Flathead River
The Flathead River is a 158-mile (254 km) river in northwestern Montana, United States. It originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of 158 miles, empties into the Clark Fork River northwest of Missoula, Montana. The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, as the Clark Fork is a tributary of the Pend Oreille River, a Columbia River tributary.
The Flathead River is divided into three forks: the North Fork, the Middle Fork, and the South Fork.
The North Fork makes up the western boundary of Glacier National Park and links up with the Middle Fork just south of the park.
The Middle Fork is the most popular for whitewater rafting. It flows through the Flathead National Forest and the Great Bear Wilderness.
The South Fork is one of Montana’s most pristine and remote rivers. It starts near the southern end of the Bob Marshal wilderness area and flows north into the Hungry Horse Reservoir. At the northwest end of the reservoir it continues through the outflow of Hungry Horse Dam where the river continues winding it’s way to the north to connect with the confluence of the Middle and North Forks to form the primary Flathead River that flows through Flathead Valley and into Flathead Lake
The Flathead River is the largest river in the Flathead Valley and a very popular river for boating, floating and fishing.
Whitefish River
The Whitefish River begins at the southern outlet of Whitefish Lake and flows nearly 25 miles through the Flathead Valley dissecting the town of Whitefish along the way.
After passing through the town of Whitefish, the river continues to wind it’s way south, passing through farmland and pastures along the way before it empties into the Flathead River system.
Fish species that make Whitefish River their habitat include several species of trout, mountain whitefish, northern pikeminnow, longnose suckers, and northern pike.
Stillwater River
The Stillwater River rises from the ground in the Kootenai National Forest near the Canadian border. It flows into and out of several lakes along it’s southward journey including Duck Lake, Upper and Lower Stillwater Lakes and Lagoni Lake. It continues to wind southeast into the Flathead Valley where it finally meets up with the Whitefish River just before emptying into the Flathead River drainage.
Swan River
The Swan River flows north up the Swan Valley and for a short distance through the southeast corner of the Flathead Valley. The river originates high up in the Swan Mountain range at Gray Wolf Lake, some 6,600+ feet above sea level. From there it drops fairly quickly through a short steep canyon to Lindburgh Lake and then flows north about 75 miles up the Swan Valley to Swan Lake. The river forms again at the north end of the 10-mile like and makes a sharp west turn where it flows for a short distance through The Flathead Valley, through the town of Big Fork and into Flathead Lake.