Riverbeta
Middle Fork Flathead · Flathead Valley / Glacier National Park

Bear Creek to Paola Access

The first road-accessible reach below the wilderness. Bear Creek put-in sits where the Middle Fork emerges from the Great Bear Wilderness onto Highway 2. Three named rapids in the upper red-mudstone canyon (Bear Creek Rapids, Staircase, Goatlick) before the river opens to broader cobble bars between Essex and the Paola take-out. Essex (river-left, mi 4.57) is a hand-carry-only intermediate access at the historic Izaak Walton Inn — not practical for rafts but useful for kayakers. Take out at the USFS Paola Access (river-left, 45 mi east of Hungry Horse on Hwy 2).

Class
II-III
Length
12 mi
Gradient
18 ft/mi
On-water
≈ 4 hrs
NO
Very high at 15,400 CFS — flood-stage; do not launch.
Updated 1 hr ago · USGS 12358500 M F Flathead River near West Glacier MT
Flood WatchFlood Watch issued June 1 at 11:29AM MDT until June 2 at 12:00PM MDT by NWS Missoula MTNOAA ↗
Going-to-the-Sun Road Spring StatusGoing-to-the-Sun Road is open to Avalanche Creek on the west side of the park. On the east side, the road is open to Jackson Glacier Overlook. Travel on open sections of the road may change due to spring weather conditions. Visitors should check road conditions before their arrival.NPS · Park Closure ↗
No. 01 · Today

What the river is doing today

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

FLOW USGS 12358500 ↗ Middle Fork Flathead River near West Glacier MT

15,400
cu ft / sec
rising · +2,600 over 24 h· gauge 7.21 ft
≈75th percentile for the date — a bit above normal for the date · median ~10,900 cfs
17,27811,7296,179630MONSUNFRITHUFORECAST →NOW · 15,400
Too low <700Low 700–1,000Prime 1,000–8,000High 8,000–12,000Too high >12,000

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

Rain · Today · NOAA forecast ↗
Water
45°F
Air high
55°F
Precip
98%
Wind
2mph W
Sunrise
5:40AM
Sunset
9:30PM
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.

Not today

Far over the best-at range — flood-stage water moving wood and pushing hard into every wall.

Don't launch today. Come back when this drops below 8,000 CFS. The river will still be here next week.
  • ✦Wait it out. Flood flows move wood and strainers — the hazard is invisible from shore.
No. 03 · Going guided

Outfits that run this water

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Outfitters that run this water commercially — a sound call for cold, pushy water or a first time on the run. Trips run spring through fall.

Absaroka River Adventures

Columbus / Absarokee

A local outfitter running guided trips in this drainage. Check their site for current trips, ages, and rates.

Rates on their siteVisit →

Glacier Guides / Montana Raft

West Glacier

A local outfitter running guided trips in this drainage. Check their site for current trips, ages, and rates.

Rates on their siteVisit →

Glacier Raft Co

West Glacier

A local outfitter running guided trips in this drainage. Check their site for current trips, ages, and rates.

Rates on their siteVisit →
No. 04 · The run

Mile by mile

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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. American Whitewater ↗

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

mi 0.03Bear Creek Rapids

Bear Creek RapidsII-III

Bouldery Class II-III feature just below the put-in. Gets more pushy and challenging at high water (American Whitewater). AW ↗
mi 1.99Staircase Rapids

Staircase RapidsIII

Series of wave trains and maneuvering around boulders — more technical and demanding than the surrounding Class II water. One of the most notable drops on the run (American Whitewater). AW ↗
mi 2.79Goatlick Rapids

Goatlick RapidsII+

Short, lively, straightforward — sits near the Walton Goat Lick interpretive site. ⚠️ Stopping is prohibited within 1/4 mile upstream or downstream of the Goat Lick to protect the mountain goats (USFS).
No. 05 · 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

Bear Creek

48.2336, -113.5670Directions ↗
Notes
Large parking area off Highway 2 with a small raft slide on river-right, at the Bear Creek confluence — the highest (most upstream) access on the Middle Fork along Highway 2, where the river emerges from the Great Bear Wilderness ~3 mi above Essex. Used as the take-out for the wilderness Schafer Meadows section and the put-in for the Bear Creek → Paola Class II-III canyon run.
Take-out

Paola Access

48.3439, -113.6415Directions ↗
Notes
Flathead National Forest river access (Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District) on river-left where Paola Creek joins the Middle Fork — about 45 mi east of Hungry Horse on US Highway 2. Designated parking, vault toilet, native-surface ramp. Day-use only, no fees. Wild & Scenic Corridor regulations apply (solid human waste containment + fire pan/blanket required; 3-night camping limit). Used as the take-out for Bear Creek → Paola and the put-in for the Paola → Moccasin run.
Shuttle

9.3 mi self-shuttle

≈ 14 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. Wild & Scenic Corridor regulations apply: PFDs, IGBC bear-resistant food storage, solid human waste containment, fire pan/blanket. Stopping is prohibited within 1/4 mile upstream or downstream of the Walton Goat Lick to protect the mountain goats (Flathead Rivers Alliance / USFS).
Season
May–September; June primetime for higher water. AW notes the section was navigable at 770 cfs (low) with ~4-hour float time.
Rules & regulationsvia Flathead Rivers Alliance ↗
  • Personal flotation device. A USCG-approved PFD must be carried on board for every person. Anyone 12 or under must wear a PFD while the vessel is underway.
  • Bear-resistant food storage. IGBC-approved bear-resistant food storage is required in the river corridor — this is grizzly country.
  • Human-waste containment. Self-contained or solid human-waste containment is required on the Middle and North Forks (recommended on the South Fork).
  • Fire management. Fire pans or fire blankets are required or strongly recommended; camp stoves are preferred over campfires.
  • Aquatic-invasive-species inspection. An AIS inspection (NPS and Montana FWP) is required before launching anywhere in the basin.
No. 06 · 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.
Corridor contactsvia Flathead Rivers Alliance ↗
  • Emergencies. Dial 911. Cell coverage is limited throughout the corridor — plan to be self-reliant between accesses.
  • Primary rescue. North Valley Search & Rescue covers all three forks of the Flathead.
  • FWP warden. Ben Chappelow (Middle and South Forks)
  • Nearest hospitals. Logan Health Whitefish and Logan Health Medical Center (Kalispell) are the primary regional facilities; serious trauma is flown to Kalispell or Missoula.
  • Life-jacket loaner stations. Free loaner PFDs are available at the West Glacier and Glacier Rim access points, Memorial Day through Labor Day.
No. 07 · 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 · 45°F water · class II-III

At 45°F, this gear is non-optional.

Drysuit, or 3 mm+ wetsuit with a paddling jacket.
Water is 45°F — hypothermia risk in a swim.
Neoprene gloves or pogies.
Hands quit fast at this temperature.
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. 08 · 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 yetThe names of the rapids you ran, the flow at the gauge, the line you took — that is the best signal there is. Submitting your own report opens up once accounts ship.
No. 09 · 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.

The run

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.

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.

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.

The original conversations

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.
Gauges & flow
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