RM 33.9 · 48.7827° N, 114.2828° W

360° · Terrain360 · Polebridge Boat Launch

Measured in the field by FRA

24.6%

steepest grade on the route to the water

Parking area to the water

Max grade: 24.60%
Max cross slope: 5.40%
Min tread width: 4.5ft

Polebridge River Access (Upstream)

This loop upstream of the Polebridge entrance to Glacier National Park hosts a vault toilet and at low water contains an even, step-like trail down the rip-rap to a pebbled bar. At high water, users can utilize an undeveloped trail to a side channel of the river.

The survey

FRA field survey

Measurement	Average	Worst case
Running grade	6.40%	24.60%
Cross slope	1.00%	5.40%
Tread width	4.5ft	4.5ft
Elevation change, parking to water	+0.0ft	-6.7ft

Surface, parking area to river 100% firm

View the original survey sheet

Access concerns

Verbatim from the survey

Pebble bar is not accessible at high water.
Several large step-ups are required to cross the rip-rap to access riverbank.
Narrow tread on pedestrian path and rip-rap steps make transporting larger watercraft or assisting other users challenging.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

Another view of the access at Polebridge River Access (Upstream) on the North Fork.

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

Getting there

Drive 25.8 miles north on the North Fork Road from its intersection with Blankenship Road. Turn right on Polebridge Loop, then left on Glacier Drive. In 0.5 miles, turn left to reach the turnaround loop.

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Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026 + 18 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: Crushed stone path, rip-rap steps, pebble bar
Kayaks + canoes: Marginal
Paddleboards: Marginal
Carry to the water: 50–150 ft
Carry terrain: Steep slope
Carry obstacles: Rocks, steps

Safety + condition

Safety interpretation: Fair
Overall condition: Good
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: Steps, steep grades, rough surface
Observed barriers: Steps, steep grades, rough surfaces, narrow paths
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: Isolated
Informal campsite evidence: Not observed
Use-conflict evidence: None observed in the source

Recreation profile

Observed recreation: Paddling, fishing shore, wildlife viewing, walking hiking
Water skill interpretation: Beginner
Physical ability interpretation: Moderate
Wear patterns: Light
Heavy-use signals: Bare soil
Privacy: Semi private

360° sequence evidence

Coverage + route

Assigned coverage: 18 panoramas across 1 capture session
Scene roles: Approach (2) · Launch area (5) · Parking (8) · Transition path (3)

Visible conditions

Surfaces by scene: Gravel lot (11) · Gravel path (7)
Safety classification: No visible hazard (18)

Setting + use

Crowding by scene: Light (8) · None visible (10)
Naturalness by scene: High (17) · Moderate (1)

Hazards observed

Large rocks along bank edge Scene 8

Facilities observed

Gravel parking area Scene 4
Gravel parking/turnout area Scene 16
Restroom building Scene 7
Gravel parking area with multiple vehicles Scene 0
Parking area with parked vehicles Scene 1
Vehicle parking turnout Scene 2

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

Polebridge River Access (Upstream), on the North Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 33.9.

Upstream from here is Schnaus Cabin. Downstream is Polebridge River Access (Downstream).

Drive 25.8 miles north from the intersection of the Blankenship and North Fork Roads. Turn right on Polebridge then left on Glacier 0.

The parking area is packed dirt, road shoulder.

There is no designated accessible parking.

The route from the parking area to the river averages 6.4 percent grade, steepening to 24.6 percent at its steepest point.

Cross slope, the sideways tilt that matters most in a wheelchair, averages 1 percent, with a maximum of 5.4 percent.

The path averages 4.5 feet wide, narrowing to 4.5 feet at its tightest.

Underfoot it is 100 percent firm.

You drop about 6.7 feet on the way down to the water.

The launch itself is crushed stone path, rip-rap steps, pebble bar.

What the 360 imagery shows, from the 18 panoramas photographed here in July 2026. These are observations from the pictures, not field measurements.

Underfoot, the scenes mostly show a gravel parking lot and a gravel path.

Noted in individual panoramas: large rocks along bank edge.

Visible in the imagery: gravel parking area, restroom building and vehicle parking turnout.

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:

Pebble bar is not accessible at high water.

Several large step-ups are required to cross the rip-rap to access riverbank.

Narrow tread on pedestrian path and rip-rap steps make transporting larger watercraft or assisting other users challenging.

Facilities: Vault toilet.

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

Parking + facilities

Vault toilet
Packed dirt, road shoulder parking
No designated accessible parking
Accessible route to the water

Safety

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

Neighbor sites

The river flows this way →

Upstream · RM 39.3 ← Schnaus Cabin

POLEBRIDGE RIVER A.
RM 33.9 / 33.8 · you are here

Downstream · RM 33.8 Polebridge River Access (Downstream) →

‹ Upstream put-in Schnaus Cabin River Access 5.4 mi float

Downstream take-out › Polebridge River Access (Downstream) 0.1 mi float · 14.2 ft min tread

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.