Posted on January 31, 2016 January 31, 2016 by smeltzy. Listen to the River, from Wild Confluence Films, is the story of a classic summertime river adventure gone awry. We do not recommend floating this section at high water and portaging of the class IV sections is recommended. Great day all the way around. It's certainly nice beta to have in trip reports. With the Flathead River at your feet and blanket of stars over your head, you’ll begin and end your days to the timeless sounds of the river. Years of guiding in western Montana during the summers provided me with great exposure to Montana's fabled waters, but the idea of fishing for pure strain Westslope cutthroats in the heart of the Bob Marshall Complex nagged at me right into retirement. The South Fork is formed from the junction of Danaher Creek and Young’s Creek and runs for 45 miles due north, fed by dozens of small tributaries, where it exits the wilderness near Spotted Bear Ranger Station. Latest report from the Middle Fork of the Flathead in Montana . The scenery is spectacular, as the river flows through a pristine and remote wilderness. Recent update on South Fork of the Flathead . There are some great family friendly sections to get out and enjoy the river while visiting Glacier National Park. In short, the three Forks of the Flathead are incredibly special to me. And, then, last summer, I completed the trifecta, paddling a packraft for the first time down the renowned whitewater section of the Middle Fork. It really varies river to river. The Section of the Middle Fork from Schafer Meadows to Bear Creek is more treacherous than the South Fork and has sections of class II- IV whitewater and log jams do occur. 06088500 Muddy Creek near Vaughn, Montana (POR: 82 years); Updated June 11, 2020 - USGS water-resources … Rafting & Paddling the South Fork Flathead River. Get info on rapids, camps, access, and anything else you want to know about this section of the river. The Flathead, in northern Montana, is part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. Even the calm sections had enough power to pick you up and take you away. River and Whitewater information for Flathead, Middle Fork - Essex to Moccasin Creek - United States Montana . July 15, 2019 by John Nestler in Packrafting, Trip Report, Photography, Camping. The South Fork of the Flathead River in Montana is one of those classic packrafting trips my husband and I had been scheming about for years. The South Fork of the Flathead River in Montana is one of those classic packrafting trips my husband and I had been scheming about for years. Having explored The Bob with a packraft for several years, I find myself coming back to repeat a few stellar experiences: floating the rowdy Spotted Bear and Young’s Creek at the peak of runoff and floating the more tame South Fork Flathead as the water … Post by ChadL » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:21 am My buddy Peter and I were looking for an achievable packrafting objective that fit within (his) timeframe between grad school and his first year teaching middle school. Get info on rapids, camps, access, and anything else you want to know about this section of the river. Ideally any future packrafting guidebooks will have average mphs at various flows. A number of people this year used pack bridges to cross the Sun River and South Fork, which given the overall context sorta seemed like cheating. The Flathead River (Salish: ntx̣ʷetkʷ, ntx̣ʷe ), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of 158 miles (254 km), empties into the Clark Fork. Can be portaged or you could get through it by running the "perfect" line. 2 log jams on the South Fork. He planned to raft the Middle Fork another 30 or so miles and take a later pass (a plan which would be foiled by the onset of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from Will’s recent tick bite ). Ideal packrafting levels are around 4-5000 cfs on the South Fork at Twin Creeks. I ascended the Monture Creek watershed to Burnt Cabin, then hiked up the East Fork of Monture Creek to Limestone Pass on the first day. Packrafting has always interested me, but it wasn’t until I won an AIRE BAKraft at Gauley Fest last year that I seriously considered putting a lightweight river trip together. Took my packraft for a bit of an adventure today. North Fork of the Flathead. Our two-day packrafting courses will blend foundational paddling skills and river navigation as well as safety and rescue you would need to create your own packraft trips. River and Whitewater information for Flathead, Middle Fork - West Glacier to Blankenship Bridge - United States Montana . In addition to guided fly fishing, we offer drop float trips on the South Fork of the Flathead River. Guide your own trip with friends and family on the North Fork or Middle Fork of the Flathead River. From the whitewater gorges of the Middle Fork Flathead to a lazy day meandering down Danaher Creek, there is something for everyone. A number of other smaller portages on Young's creek. 