Perhaps the most technical commercially run river in Montana, a trip down the South Fork of the Flathead is a wilderness adventure to top all other. Requiring a multi-day backpack or horsepack to reach the put in, the South Fork is about as remote a river trip can get in the United States.

Rapids range from beginner to advanced expert in difficulty along the South Fork, with a class V-V+ finale through incredible Meadow Creek Gorge. The South Fork of the Flatheads headwaters are located deep within the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, one of the largest Wilderness areas in the country.

Once at the river, trips along the South Fork meander through several days of rippling scenic water interspaced with beginner to intermediate level rapids. During the final miles of the trip adventurous visitors tackle Meadow Creek Gorge, an expert level steep limestone sluice featuring big hydraulics, large undercuts and a pinch where the entire river piles through a channel only five feet wide!

Only a handful of visitors run this stretch of river a year, and wildlife are sighted than other people during an average trip. Deer, Elk, Moose, Eagles, Osprey and Bear are all commonly seen during a trip down the South Fork of the Flathead.

Due to its remote nature and severe whitewater, the South Fork of the Flathead is recommended only for hearty adult visitors with previous intermediate to advanced level whitewater experience. Commercial Trips down the South Fork of the Flathead are eight days in length and are offered during early to mid summer.

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