RM 39.3 · 48.8343° N, 114.3400° W

Satellite · Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

360° capture coming

Not part of the current capture. Photos and survey data only.

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. Read FRA's access description for the available site details.

Schnaus Cabin River Access

This undeveloped, unofficial river access is employed by some users who want a primitive camping experience at their launch or takeout site. The site has no boat ramp or man-made access amenities, but it sees consistent use.

Access concerns

Verbatim from the survey

No ramp or slide system to assist users with transporting watercraft to the river.
Crumbling social trails down steep, erosive cobble cutbanks to an uneven and complex bouldered bank. These trails include vertical steps of >1ft.
Poorly sorted, rounded stones at water level are unstable and frequently shift under foot.

Photographs

Terrain360 · July 2026

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

Getting there

Drive 32.9 miles north on the North Fork Road from its intersection with Blankenship Road, then turn right onto Sondreson Access Road (Forest Road 10372). The access is on the left in 1.2 miles.

Open in maps

Access site lens

Supporting evidence · FRA access sheet · Jul 2026

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: Undeveloped
Kayaks + canoes: Difficult
Paddleboards: Difficult
Carry to the water: 50–150 ft
Carry terrain: Steep slope
Carry obstacles: Rocks, steps, mud

Safety + condition

Safety interpretation: Poor
Overall condition: Poor
Access hazards: Drop offs · Steep banks · Unstable footing · Submerged hazards likely
Water obstacles: Rocks
Deferred maintenance signal: Observed

Accessibility observations

Mobility device interpretation: Not suitable
Designated accessible parking: None
Route shown in sheet: Not observed
Route obstacles: Steep grades, rough surface, steps
Observed barriers: Steps, 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: Not assessable from the source imagery
Designated camping indicated: Not assessable from the source imagery
Registration infrastructure: None identified in the source sheet

Experience indicators

Setting: Undeveloped
Recreation character: Natural free flowing
Development in view: None
Social trails: Scattered
Informal campsite evidence: Not assessable from the source imagery
Use-conflict evidence: None observed in the source

Recreation profile

Observed recreation: Paddling, camping, wildlife viewing
Water skill interpretation: Intermediate
Physical ability interpretation: Difficult
Wear patterns: Moderate
Heavy-use signals: Bare soil, rutting
Privacy: Secluded

Curated RAPG fields are interpreted from the FRA access sheet and its photographs. Conditions may extend beyond the photographed views. FRA’s field measurements in the Measured access card remain the authority for access type, grades, widths, surfaces, gaps, and accessible parking.

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

Schnaus Cabin, on the North Fork of the Flathead, at river mile 39.3.

Upstream from here is Ford. Downstream is Polebridge River Access (Upstream).

Drive 32.9 miles north from the intersection of the Blankenship and North Fork Roads. Turn right onto Sonderson Access Road. Access is on the left in 1.2 miles.

The parking area is packed topsoil.

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 undeveloped.

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

No ramp or slide system to assist users with transporting watercraft to the river.

Crumbling social trails down steep, erosive cobble cutbanks to an uneven and complex bouldered bank. These trails include vertical steps of >1 feet.

Poorly sorted, rounded stones at water level are unstable and
frequently shift under foot.

There are no facilities at this site.

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.

Parking + facilities

No facilities
Packed topsoil parking
No designated accessible parking
No accessible route to the water

Safety

The next take-out downstream is Polebridge River Access (Upstream), 5.4 miles. Conditions change rapidly on all three forks.

Neighbor sites

The river flows this way →

Upstream · RM 44 ← Ford

SCHNAUS CABIN
RM 39.3 · you are here

Downstream · RM 33.9 Polebridge River Access (Upstream) →

‹ Upstream put-in Ford River Access 4.7 mi float · 6 ft min tread

Downstream take-out › Polebridge River Access (Upstream) 5.4 mi float · 4.5 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.