Canadian Border River Access

Canadian Border, on the North Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 58.

Downstream from here is Ford.

Drive 46.9 miles north from the intersection of the Blankenship and North Fork Roads outside of Columbia Falls.

The parking area is packed dirt.

There is no designated accessible parking.

The route from the parking area to the river averages 8.3 percent grade, steepening to 36 percent at its steepest point.

Cross slope, the sideways tilt that matters most in a wheelchair, averages 1.5 percent, with a maximum of 6.8 percent.

The path averages 6.3 feet wide, narrowing to 5.9 feet at its tightest.

Underfoot it is 100 percent hard.

You drop about 11.4 feet on the way down to the water.

The launch itself is slide and rails, boulder “stepping stones,” cobble bar ~16° angle, 18-40” tall.

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

Ramp accesses a side channel, requiring a swift entry at high water and some pulling or dragging at medium flows.

At low water, an uneven, user-created dam of boulders or a 2-3 feet deep wade is required before users carry float craft to the main channel.

Facilities: Vault toilet.

This site has not been photographed in 360 yet, so there is no immersive imagery to accompany this description.

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