RM 15.3 · 48.6027° N, 114.1622° W

360° · Terrain360 · Big Creek Boat Launch

Measured in the field by FRA

15.3%

steepest grade on the route to the water

Parking area to the water

Max grade: 15.30%
Max cross slope: 2.70%
Min tread width: 6.0ft

Big Creek River Access

This is a paid access site managed by a concessionaire, with users required to pay a cash user fee to camp hosts or a deposit box. The site features a wide, gentle packed-dirt ramp to a bar of large, rounded cobbles, and provides more than 20 tent and RV sites for overnight use.

The survey

FRA field survey

Measurement	Average	Worst case
Running grade	2.90%	15.30%
Cross slope	1.20%	2.70%
Tread width	6.0ft	6.0ft
Elevation change, parking to water	+0.3ft	-13.9ft

Surface, parking area to river 96.4% firm 3.4% soft

View the original survey sheet

Access concerns

From Flathead Rivers Alliance

Embedded stones in the ramp surface and large, rounded cobbles at water level can make footing a challenge.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

Another view of the access at Big Creek on the North Fork.

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

Getting there

Drive 10.4 miles north on the North Fork Road from its intersection with Blankenship Road, then turn right onto River Access Road at the Big Creek Campground. The access is straight ahead.

Open in maps

Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026 + 10 Terrain360 panoramas

Launch profile

FRA access description: Vehicle accessible ramp Packed dirt ramp, cobble bar
Kayaks + canoes: Good
Carry to the water: 50–150 ft
Carry terrain: Flat unpaved
Carry obstacles: Rocks

Safety + condition

Safety interpretation: Good
Overall condition: Good
Access hazards: Unstable footing · Submerged hazards likely
Water obstacles: Rocks
Deferred maintenance signal: Not observed

Accessibility observations

Mobility device interpretation: Limited
Designated accessible parking: None
Route shown in sheet: Observed
Route obstacles: Rough surface
Observed barriers: Rough surfaces
Accessible water feature: Not observed

Visitor management

Parking estimate: Not assessable from the source imagery
Simultaneous launch capacity: Not assessable from the source imagery
Launch queue evidence: None
Designated camping indicated: Not assessable from the source imagery
Registration infrastructure: Registration kiosk or box · Information bulletin board

Experience indicators

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

Recreation profile

Observed recreation: None observed
Water skill interpretation: Not assessable from the source imagery
Physical ability interpretation: Moderate
Wear patterns: Light
Heavy-use signals: None observed in the source
Privacy: Semi private

Facilities observed

Information kiosk with posted notices Scene 6 Scene 7
Gravel parking turnaround Scene 5
Gravel parking/turnaround area Scene 7
Gravel parking area with vehicles Scene 6
Information kiosk with roof Scene 6
Additional parking area with vehicles Scene 7

6 more in the 360 tour

Where this information comes from

You are here Open the full map

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

Big Creek, on the North Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 15.3.

Upstream from here is Coal Creek. Downstream is Great Northern Flats.

Drive 10.4 miles north from the intersection of the Blankenship and North Fork Roads. Turn right on River Access Road at the Big Creek Campground. Access is straight a ahead.

The parking area is packed crushed stone.

There is no designated accessible parking.

The route from the parking area to the river averages 2.9 percent grade, steepening to 15.3 percent at its steepest point.

Cross slope, the sideways tilt that matters most in a wheelchair, averages 1.2 percent, with a maximum of 2.7 percent.

The path averages 6 feet wide, narrowing to 6 feet at its tightest.

Underfoot it is 96.4 percent firm, and 3.4 percent soft.

You drop about 13.9 feet on the way down to the water.

The launch itself is vehicle accessible ramp packed dirt ramp, cobble bar.

What the 360 imagery shows, from the 10 panoramas photographed here in July 2026. These are observations from the pictures, not field measurements.

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

Visible in the imagery: information kiosk with posted notices, gravel parking turnaround and additional parking area with vehicles.

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:

Embedded stones in the ramp surface and large, rounded cobbles at water level can make footing a challenge.

Facilities: Vault toilet, potable water, paid campsites with fire ring and picnic table, bear-resistant food storage locker.

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

Parking + facilities

Vault toilet, potable water, paid campsites with fire ring and picnic table, bear-resistant food storage locker
Packed crushed stone parking
No designated accessible parking
Accessible route to the water

Safety

The next take-out downstream is Great Northern Flats, 4.3 miles. Conditions change rapidly on all three forks.

Upstream and downstream access points

The river flows this way →

Upstream · RM 24.5 ← Coal Creek

BIG CREEK
RM 15.3 · you are here

Downstream · RM 11 Great Northern Flats →

‹ Upstream put-in Coal Creek River Access 9.2 mi float

Downstream take-out › Great Northern Flats River Access 4.3 mi float · 3 ft min tread

North Fork · where this site sits

3,973 ft RM 58.2 872 ft of drop · 14.9 ft per mile average 3,102 ft confluence

Elevation sampled from USGS 10m along the Wild & Scenic centerline. Hover or focus a site to see the panorama closest to the water.

Homelands

The river system flows through the traditional homelands of the Ql'ispe (Kalispel or Pend d' Orielle) Ktunaxa/Ksanka (Kootenai), and Séliš (Salish or "Flathead") Nations, who have long cared for this landscape, and the Amskapii Pikuni (Blackfeet) Peoples who often traveled in the river corridor.

About the homelands