South Fork
Sixty designated miles from the Youngs and Danaher confluence to the head of Hungry Horse Reservoir. Most of it is Wild and hard to reach. Below the Spotted Bear Ranger Station the designation changes to Recreational and developed ramps begin.
Wind 6 mph NW
- SU 76° 55° 55% Sun: high 76 degrees, low 55 degrees, Drizzle, 55 percent chance of precipitation.
- MO 68° 50° 92% Mon: high 68 degrees, low 50 degrees, Showers, 92 percent chance of precipitation.
- TU 70° 47° 88% Tue: high 70 degrees, low 47 degrees, Drizzle, 88 percent chance of precipitation.
- WE 77° 47° Wed: high 77 degrees, low 47 degrees, Overcast.
- TH 78° 51° Thu: high 78 degrees, low 51 degrees, Overcast.
The South Fork contains primarily class II whitewater, with the exception of the class V/VI Meadow Creek Gorge just upstream of the Cedar Flats access. This 5 mile river segment is not recommended for floating, with narrows of less than 3 feet, powerful hydraulics, and undercut rocks. Users are advised to always plan ahead and to recreate within their ability levels, particularly in remote areas far from assistance.
Flows below Hungry Horse Dam are controlled by Reclamation releases, not by snowmelt alone. They can change fast and without local weather to warn you. Check the release schedule as well as the gauge.
60 miles, site by site
1,129 ft of drop · 19.3 ft per mileElevation sampled from USGS 10m along the Wild & Scenic centerline. Hover or focus a site to see the panorama closest to the water.
Wild and Scenic designation
The Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Flathead is designated for 60 miles, from the confluence of Youngs and Danaher Creeks to the head of the Hungry Horse Reservoir. The majority of this section is Wild designated, with very challenging, undeveloped backcountry access. Below the Spotted Bear Ranger Station, the designation changes to Recreational and several developed boat ramps allow for launches or take-outs.
Designation language from the Flathead Rivers Alliance
The access picture
0 FRA sheets · 0 reviewed assessmentsNo access sheet has been published for any South Fork launch, so there is no reviewed assessment to summarize here. This is a coverage gap, not a finding about the launches.
6 access sites · 2 captured in 360 · 29 panoramas assigned
Coverage counts and interpretations summarize FRA's access sheets and the reviewed Terrain360 imagery assessment. Measured figures are FRA's field measurements; where the two disagree, the measurements are correct.
Access sites, upstream to down
2 of 6 captured in 360
Float the South Fork
3 floatable reachesPick a put-in and a take-out. Conditions change rapidly on this water; check the gauge the morning you float, not the night before.
| Reach | Miles | Time | Drop | Ft/mi | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Flats to South Fork | 9.3 | 2-3¾ hr | 131 ft | 14.0 | Class II |
| South Fork to Billy Garrett Memorial Bridge | 1.9 | ½-¾ hr | 22 ft | 11.7 | Class II |
| Billy Garrett Memorial Bridge to Upper Twin Creek | 3.8 | ¾-1½ hr | 39 ft | 10.2 | 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 floatThe Three Forks flow through the homelands of the Séliš, Ql̓ispé, and Ktunaxa peoples, frequented by the Amskapi Piikani.
About the homelands FRA's own acknowledgment language appears here verbatim.