RM 23 · 48.4805° N, 113.8472° W

360° · Terrain360 · Moccasin Boat Launch

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.

Moccasin Creek River Access

Launch-only access at the confluence of Moccasin and Deer Lick Creeks, approx. 0.2 mi upstream of their confluence with the Middle Fork Flathead. This location is put-in only, and it accesses the commercially popular whitewater section of the Middle Fork.

Access concerns

From Flathead Rivers Alliance

Steep paved road from upper parking area to boat launch.
Drop offs of greater than 10 in at the end of the boat ramps into Moccasin Ck.
At moderate water levels and below, loaded boats may be unable to navigate shallow creek beds without being dragged or requiring passengers to bounce or push the boat.
Uneven footing on heavily sidehilled trail to Deer Lick Ck passenger loading area.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

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

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

Getting there

On the north side of US Highway 2, 17.0 miles east of the turn for the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

Open in maps

Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026 + 30 Terrain360 panoramas

Launch profile

FRA access description: Vehicle accessible and user accessible ramps Cement block ramp, creek beds, undeveloped bank trail
Kayaks + canoes: Good
Carry to the water: 50–150 ft
Carry terrain: Gentle 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: Not observed

Accessibility observations

Mobility device interpretation: Limited
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: 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: Rural
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, fishing shore
Water skill interpretation: Varies by conditions
Physical ability interpretation: Moderate
Wear patterns: Moderate
Heavy-use signals: Bare soil, worn grass
Privacy: Semi private

Hazards observed

Wet, uneven rocky riverbed underfoot Scene 24
Low bridge clearance Scene 28
Large boulders placed at lot edge Scene 22

Facilities observed

Paved parking lot with painted stall lines Scene 0 Scene 1
Paved parking/turnaround area Scene 19
Information kiosk with posted notices Scene 26
Parking area with multiple parked vehicles Scene 3
Parking lot curve with painted lines Scene 0
Parking lot with painted stalls and curb stones Scene 0

15 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

Moccasin Creek, on the Middle Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 23.

Upstream from here is Cascadilla. Downstream is West Glacier.

Located on the north side of Highway 2, 17.0 miles east from the turn for the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

The parking area is paved.

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 and user accessible ramps cement block ramp, creek beds, undeveloped bank trail.

What the 360 imagery shows, from the 30 panoramas photographed here in July 2026. These are observations from the pictures, not field measurements.

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

Noted in individual panoramas: wet, uneven rocky riverbed underfoot; low bridge clearance; large boulders placed at lot edge.

Visible in the imagery: paved parking lot with painted stall lines, paved parking and turnaround area and information kiosk with posted notices.

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

Steep paved road from upper parking area to boat launch.

Drop offs of greater than 10 in at the end of the boat ramps into Moccasin Creek.

At moderate water levels and below, loaded boats may be unable to navigate shallow creek beds without being dragged or requiring passengers to bounce or push the boat.

Uneven footing on heavily sidehilled trail to Deer Lick Creek passenger loading area.

Facilities: Vault toilet.

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

Parking + facilities

Vault toilet
Paved parking
No designated accessible parking
No accessible route to the water

Safety

The next take-out downstream is West Glacier, 8.1 miles. Below Moccasin Creek the river enters the Class II to IV whitewater section. Conditions change rapidly.

Upstream and downstream access points

The river flows this way →

Upstream · RM 30.6 ← Cascadilla

MOCCASIN CREEK
RM 23 · you are here

Downstream · RM 14.9 West Glacier →

‹ Upstream put-in Cascadilla River Access 7.6 mi float · 12 ft min tread

Downstream take-out › West Glacier River Access 8.1 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 vehicle-accessible 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