About this river
Flathead River is a 12.5 mile river near Wild River Adventures in Montana. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Flathead River at Columbia Falls MT (site 12363000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1952 to 2025
Flathead River typically runs highest in June, at a median 23,850 cfs, and lowest in October, at 3,940 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 158,000 cfs, in 1964.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4,100 | 3,630 to 8,510 | |
| February | 3,960 | 3,580 to 7,990 | |
| March | 4,180 | 3,460 to 7,860 | |
| April | 11,000 | 6,210 to 15,800 | |
| May | 21,200 | 16,200 to 29,500 | |
| June | 23,850 | 17,000 to 31,550 | |
| July | 10,100 | 7,890 to 14,400 | |
| August | 4,880 | 4,040 to 7,170 | |
| September | 4,050 | 3,485 to 6,730 | |
| October | 3,940 | 3,620 to 6,640 | |
| November | 4,075 | 3,630 to 6,440 | |
| December | 4,530 | 3,650 to 7,940 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 73 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Flathead River at Columbia Falls MT (site 12363000). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
2 mapped launches sit in the mapped area of Flathead River, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Kokanee BendFlathead RiverPublic
- TeakettleFlathead RiverPublic
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Flathead River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
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