The South Fork Flathead River is a major river in Northwestern

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

in the northwest

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is one of the three main forks of the

Flathead River The Flathead River ( fla, label=Salish, člq̓etkʷ ntx̣ʷetkʷ, , kut, kananmituk), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flath ...

, a tributary of the

Clark Fork River The Clark Fork, or the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, is a river in the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho, approximately long. The largest river by volume in Montana, it drains an extensive region of the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and ...

(the

Pend Oreille River The Pend Oreille River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington in the United States, as well as southeastern British Columbia in Canada. In its passage through British Columbia ...

). The north-northwest trending river is about long, making it the second longest tributary of the Flathead River. The river begins in the

Bob Marshall Wilderness The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area is a congressionally-designated wilderness area located in Western Montana region of the United States. It is named after Bob Marshall (1901–1939), an early forester in the federal government, conservationist, a ...

south of Glacier National Park, as does the

Middle Fork Flathead River The Middle Fork Flathead River is a river in western Montana in the United States, forming the southwestern boundary of Glacier National Park. Its drainage basin lies to the east of the South Fork Flathead River and the Hungry Horse Reservoir. ...

, at the confluence of two streams, Danaher Creek and Youngs Creek, between the

Flathead Range The Flathead Range is a mountain range of the Northern Rocky Mountains located southeast of Whitefish, Montana in the Great Bear Wilderness, part of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. It is west of the Rocky Mountain Front, east of the Swan Ra ...

and the

Swan Range The Swan Range is a mountain range in western Montana in the United States. Its peaks typically rise to around . The range is bounded by the South Fork Flathead River to the east, the Flathead River to the north and northwest, the Swan River to ...

. For some , the river flows freely north-northwest, meandering through a forested and undeveloped valley. The river enters a narrow gorge, running north, then begins to enter the backwater of

Hungry Horse Reservoir Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam in the western United States, on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana. It is located in Flathead National Forest in Flathead County, about south of the west entrance to Glaci ...

after receiving Meadow Creek from the left. Hungry Horse Reservoir occupies much of the lower half of the river, covering . The reservoir trends north then northwest, and the river then passes through the arched

Hungry Horse Dam Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam in the Western United States, western United States, on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana. It is located in Flathead National Forest in Flathead County, Montana, Flathead Cou ...

, just a few miles above the mouth. After it leaves the dam, the river enters a narrow gorge and, exiting the canyon for the final time, runs northwest past the town of

Hungry Horse Hungry Horse is a chain of 284 pub restaurants in England, Wales and Scotland which is owned by Greene King Brewery. It was first established in 1995 and promotes itself as offering low cost meals for families and groups. Work began on a new ...

, then joins the Flathead River, just a few miles below its headwaters at the North Fork and Middle Forks' convergence.

Notes

{{authority control Rivers of Montana Tributaries of the Columbia River Rivers of Flathead County, Montana Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States