RM 41.6 · 48.3443° N, 113.6416° W

360° · Terrain360 · Paola Boat Launch

Measured in the field by FRA

16.0%

steepest grade on the route to the water

Parking area to the water

Max grade: 16.00%
Max cross slope: 7.00%
Min tread width: 3.8ft
Hard surface: 29.2%

Paola River Access

The parking area is scattered into several smaller zones. A concrete slab ramp allows access to the cobble/boulder bar of the boat launch and is the only official vehicle path to water level.

The survey

FRA field survey

Measurement	Average	Worst case
Running grade	4.50%	16.00%
Cross slope	2.00%	7.00%
Tread width	14.4ft	3.8ft
Elevation change, parking to water	+1.5ft	-10.6ft

Surface, parking area to river 47.3% firm 29.2% hard 23.5% paved

View the original survey sheet

Access concerns

From Flathead Rivers Alliance

Large, embedded boulders(>10 in) and rounded cobbles (8-10 in) in the substrate make footing and vehicle traction more challenging than at some other accesses.
The bank becomes significantly steeper as it reaches the river at low water levels.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

Another view of the access at Paola 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, 31.4 miles east of the turn for the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

Open in maps

Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026 + 20 Terrain360 panoramas

Launch profile

FRA access description: Vehicle accessible bar Cement ramp, cobbled/bouldered bar
Kayaks + canoes: Good
Carry to the water: Not assessable from the source imagery
Carry terrain: Not assessable from the source imagery
Carry obstacles: Rocks

Safety + condition

Safety interpretation: Fair
Overall condition: Fair
Access hazards: 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: 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 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: None observed
Water skill interpretation: Beginner
Physical ability interpretation: Moderate
Wear patterns: Moderate
Heavy-use signals: Bare soil
Privacy: Semi private

Hazards observed

Uneven cobble surface Scene 12

Facilities observed

Gravel parking/turnout area Scene 1 Scene 18 Scene 20
Gravel turnout/parking area Scene 2 Scene 3
Information board with posted notices Scene 8
Small wooden restroom structure Scene 9
Information board / kiosk structure Scene 4
Parking area with marked concrete curb barriers Scene 6

8 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

Paola, on the Middle Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 41.6.

Upstream from here is Essex. Downstream is Cascadilla.

Located on the north side of Highway 2, 31.4 miles east from the turn for the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

The parking area is packed dirt and fine gravel.

There is no designated accessible parking.

The route from the parking area to the river averages 4.5 percent grade, steepening to 16 percent at its steepest point.

Cross slope, the sideways tilt that matters most in a wheelchair, averages 2 percent, with a maximum of 7 percent.

The path averages 14.4 feet wide, narrowing to 3.8 feet at its tightest.

Underfoot it is 47.3 percent firm, and 29.2 percent hard, and 23.5 percent paved.

You drop about 10.6 feet on the way down to the water.

The launch itself is vehicle accessible bar cement ramp, cobbled and bouldered bar.

What the 360 imagery shows, from the 20 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 gravel path and natural ground.

Noted in individual panoramas: uneven cobble surface.

Visible in the imagery: gravel parking and turnout area, information board with posted notices and small wooden restroom 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:

Large, embedded boulders(>10 in) and rounded cobbles (8-10 in) in the substrate make footing and vehicle traction more challenging than at some other accesses.

The bank becomes significantly steeper as it reaches the river at low water levels.

Facilities: Seasonal portable toilet.

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

Parking + facilities

Seasonal portable toilet
Packed dirt & fine gravel parking
No designated accessible parking
Accessible route to the water

Safety

The next take-out downstream is Cascadilla, 11 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 48.7 ← Essex

PAOLA
RM 41.6 · you are here

Downstream · RM 30.6 Cascadilla →

‹ Upstream put-in Essex River Access 7.1 mi float · 25 ft min tread

Downstream take-out › Cascadilla River Access 11 mi float · 12 ft min tread

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