Middle Fork Flathead · Multi-day trip
Bear Creek to Cascadilla — Middle Fork day-and-a-half
Locals' overnight (or long day) immediately below the Great Bear Wilderness. 24 mi of Class II-III canyon water with the Walton Goat Lick, Brown's Hole, and Nyack Flats. Cascadilla is the practical takeout.
Is it running today?
- 1GO3,140 cfs
- 2GO3,140 cfs
Roll-up assumes the weakest-link rule — any stage outside its runnable range trips the whole trip. Click a stage for the full per-segment page with the live chart, rapids, and per-segment beta.
Will it be running?
Outlook · most-downstream gauge · USGS 12358500The prime band is the overlap of every stage's window — the flow range where the whole trip is in shape — and the trip-window verdict gates on the stage that needs the most water (1,000 cfs). Readings are from the most-downstream gauge; the upstream wilderness reaches run lower.
- Too low
- Low
- Prime
- High
- Too high
The trip
Two AW reaches combined into one popular weekend trip. Stage 1 (Bear Creek → Paola) is the upper canyon — red mudstone walls, the Walton Goat Lick, and three named Class II-III rapids (Bear Creek, Staircase, Goatlick). Stage 2 starts at the Paola Access and runs the upper Paola → Moccasin reach, with Brown's Hole (Class III) at mile ~3 and broader cobble-bar water through the early Nyack Flats — taking out at the USFS Cascadilla Access at mile 11.62 of that reach rather than continuing to the impractical Moccasin Creek takeout. Total ~24 mi. Common as a single long day for kayaks or a leisurely overnight for rafts.
Planning
Season. May–September; June primetime for higher water.
Permits & regs. None required to float. Wild & Scenic Corridor regulations apply (PFDs, IGBC bear-resistant food, solid waste containment, fire pan/blanket). Stopping is prohibited within 1/4 mile of the Walton Goat Lick to protect the mountain goats — applies during stage 1.
Stages
Each stage is its own page with rapids, live flow chart, hazards, and community beta. Use those for the granular detail — this page is the trip-level overview.
- Stage 1Bear Creek to Paola Access ↗
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.
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.