RM 53.4 · 48.2338° N, 113.5668° W

360° · Terrain360 · Bear Creek Boat Launch

Measured in the field by FRA

37.0%

steepest grade on the route to the water

Parking area to the water

Max grade: 37.00%
Max cross slope: 10.50%
Min tread width: 4.2ft
Hard surface: 95.9%

Bear Creek River Access

The first road-accessed boat launch on the Middle Fork of the Flathead. This site is mostly utilized for launches rather than take-outs, as most recreators floating in from the wilderness section upstream continue to Essex for an easier access.

The survey

FRA field survey

Measurement	Average	Worst case
Running grade	3.50%	37.00%
Cross slope	2.80%	10.50%
Tread width	20.8ft	4.2ft
Elevation change, parking to water	+1.0ft	-27.0ft

Surface, parking area to river 95.9% hard 4.1% soft

View the original survey sheet

Access concerns

Verbatim from the survey

Narrow, uneven troughs run alongside the boat rails with numerous erosive vertical steps.
No access eddy and little to no flat bank space for staging at moderate to high water levels.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

Another view of the access at Bear Creek on the Middle Fork.

Field photography Terrain360, July 2026 · site photos courtesy Flathead Rivers Alliance

Getting there

On the south side of US Highway 2, 40.6 miles east of the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

Open in maps

Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026 + 47 Terrain360 panoramas

Derived from the 360 imagery, not measured on site. Where it disagrees with the survey above, the survey is correct.

Launch profile

FRA access description: Slide/rails ~18° angle, 24-36” tall
Kayaks + canoes: Marginal
Paddleboards: Marginal
Carry to the water: Not assessable from the source imagery
Carry terrain: Steep slope
Carry obstacles: Rocks, mud

Safety + condition

Safety interpretation: Fair
Overall condition: Fair
Access hazards: Drop offs · Steep banks · Unstable footing · Submerged hazards likely
Water obstacles: Rocks
Deferred maintenance signal: Observed

Accessibility observations

Mobility device interpretation: Not suitable
Designated accessible parking: None
Route shown in sheet: Not observed
Route obstacles: Steep grades, rough surface
Observed barriers: Steep grades, rough surfaces, no curb cuts
Accessible water feature: Not observed

Visitor management

Parking estimate: Not assessable from the source imagery
Simultaneous launch capacity: Single
Launch queue evidence: Not assessable from the source imagery
Designated camping indicated: Not observed
Registration infrastructure: None identified in the source sheet

Experience indicators

Setting: Semi primitive
Recreation character: Lightly managed
Development in view: Minor
Social trails: Isolated
Informal campsite evidence: Not observed
Use-conflict evidence: None observed in the source

Recreation profile

Observed recreation: Paddling
Water skill interpretation: Intermediate
Physical ability interpretation: Moderate
Wear patterns: Moderate
Heavy-use signals: Bare soil, rutting
Privacy: Secluded

360° sequence evidence

Coverage + route

Assigned coverage: 47 panoramas across 2 capture sessions
Scene roles: Approach (6) · Launch area (8) · Parking (19) · Trailhead (2) · Transition path (12)

Visible conditions

Surfaces by scene: Dirt path (6) · Gravel lot (25) · Gravel path (9) · Natural (5) · Paved path (2)
Safety classification: Caution (4) · No visible hazard (43)

Setting + use

Crowding by scene: Light (25) · None visible (22)
Naturalness by scene: High (47)

Hazards observed

Large boulders along shoreline Scene 19
Loose rocky and cobble terrain along shoreline Scene 20
Loose rounded rocks/cobble near water Scene 19
Uneven rocky shoreline near water Scene 18

Facilities observed

Gravel parking/turnout area Scene 3 Scene 13 Scene 14
Gravel parking area Scene 9 Scene 7
Designed gravel parking area with multiple vehicles Scene 26
Gravel parking area with vehicles Scene 8
Gravel parking lot Scene 12
Parking area with vehicles Scene 23

20 further single-scene observations in the full sequence.

Curated RAPG fields are interpreted from the FRA access sheet and its photographs; sequence evidence summarizes only the assigned panoramas. Conditions may extend beyond every photographed view. FRA’s field measurements in the Measured access card remain the authority for access type, grades, widths, surfaces, gaps, and accessible parking.

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On Terrain360

The full-screen tour of this launch on the Terrain360 platform: every scene on a map, the same imagery this page opens.

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Also captured here: Bear Creek Boat Launch — Trailhead & Campground

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Audio description

A narrated walk-through of this site: the ramp, the gaps, the surfaces, and the hazards, read from the survey and the 360 imagery.

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Read the transcript

Bear Creek, on the Middle Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 53.4.

Downstream from here is Essex.

Located on the south side of Highway 2, 40.6 miles east from the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

The parking area is packed dirt and fine gravel.

There is no designated accessible parking.

The route from the parking area to the river averages 3.5 percent grade, steepening to 37 percent at its steepest point.

Cross slope, the sideways tilt that matters most in a wheelchair, averages 2.8 percent, with a maximum of 10.5 percent.

The path averages 20.8 feet wide, narrowing to 4.2 feet at its tightest.

Underfoot it is 95.9 percent hard, and 4.1 percent soft.

You drop about 27 feet on the way down to the water.

The launch itself is slide and rails ~18° angle, 24-36” tall.

What the 360 imagery shows, from the 47 panoramas photographed here in July 2026. These are observations from the pictures, not field measurements.

Underfoot, the scenes mostly show a gravel parking lot, a gravel path and a dirt path.

Noted in individual panoramas: large boulders along shoreline; loose rocky and cobble terrain along shoreline; loose rounded rocks and cobble near water.

Visible in the imagery: gravel parking and turnout area, parking area with vehicles and information board near tree line.

The setting reads as natural throughout the sequence, with little or no visible use.

What to watch for, in the survey crew's own words:

Narrow, uneven troughs run alongside the boat rails with numerous erosive vertical steps.

No access eddy and little to no flat bank space for staging at moderate to high water levels.

Facilities: Vault toilet.

Conditions on the Three Forks change quickly. Check the gauge the morning you float.

Parking + facilities

Vault toilet
Packed dirt & fine gravel parking
No designated accessible parking
No accessible route to the water

Safety

The next take-out downstream is Essex, 4.7 miles. Below Moccasin Creek the river enters the Class II to IV whitewater section. Conditions change rapidly.