Wild & Scenic since 1976 · Scenic and Recreational classifications

North Fork

Fifty-eight designated miles from the Canadian border down to Blankenship, most of it along a gravel road on the Glacier boundary. Scenic above the Camas Road bridge, Recreational below it. Generally Class II at summer flows.

Live flow · USGS 12355000 · AT THE BC BORDER 196 cfs ↑ rising

P10 MEDIAN

76% of the 83-year median for November 4 · near normal

4.25 ft · Provisional USGS station details · Reading Nov 4, 12:45 AM MST

Live flow · USGS 12355500 · NR COLUMBIA FALLS 655 cfs → holding

P10 MEDIAN

66% of the 86-year median for November 4 · running low

1.70 ft · Drift 1.5-2.8 mph · Provisional USGS station details · Reading Nov 4, 5:45 AM MST

Weather · Polebridge 31° Fog
Wind 2 mph N

TH 45° 34° Thu: high 45 degrees, low 34 degrees, Overcast.
FR 44° 35° Fri: high 44 degrees, low 35 degrees, Fog.
SA 49° 30° Sat: high 49 degrees, low 30 degrees, Overcast.
SU 50° 33° 29% Sun: high 50 degrees, low 33 degrees, Overcast, 29 percent chance of precipitation.
MO 45° 29° Mon: high 45 degrees, low 29 degrees, Overcast.

Alerts · Polebridge No active NWS alerts 12 fire incidents within 75 mi NWS api.weather.gov · NIFC WFIGS · August smoke is a real trip factor here

NORTH FORK · 58.3 designated miles

58.3 miles, site by site

872 ft of drop · 14.9 ft per mile

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.

The Wild and Scenic North Fork of the Flathead is designated for 58.3 river miles, from the Canadian Border to its confluence with the Middle Fork Flathead at Blankenship, but begins 31 miles upstream in Ktunaxa Nation, British Columbia, Canada. The river is designated Scenic from the Canadian Border to the Camas Road entrance to Glacier National Park, and Recreational from the Camas Road bridge to its confluence with the Middle Fork. The North Fork is generally Class II during summer recreational flows, though specific features may present higher risks at certain levels.

Designation language from the Flathead Rivers Alliance

The access picture

Choose by surface, slope and room to assist. Access needs vary with your mobility, equipment, companions and the water level, and conditions change with river levels and with vehicle and trailer traffic. Use the descriptions, measurements and photographs to plan the route from parking to water that works for you.

Polebridge River Access (Upstream): The upstream loop holds the vault toilet and the parking lot for the downstream launch, linked to it by a connecting trail.

Polebridge River Access (Downstream): The packed-dirt launch ramp can be reached by vehicles. Watch for protruding stones in the ramp and the steep descent to the turnaround.

Big Creek: A wide packed-dirt ramp leads to a cobble bar. Embedded stones and large, rounded cobbles can affect footing and wheeled mobility even where there is room to assist.

Coal Creek: A packed-dirt ramp leads to a flat pebble-and-cobble bar on a side channel. Logs can restrict the launch, and water levels may require ferrying, lining or dragging boats. Engineering statistics are not available for this site yet; review its FRA description and imagery.

Glacier Rim: A wide concrete ramp reaches a cobble bar in an eddy. High-water cycles can leave sand or dirt on the ramp and change its cross slope, so check the surface and water level.

Access sites, upstream to down

6 of 9 captured in 360

58.0

Capture coming Canadian Border Border rules apply The first access point for the Wild and Scenic North Fork Flathead River. 5.9 ft min tread 36.0% max grade · 100% hard

44.0

Ford Located at the historic Ford Cabin, this river access is frequently shared with stock users or hunters. Larger stones embedded in bank can make footing uneven. 6.0 ft min tread 38.2% max grade · 100% hard

39.3

Capture coming Schnaus Cabin This undeveloped, unofficial river access is employed by some users who want a primitive camping experience at their launch or takeout site. Sheet, no statistics Undeveloped

33.9

Polebridge River Access (Upstream) This loop upstream of the Polebridge entrance to Glacier National Park hosts a vault toilet and the parking lot for the downstream access site. 4.5 ft min tread 24.6% max grade · 100% firm

33.8

Capture coming Polebridge River Access (Downstream) This loop downstream of the Polebridge entrance to Glacier National Park features a vehicle-accessible packed-dirt launch ramp and a small, undeveloped tent site tucked into the woods. 14.2 ft min tread 19.8% max grade · 89.9% firm

24.5

Coal Creek Undeveloped river access, with no vault toilet or site improvements. Sheet, no statistics Packed dirt ramp, pebble bar

15.3

Big Creek This is a paid access site managed by a concessionaire, with users required to pay a cash user fee to camp hosts or a deposit box. 6.0 ft min tread 15.3% max grade · 96.4% firm

11.0

Great Northern Flats This access is located at a National Forest camp site and features a vault toilet and designated trailer parking but no vehicle access to the river. 3.0 ft min tread 25.9% max grade · 75.6% hard

3.8

Glacier Rim The last river access prior to the confluence of the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead at Blankenship. 3.0 ft min tread 16.1% max grade · 60.6% hard

The road up

North Fork Road · July 2026

The North Fork Road is gravel for most of its length and slower than the mileage suggests. Budget more time than the map tells you, especially with a trailer.

The Polebridge Mercantile at the end of the North Fork Road, the red building the palette borrows from.

Home Ranch Bottoms, about four miles south of Polebridge on the North Fork Road. A bar and family restaurant with a covered deck, live music and lawn games.

The turn for Schnaus Cabin. This access has no 360 capture yet, so the sign is the landmark to watch for.

Burned timber regrowing along the North Fork corridor.

Terrain360, July 2026

Float the North Fork

7 floatable reaches

Pick a put-in and a take-out. Conditions change rapidly on this water; check the gauge the morning you float, not the night before.

655 cfs · running low 66% of the 86-year median for November 4 (1,000 cfs, 1940-2025)

Reaches on the North Fork, with distance, estimated float time, elevation drop, gradient and character
Reach	Miles	Time	Drop	Ft/mi	Class
Canadian Border to Ford	14.0	5-9¼ hr	261 ft	18.6	Class II
Ford to Schnaus Cabin	4.7	1¾-3¼ hr	91 ft	19.3	Class II
Schnaus Cabin to Polebridge, upstream	5.4	2-3½ hr	77 ft	14.2	Class II
Polebridge, downstream to Coal Creek	9.3	3¼-6¼ hr	123 ft	13.3	Class II
Coal Creek to Big Creek	9.2	3¼-6¼ hr	106 ft	11.5	Class II
Big Creek to Great Northern Flats	4.3	1½-2¾ hr	49 ft	11.3	Class II
Great Northern Flats to Glacier Rim	7.2	2½-4¾ hr	112 ft	15.6	Class II

Distances are from FRA's recorded river miles; times are an estimate at today's flow, and drop and ft/mi are derived from the elevation profile, not a field survey.

Plan a float

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