RM 9.5 · 48.4653° N, 114.0724° W

360° · Terrain360 · Blankenship Boat Launch — Bridge & Campground

Measured in the field by FRA

The Flathead Rivers Alliance has published an access sheet for this launch, and it says the engineering statistics are not available yet. The 360 imagery is the best picture of what you will find.

Blankenship River Access (West)

Primarily used by shore recreators, but can be used by float users, particularly during busy peak seasons. An extremely rutted county-maintained dirt road leads to a long cobble bar managed by the USFS. High clearance and 4WD capacity is recommended but not necessarily required.

Access concerns

Verbatim from the survey

At high water, the bar washes out completely and the Forest Service will close the access gate to all users.
Less consolidated substrate than the river left access, and shifting or rutted cobbles can be challenging to navigate.
Few places to easily beach or tie off a boat for launches or take-outs.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

Another view of the access at Blankenship River Access (West) on the Middle Fork.

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

Getting there

From the Hungry Horse Ranger Station, travel 4.9 miles north on US Highway 2. Turn left onto Belton Stage Road. After 0.9 miles, take a sharp left onto Blankenship Road. In 3.0 miles, take the first right after crossing the bridge.

Open in maps

Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026 + 60 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: Vehicle accessible bar Packed dirt, cobble bar
Kayaks + canoes: Marginal
Paddleboards: Marginal
Carry to the water: 150–300 ft
Carry terrain: Flat unpaved
Carry obstacles: Rocks

Safety + condition

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

Accessibility observations

Mobility device interpretation: Not suitable
Designated accessible parking: None
Route shown in sheet: Not observed
Route obstacles: Rough surface, steep grades
Observed barriers: Rough surfaces, steep grades
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: 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: Fishing shore, wildlife viewing, walking hiking
Water skill interpretation: Intermediate
Physical ability interpretation: Moderate
Wear patterns: Moderate
Heavy-use signals: Rutting, bare soil
Privacy: Semi private

360° sequence evidence

Coverage + route

Assigned coverage: 60 panoramas across 2 capture sessions
Scene roles: Approach (8) · Launch area (17) · Parking (2) · Transition path (33)

Visible conditions

Surfaces by scene: Dirt path (16) · Gravel lot (18) · Gravel path (7) · Natural (3) · Paved path (16)
Safety classification: Caution (8) · No visible hazard (52)

Setting + use

Crowding by scene: Light (17) · None visible (43)
Naturalness by scene: High (55) · Moderate (5)

Hazards observed

Oncoming vehicle headlight on narrow bridge Scene 11 Scene 12
Approaching vehicle headlights on narrow bridge Scene 10
Approaching vehicle on narrow bridge road Scene 13
Uneven muddy rutted terrain Scene 24
Deep mud ruts on access road Scene 23
Low-light driving conditions on narrow road Scene 22

5 further single-scene observations in the full sequence.

Facilities observed

Information board with posted notices Scene 22
Blue portable toilet unit Scene 4
Portable toilet Scene 5
Gravel turnout/parking area Scene 1
Information board Scene 23

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: Blankenship Boat Launch — 2 · Blankenship Boat Launch — 3

Every Flathead launch on one collection 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

Blankenship River Access (West), on the Middle Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 9.5.

Upstream from here is West Glacier. Downstream is Blankenship River Access (East).

From the Hungry Horse Ranger Station, travel 4.9 miles north on Highway 2. Turn left onto Belton Stage. After 0.9 miles, take a sharp left onto Blankenship Road. In 3.0 miles, take the first right after crossing the bridge.

The parking area is loose cobbles.

There is no designated accessible parking.

The Flathead Rivers Alliance has not published measured survey data for this site yet, so the details that follow come from the site description rather than from field measurements.

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

What the 360 imagery shows, from the 60 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 dirt path and a paved path.

Noted in individual panoramas: oncoming vehicle headlight on narrow bridge; uneven muddy rutted terrain; deep mud ruts on access road.

Visible in the imagery: information board with posted notices, blue portable toilet unit and gravel turnout and parking area.

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:

At high water, the bar washes out completely and the Forest Service will close the access gate to all users.

Less consolidated substrate than the river left access, and shifting or rutted cobbles can be challenging to navigate.

Few places to easily beach or tie off a boat for launches or take-outs.

There are no facilities at this site.

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

Parking + facilities

No facilities
Loose cobbles parking
No designated accessible parking
No accessible route to the water

Safety

The next take-out downstream is Blankenship River Access (East), 0.1 miles. Conditions change rapidly on all three forks.

Neighbor sites

The river flows this way →

Upstream · RM 14.9 ← West Glacier

BLANKENSHIP RIVER.
RM 9.5 / 9.4 · you are here

Downstream · RM 9.4 Blankenship River Access (East) →

‹ Upstream put-in West Glacier River Access 5.4 mi float

Downstream take-out › Blankenship River Access (East) 0.1 mi float

Middle Fork · where this site sits

5,324 ft RM 97.4 · headwaters 2,295 ft of drop · 23.5 ft per mile average · whitewater reach · hatched: no access site 3,029 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 FRA's own acknowledgment language appears here verbatim.