Moccasin Creek to West Glacier (John Stevens Canyon)
Montana – US
- Class
- II+ to III+
- Length
- 9 Mile(s)
- Gradient
- 18 FPM
- Put-in elevation
- 3,309 Feet
- Take-out elevation
- 3,159 Feet
- Typical season
- May to September
Current Flow
4,220 CFS
Gauge height: 3.84 FT
Reading from Jul 10, 2026 9:45 PM
▼ -10.83/hr (12h) ▼ -5.42/hr (24h)
Hit some laps
- Primary gauge
- M F Flathead River near West Glacier MT Gauge detail & alternatives Live gauge ↗ NOAA river forecast ↗
Recommended levels
| Minimum | 900 |
| Average | 4,500 |
| Maximum | 16,000 |
Recommended use
- Kayaking
- Rafting
- Canoeing
- SUP
- Packrafting
- Fishing
Struck-through craft are not recommended for this run.
Flow history — last 6 days
No gauge history recorded in the last 6 days.
Photos
Description
This is a great class III half day run through the John Stevens Canyon. The best whitewater is during spring runoff although later on the rapids are still fun. This is a very popular commercial stretch of river on the southern boundary of Glacier National Park.
Rapids
| # | Rapid | Class | Recommended flow | Description | Scout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunnel Rapid | III to III+ | 1,000–10,000 | There's a large rock right of center in the river. This rapid gets rougher at higher water. |
|
| 2 | Bonecrusher Rapid | III to III+ | 1,000–10,000 | Follow the wave train on the left side of the river |
|
| 3 | Washboard Rapid | II to II+ | 1,000–10,000 | Some riffles and rough water |
Read and run |
| 4 | Big Squeeze Rapid | III to III+ | 1,000–10,000 | Follow the main tongue down river center |
Read and run |
| 5 | Jaws Rapid | III to IV | 1,000–10,000 | A large hole forms at higher water on river left. It can be avoided but Jaws has done some good raft flipping for the unsuspecting or those wanting a wild ride. |
|
| 6 | Pin Ball Rapid | III to IV | 1,000–10,000 | Several large rocks on each river bank tend to pinball your raft through here. |
|
| 7 | Repeater Rapid | II to II+ | 20,000–10,000 | Read and run. Big lateral on river right. Can be avoided by running main channel in center. |
|
| 8 | CBT Rapid | III to III+ | 1,000–10,000 | "Could Be Trouble" |
|
| 9 | Pumphouse Rapid | III | 1,000–10,000 | One of the last rapids in the canyon. |
Read and run |
| 10 | The Notch | II to III+ | 20,000–— | Read and run the green tongue left of the big rock in river right at lower flows. |
Read and run |
Access
| Type | Name | Elevation | Camping | Water | Boat ramp | Vehicle access | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Put-In | Moccasin Creek | 3,309 Feet | No | No | Yes | All Vehicles | On Highway 2 where the road crosses Moccasin Creek there is a pullout with parking and a ramp between the road and the railroad. This is a popular area as there is a lot of commercial activity here. |
| Take-Out | West Glacier | 3,159 Feet | No | No | Yes | All Vehicles | On the east side of the Glacier View Golf golf course is a parking area and ramp. This is the standard takeout for the commercial trips so it can get busy here in the summers. |
Camps
No river camps added yet.
Permit
No permit is required, or permit info hasn't been added yet.
Fishing
No fish species have been associated with this run yet.
Points of Interest
External Links & Resources
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Community Run Notes
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