Madison River (Upper)
The 50-mile riffle. Drift-boat water from Lyons Bridge to Ennis — fast, shallow, and famous.
Float times & live CFS →Every FloatETA stretch in Montana
These are real put-in to take-out runs, not a generic state list. Times on each river page are typical raft times at a reference flow; the live calculator scales them to today's CFS. Also live: Idaho rivers.
Madison River (Lower)
Bozeman's classic summer float below Ennis Lake — plus Bear Trap Canyon if you want real whitewater.
Float times & live CFS →Gallatin River (Canyon)
Highway 191 whitewater. House Rock and the Mad Mile — rafts and experienced kayakers only.
Float times & live CFS →Gallatin River (Valley)
The mellow valley miles below the canyon whitewater. Shallow and quick.
Float times & live CFS →Jefferson River (Twin Bridges)
Quiet brown-trout water. Slow compared with the Madison — and a lot less crowded.
Float times & live CFS →Jefferson River (Canyon / Three Forks)
Lime-cliff canyon by the Caverns, then braided water into Missouri Headwaters.
Float times & live CFS →Big Hole River
Southwest Montana's salmonfly river. Canyon scenery from Divide to Melrose, then open ranchland.
Float times & live CFS →Beaverhead River
Tailwater below Clark Canyon Dam. Tight, weedy, and technical — drift boats more than tubes.
Float times & live CFS →Yellowstone River (Gardiner)
Whitewater stretch out of the Park boundary. Rafts and experienced paddlers.
Float times & live CFS →Yellowstone River (Paradise Valley)
Big, fast freestone water under the Absarokas. Moves quicker than it looks.
Float times & live CFS →Stillwater River
Badly named — it's one of the fastest day floats in the state. Continuous Class II fun.
Float times & live CFS →Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone
South-central Montana's other Clarks Fork — Bridger and Fromberg water, not the Idaho canyon.
Float times & live CFS →Smith River (Permit)
Montana's only permit-lottery river. 59 canyon miles, 4–5 days, zero cell service.
Float times & live CFS →Missouri River (Craig)
Tailwater giant. Steady dam-controlled flows, trout everywhere, drift boats everywhere too.
Float times & live CFS →Missouri River (Breaks)
White Cliffs and the Wild & Scenic Breaks. Multi-day canoe country out of Fort Benton.
Float times & live CFS →Dearborn River
A short, pretty canyon that dumps into the Missouri. Spring and early-summer water — skinny later.
Float times & live CFS →Blackfoot River
A River Runs Through It water. Clear pools, ledge rock, and a famous recreation corridor.
Float times & live CFS →Rock Creek (Clinton)
Blue-ribbon creek east of Missoula. Fast, woody, and closed to boats after June 30.
Float times & live CFS →Clark Fork River (Missoula)
Float straight through downtown Missoula and wave at Brennan's Wave surfers.
Float times & live CFS →Clark Fork (Alberton Gorge)
Western Montana's biggest commercial whitewater. Deep green pools, then real holes.
Float times & live CFS →Bitterroot River (Darby / Hamilton)
Upper valley float. Smaller water, bigger mountains, same logjam problem as downstream.
Float times & live CFS →Bitterroot River (Stevensville)
Gentle valley float with Bitterroot peaks for a backdrop. Infamous for shifting logjams.
Float times & live CFS →North Fork Flathead
Wild & Scenic water along the Glacier boundary. Logjams, gravel bars, and Polebridge pie.
Float times & live CFS →Swan River
Quiet valley float into Bigfork. Take out above the Wild Mile unless you meant to run Class III.
Float times & live CFS →