrove through the area today coming from the east side. It's pumping and off-color, as expected. Should be fun, but definitely be on your game.
JessicaI wanna run this section, but not right now. Way too much wood in the water.
SamuelDefinitely scout Browns. Last year we ran it at 11k and the wave was about as tall as my 14' boat is long.
LehiBrowns Hole should be a fun wave. I prefer Bear Creek at around those levels — it clears up a lot of the rocks and it's not so bony.
Ed asked

Will be over near the Middle Fork. Looking for someone to show me the way down from Moccasin Creek to West Glacier, Saturday 5/9/26.

JonJust did it. Boily and swirly.
JonThe best is mid-summer, when it brings out the best of the rapids. Late summer is too low. For a raft, likely between 3 and 4 feet on the gauge; for a kayak, between 2 and 3 feet. It's still fun lower, but it's not as good a high-water river as others.
JaronRead and run.
View the original thread →
Robert asked

Did a shakedown run today, Cascadilla to West Glacier. Tan-green water at I'd guess 6 feet. Two non-threatening strainers about 2 miles above where Moccasin/Deerlick Creek enter. Stayed in the main channel, mostly — can spot the obstacles well ahead of time, so in my opinion a novice can do it, depending on boat size. The water from Tunnel to West is fast, semi-smooth but not washed out. Visibility about 4 feet deep.

BarbaraVery splashy through the whitewater section. Jaws is gnarly — chewed up my little mini-raft and spat us out swimming. We were fine, but it's high, fast, and punchy right now. The only thing I lost in Jaws was my flip line, tucked behind the clamshell pocket of my PFD — and a locking carabiner. Hopefully it doesn't become an entrapment hazard for someone else.
AJWe floated Moccasin to Blankenship yesterday. Water was fast, but the wind was horrible — had to fight just to get into Tunnel Rapids, and it was basically just rollers. Bonecrusher was small and not much action.
View the original thread →