RM 44 · 48.8745° N, 114.3740° W

360° · Terrain360 · Ford Boat Launch

Measured in the field by FRA

38.2%

steepest grade on the route to the water

Parking area to the water

Max grade: 38.20%
Max cross slope: 4.90%
Min tread width: 6.0ft
Hard surface: 100.0%

Ford River Access

Located at the historic Ford Cabin, this river access is frequently shared with stock users or hunters. The site features a rail system for launches and a small beach below to stage boats.

The survey

FRA field survey

Measurement	Average	Worst case
Running grade	5.70%	38.20%
Cross slope	1.60%	4.90%
Tread width	6.0ft	6.0ft
Elevation change, parking to water	+2.0ft	-12.4ft

Surface, parking area to river 100% hard

View the original survey sheet

Access concerns

Verbatim from the survey

Larger stones embedded in bank can make footing uneven.
At low water, the ramp ends considerably shy of the water’s edge, requiring a short carry or drag.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

Another view of the access at Ford on the North Fork.

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

Getting there

Drive 36.4 miles north on the North Fork Road from its intersection with Blankenship Road outside Columbia Falls.

Open in maps

Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026 + 13 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, packed gravel bank and beach ~17° angle, 18-36” tall
Kayaks + canoes: Good
Paddleboards: Marginal
Carry to the water: Under 50 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: 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: None
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: Not observed
Informal campsite evidence: Not observed
Use-conflict evidence: None observed in the source

Recreation profile

Observed recreation: Paddling, fishing shore, wildlife viewing
Water skill interpretation: Beginner
Physical ability interpretation: Moderate
Wear patterns: Light
Heavy-use signals: None observed in the source
Privacy: Secluded

360° sequence evidence

Coverage + route

Assigned coverage: 13 panoramas across 1 capture session
Scene roles: Approach (2) · Launch area (7) · Transition path (4)

Visible conditions

Surfaces by scene: Gravel lot (3) · Gravel path (9) · Natural (1)
Safety classification: Caution (1) · No visible hazard (12)

Setting + use

Crowding by scene: Light (1) · None visible (12)
Naturalness by scene: High (13)

Hazards observed

Exposed tree roots on embankment Scene 10

Facilities observed

Gravel parking/turnout area Scene 6 Scene 8 Scene 9
Gravel parking/staging area Scene 7
Gravel parking area with parked vehicle Scene 8
Information board/kiosk with posted notices Scene 7
Information kiosk with posted materials Scene 6
Information kiosk with roof Scene 8

4 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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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

Ford, on the North Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 44.

Upstream from here is Canadian Border. Downstream is Schnaus Cabin.

Drive 36.4 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 5.7 percent grade, steepening to 38.2 percent at its steepest point.

Cross slope, the sideways tilt that matters most in a wheelchair, averages 1.6 percent, with a maximum of 4.9 percent.

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

Underfoot it is 100 percent hard.

You drop about 12.4 feet on the way down to the water.

The launch itself is slide and rails, packed gravel bank and beach ~17° angle, 18-36” tall.

What the 360 imagery shows, from the 13 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.

Noted in individual panoramas: exposed tree roots on embankment.

Visible in the imagery: gravel parking and turnout area, information board and kiosk with posted notices and wooden railed pathway and ramp structure.

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:

Larger stones embedded in bank can make footing uneven.

At low water, the ramp ends considerably shy of the water’s edge, requiring a short carry or drag.

Facilities: Vault toilet, USFS rental cabin near site.

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

Parking + facilities

Vault toilet, USFS rental cabin near site
Packed dirt parking
No designated accessible parking
No accessible route to the water

Safety

The next take-out downstream is Schnaus Cabin, 4.7 miles. Conditions change rapidly on all three forks.

Neighbor sites

The river flows this way →

Upstream · RM 58 ← Canadian Border

FORD
RM 44 · you are here

Downstream · RM 39.3 Schnaus Cabin →

‹ Upstream put-in Canadian Border River Access 14 mi float · 5.9 ft min tread

Downstream take-out › Schnaus Cabin River Access 4.7 mi float

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 FRA's own acknowledgment language appears here verbatim.