Montana Trio

This Montana canoe trip allows you to explore sections of the beautiful Flathead River west of Glacier National Park.

July 15 (Wednesday) Clearwater River Trail #7777A is on the north end of Seeley Lake in the Lolo National Forest. Class I. It is 3.5 miles long (2 hours) and marshy with many birds. Bring binoculars and telephoto cameras to view osprey, bald eagles, belted kingfishers, Great Blue Herons, common loons, red-necked grebes, yellow warblers, and a variety of other ducks and birds and mammals. Take a 1.5 mile trail (hike) back to the put-in as part of the shuttle. More info is at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/lolo/recreation/recarea/?recid=10327

Optional afterwards, drive to the west side of Seeley Lake to see Gus, the huge larch tree and the James Girard Memorial Tamarack Grove. We have reserved Group Camp A at Big Larch Campground on the east side of Seeley Lake for July 14 and 15 with room for 6 vehicles. A few may want to arrive early to get an individual campsite for just $5 per night (no reservations). Contact Karen Amundson (canoekarena@msn.com) to sign up. Limit 20 people.

July 17-18 (Fri-Saturday) S. Fork of the Flathead River for 2 days.   Class I-II.   Start at Cedar Flats and use wheels for 1/4 mile of likely unimproved trail down to the river. This “put-in” is located on the Development Road 16 miles southeast of Hungry Horse Reservoir across the river from Harrison Creek. This puts us below Meadow Creek Gorge (as it is class III-IV). We can leave a car(s) at the put-in per the Forest Service Ranger and do our own shuttle. Take-out is the Crossover Campground 1 mile into the Hungry Horse Reservoir. Road distance is 16.8 miles (all gravel) and the river is about 28 miles long. Midway down the river is the Spotted Bear Ranch with cabins and meals (associated with Orvis and a major fly-fishing operation). Next to it is a forest service Spotted Bear CampGround, and we plan to camp there July 16-18 (3 nights). No reservations, but just $10 per night. Arrive somewhat early for best chances to get a campsite. It has running water but no electricity. The other option is the Crossover Campground; free but no reservations and less convenient to our activities. See the S. Flathead above Twin Creek gauge https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/uv/?site_no=12359800&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010 that is a few miles above the reservoir; we are expecting 1100cfs if 2020 is like 2019. See spottedbear.com and diamondrranch.com as we will have an optional (I’ll need a head count) $10++ burger dinner at the Diamond R Ranch on the 18th. Note that we can do both day trips with near-empty canoes if we get good campsites at the Spotted Bear CG. Bring flotation and helmets. Contact Karen Amundson (canoekarena@msn.com) to sign up. Limit 15 people.

July 20-24 (Mon-Friday) North Fork of the Flathead from the Canada Border to Blankenship Bridge. Estimate it is 70 miles long, so about 5 days. It is a gorgeous river, but we will need to use bear proof containers and store food high between trees. We will use a commercial shuttle service; 1 is: https://glacierraftco.com/glacier-outdoor-store/shuttles/ . We want between 1200 and 2000cfs per the “N F Flathead River nr Columbia Falls MT” gauge; see https://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/uv/?site_no=12355500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010. The river is divided into 2 segments per differing difficulty:

Day 1-4 from the Canada Border is Class II+ due to log and rock hazards and the need for quick maneuvers. Day 2 we would want to visit the Mercantile and Bakery (summer hours 7am to 9pm) and also the Northern Lights Saloon and Café (serve lunch and dinner every day) in Polebridge. Also there is a 2.5 mile long Transboundary Flathead River Interpretive Trail with 8 stops there. This is 1.5 river miles south of the Polebridge Ranger Station, near a bridge over the river. Days 3 and 4 the river splits into multiple channels and we need to stick together.

Day 5 is the final section ending at Blankenship Bridge. Class II+-III. It has the Fools Hen Rapid which is a ledge across the river with a small break that much of the water flows through.

If you do all 5 days, the shuttle costs $180, and if you opt to do days 2-4 from Ford to Big Creek Campground or N. Fork Flathead Campground, the cost would be about $160. The road gets tougher as it goes north, and you may get a flat tire so need a good spare and tools.

Note you have a full day to get from the Spotted Bear Campground (prior S. Fork trip) to the shuttle company in West Glacier, and will need to resupply your food and find your own lodging on July 19. You can explore Glacier N.P. after the trip – especially Kintla, Bowman, and McDonald Lakes; you will be on its western boundary for the 5 days above. Bring flotation and helmets. Limit 12 people.