The Boulder River is a tributary of the

Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the Western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, via its own tributaries it drains an area with headwaters across the mountain ...

, approximately 60 mi (96 km) long, in south central

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is one of two rivers named the Boulder River in Montana. It rises in the Gallatin National Forest in the Absaroka Range in southern Park County. It flows north through mountainous

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

s, a cataract under a natural bridge, and northwest in a widening valley past McLeod. It joins the Yellowstone at Big Timber. The landscape of the Boulder River and river valley has merited the filming of two movies: ''A River Runs Through It'' and '' The Horse Whisperer''.

Discharges

Tourism

The river is a popular destination for

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is in ...

. Other attractions in the valley include several church camps, a

guest ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

, and several USFS

campground Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

s. The Forest Service also maintains several guard stations,

trailhead A trailhead is the point where a trail begins or is accessed, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain restrooms, maps, signposts, and distribution centers for ...

s, and picnic areas in the valley.

Variant names

The Boulder River has also been known as: Rivers a Cross, Rivers across, and Rivers-across. And, to distinguish it from the other Boulder River in Montana, it is sometimes called the "East Boulder River" (as it is east of the other) or the "Boulder Fork of the Yellowstone," parallel with the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone as differentiated from the Clark's Fork River of Western Montana.

Climate

The Placer Basin SNOTEL weather station is situated near the source of the East Boulder River, at an elevation of 8830 feet (2691 m).

References

{{authority control Rivers of Montana Rivers of Park County, Montana Bodies of water of Sweet Grass County, Montana Tributaries of the Yellowstone River

Discharges

Tourism

Variant names

Climate

See also

References