West Glacier to House of Mystery
NO Very low at 541 CFS — boney and likely unrunnable. · Conditions as of Oct 18, 2026, 11:45 PM. Printed snapshot generated Oct 19, 2026, 12:39 AM— conditions change, wood moves, levels swing. Verify the gauge and scout anything you can't read from upstream.
Mile by mile
- 1RM 14.1Devil's ElbowIII The one named rapid on the upper portion of this float, a short way below the McDonald Creek confluence. Enter center-right and work right.
Getting there & back
Put-in
West Glacier — Large cobble-bar take-out off River Bend Drive on river left. Higher-clearance vehicle recommended — passenger cars can bottom out on river cobbles. Heavy outfitter use; parking lot for trailers. Do not park on the beach. Private property adjoins — respect neighbors. Hand-carry craft can also exit upstream at the historic Belton Bridge via a short steep trail.
Take-out
House of Mystery — Informal river-side access on the mainstem Flathead near the Montana Vortex and House of Mystery roadside attraction on US Hwy 2 (7800 US-2 E, Columbia Falls). Sits roughly midway between the Blankenship confluence and Teakettle; works as a shorter take-out for the Blankenship → Teakettle float or as the take-out for the longer West Glacier → House of Mystery combined Middle-Fork-plus-mainstem trip locals run. Not a formal FWP/USFS site — parking limited, exact river access is informal; verify on the ground.
Shuttle (take-out → put-in): 14.2 mi · ≈ 20 min
Rules & contacts
- 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.
- 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.
Trip log
Spot wood or a changed rapid? Add it to the run page when you're back in coverage — riverbeta.app/middle-fork-flathead/west-glacier-to-house-of-mystery — the next crew is counting on you.