Glacier Rim to Blankenship Bridge
OK Low at 716 CFS — runnable but boney. · Conditions as of Oct 18, 2026, 11:45 PM. Printed snapshot generated Oct 19, 2026, 12:32 AM— conditions change, wood moves, levels swing. Verify the gauge and scout anything you can't read from upstream.
The run
Short, mellow, family-friendly. Ends at the confluence with the Middle Fork.
Getting there & back
Put-in
Glacier Rim — Good developed access below the Fool Hen rapids and the unnamed ledge hazard. Most popular take-out on the lower North Fork.
Take-out
Blankenship Bridge — Just upstream of the bridge on river-left is the formal river access. County non-fee campground on opposite bank. WATCH the bridge pylons — wrap potential. Reachable from Highway 2 above Coram.
Shuttle (take-out → put-in): 4 mi · ≈ 7 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. Tyler Melville (North Fork)
- 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/north-fork-flathead/glacier-rim-to-blankenship — the next crew is counting on you.