5 days down the South Fork of the Flathead. South Fork Flathead Trip Report. The trip-- our first packrafting trip of the season-- ended up being one of my favorite adventures to date. Make packrafting courses along the southern boundary of Glacier National Park on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River your next big adventure. Not done much river kayaking in my packraft, just used it to cross rivers to fish the other side. Get info on rapids, camps, access, and anything else you want to know about this section of the river. Hole in the Wall gorge on Young's creek has a strainer tree in the middle of a rapid. The Middle Fork of the Flathead River is more whitewater intensive. All fly fishing trips require the purchase of a … Near a place called Paradise, a 90-minute drive south from Kalispell, the lower Flathead River joins the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, and travels northwest toward the Pacific Ocean. River and Whitewater information for Flathead, Middle Fork - Bear Creek to Essex - United States Montana . Update from most recent customers to get out of South Fork of the Flathead (take-out on Sunday 7/12):River running high, but green not muddy. 07/29/2019 Backcountry Packraft Rentals . 1 post • Page 1 of 1. The South Fork of the Flathead is known in the fly fishing world as the mecca for dry-fly cutthroat trout fishing. So, I thought about floating part of the river and walk back out. We pack you, your gear and your float equipment to the confluence of Young’s and Danaher Creeks where the South Fork of the Flathead River begins. For instance, on the same stretch of the upper South Fork of the Flathead (easy class II) I've gone 2 mph at 800 cfs (dragging on gravel bars slows you down) and something close to 6-7 mph at 4000ish. The Flathead, in northern Montana, is part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. Craighead was writing in response to proposals to dam the North Fork Flathead at Glacier View Mountain, which would have created a reservoir reaching nearly to the Canadian border, and the Middle Fork Flathead, which would have backed up the river about 11 miles behind Spruce Park, near where the river exits the Great Bear Wilderness. A similar distance, with the most obvious routes featuring substanitally lower elevation terrain, and much more water. Great Northern’s Montana fly fishing trips run late May through October on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. And I’m not the only one. Advanced equipment reservations are recommended and can be made by calling our office at 1-406-387-5340 (800-735-7897). The South Fork Flathead River drainage contains 355 lakes and nearly 2,000 miles of stream habitat. Trip Report: Packrafting the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Middle Fork Flathead River rafting trips float several different sections of the river due to easy access from US Hwy 2. Questions or concerns about USGS streamflow data in Montana and Wyoming can be directed to Kirk Miller (kmiller@usgs.gov; 307-775-9168).Updated September 18, 2020 - USGS water-resources monitoring activities were restored effective August 17, 2020 at the following site:. Float the south fork of the flathead. It's a long journey to get there. I began my exploration of Monture Creek, Danaher Creek, the South Fork of the Flathead River and the Big Salmon Creek/Lake drainages at the Monture trailhead north of Ovando, Montana approximately an hour and a half northeast of Missoula. The Middle Fork is a big river with an even bigger basin. Oddly, I’ve floated big section of the South Fork on more than a dozen occasions, twice the number of times I’ve been on the Middle Fork. The highway follows the river from Bear Creek all the way to West Glacier at the confluence of the North and Middle Forks, however the road is hardly noticed. It runs out of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, offering options for both wilderness trips and road access trips. Fork Flathead Trip Report. Floating the South Fork of the Flathead River is perhaps one of the finest floats anyone can do in the lower 48. The wilderness trips are done by packing horses into the wilderness or by flying into the runway at Schafer Meadows and floating out from that point. Packrafting Courses, West Glacier Montana . In late summer of 2019, Tim Halder, Damon Healy and I completed the "River of Return" packraft trip. Report on the middle fork of the flathead- as of Sunday it was barely runnable from granite creek in a packraft . Hole in the Wall gorge on Young's creek has a strainer tree in the middle of a rapid, but the Forest Service put up a sign and you can portage around it and it may be possible to paddle around it as well. For 2013 the course will run S to N, from Benchmark to Black Bear Creek on the Middle Fork of the Flathead. This 15 … Seven of us left with Steve “Doom” Fassbinder, an experienced packrafter and guide, to run the North Fork Flathead for thirteen miles to the confluence of the Middle Fork downstream. The Middle Fork of the Flathead is nothing short of one of my favorite trips, ever. 7/23/2018 0 Comments Last week Nate and I took a week off of work to spend 5 days in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. 2: Middle Fork of the Flathead, Schafer Meadows to Granite Creek. Just a heads up, apparently there is a new rapid on the Southfork of the Flathead right above where the White River comes in. 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