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5. Blackfoot River

5. Blackfoot River

per person

The Blackfoot River is one of the finest rivers in Montana. Exceptional mountain scenery, classic trout habitat and a wide variety of river flows including mellow stretches and some whitewater sections combine to make a trip on the Blackfoot River an enjoyable and memorable one.

MRO offers day trips for scenic, whitewater and fishing trips.  Multi-day trips are possible as well, allowing for a wide variety of floating and fishing experiences.

The Blackfoot River begins along the continental divide in the mountains outside Lincoln, and flows through scenic and diverse countryside including forests, meadows, and canyons, for 130 miles before its confluence with the Clark Fork near the town of Bonner.

While the fishing and floating is excellent, there are also opportunities to see a number of birds and animals including grizzly and black bears, moose, elk, osprey, bald eagles, pileated woodpeckers, and a variety of songbirds.

Prior to the 1992 release of the movie A River Runs Through It, the Blackfoot River was not well known by out-state anglers and visitors. Today, the Blackfoot is one of the most popular rivers in Montana, famous for fly fishing, rafting and just relaxing.
The Blackfoot River is chock  full of Montana history and wild trout, including rainbow, brown trout, and as well as some cutthroat and the elusive bull trout.

The Blackfoot River area was occupied by Native Americans for many years. It is believed that most of the use of this area consisted of summertime hunting camps and as a travelway between the Great Plains and lands to the west of the Continential Divide. This latter use was well documented in historic times, when a portion of the Corps of Discovery, under the leadership of Meriwether Lewis, traveled through the Blackfoot Valley and crossed the continental divide at the head of Alice Creek on their return trip. They had learned of this route from the Nez Perce of Idaho, who traveled it to the Upper Missouri River basin in order to hunt buffalo. The Nez Perce name for the Blackfoot River is Cokahalishkit, which means ‘river of the road to the buffalo.’

While the Blackfoot is floatable most years from May –September, most of our trips are in June- July when water flows are most predictable.

  • Departure
    Great Falls
  • Departure Time
    Please arrive by 8:00 AM for a prompt departure at 8:30 AM.
  • Return Time
    Approximately 6:00 PM.
  • Dress Code
    Casual, comfortable athletic clothing, water shoes, hat and light jacket.
  • Included
    5. Blackfoot River