Montana index
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Montana Rivers and Creeks
52 Montana rivers and creeks with live USGS flow, fishing access sites, MFISH species ratings and 2026 exception rules.
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Photo of Big Hole River: TravelingOtter, CC BY-SA 2.0
Big Sky alphabet
Montana rivers, A through Z
B
- Beaverhead RiverBeaverhead and Madison counties
- Big Hole RiverBeaverhead County and 3 other counties
- Big Spring CreekFergus County
- Bighorn RiverBig Horn County and 2 other counties
- Bitterroot RiverMissoula and Ravalli counties
- Blackfoot RiverLewis and Clark County and 2 other counties
- Blacktail Deer CreekBeaverhead County
- Boulder River (Sweet Grass County)Park and Sweet Grass counties
C
- Clark Fork RiverDeer Lodge County and 5 other counties
- Clarks Fork Yellowstone RiverCarbon County and 2 other counties
- Clearwater RiverMissoula County
D
- Dearborn RiverCascade and Lewis and Clark counties
E
- East Fork Bitterroot RiverRavalli County
- East Gallatin RiverGallatin County
F
- Fish CreekMineral County
- Flathead RiverFlathead County and 2 other counties
G
- Gallatin RiverGallatin County
J
- Jefferson RiverBroadwater County and 3 other counties
- Judith RiverFergus and Judith Basin counties
K
- Kootenai RiverLincoln County
L
- Little Bighorn RiverBig Horn County
- Little Blackfoot RiverPowell County
- Little Prickly Pear CreekLewis and Clark County
M
- Madison RiverBroadwater County and 2 other counties
- Marias RiverChouteau County and 5 other counties
- Middle Fork Flathead RiverFlathead County
- Milk RiverBlaine County and 3 other counties
- Missouri RiverBlaine County and 13 other counties
- Monture CreekPowell County
- Musselshell RiverGarfield County and 5 other counties
N
- North Fork Flathead RiverFlathead County
- North Fork Sun RiverLewis and Clark and Teton counties
P
- Poplar RiverDaniels and Roosevelt counties
- Powder RiverCuster County and 2 other counties
R
- Red Rock RiverBeaverhead County
- Rock Creek (Carbon County)Carbon County
- Rock Creek (Granite County)Granite and Missoula counties
- Ruby RiverMadison County
S
- Shields RiverMeagher and Park counties
- Smith RiverCascade and Meagher counties
- South Fork Flathead RiverFlathead and Powell counties
- South Fork Sun RiverLewis and Clark County
- Stillwater River (Stillwater County)Park and Stillwater counties
- Sun RiverCascade County and 2 other counties
- Swan RiverFlathead County and 2 other counties
T
- Thompson RiverFlathead County and 2 other counties
- Tobacco RiverLincoln County
- Tongue RiverBig Horn County and 2 other counties
W
- West Fork Clearwater RiverMissoula County
- Whitefish RiverFlathead County
Y
- Yaak RiverLincoln County
- Yellowstone RiverCarbon County and 11 other counties
Answers
Montana rivers list, explained
How many creeks and rivers earn pages?
52 rivers and creeks that FWP maps in MFISH and that carry access sites, gauges or exception rules.
Why are some rivers missing?
A stream needs access sites, a USGS gauge, a USACE station or exception rules before it gets a page; the rest stay on county pages.
How many show live flow?
USGS gauge readings appear on 43 of these stream pages.
Which Montana streams have rules of their own?
40 stream pages quote exception headings from the 2026 regulations.
How many list fishing access sites?
35 stream pages list FWP access sites or launches.
Do any show Corps readings?
32 stream pages carry a dated USACE Access to Water stage or outflow reading.
Where are the stream lengths?
FWP prints no lengths in the layers used, so no mileage is given or guessed.
Where are the mountain lakes?
High lakes with enough FWP facts have lake pages; the rest appear on county pages by name.
Elsewhere on the site
FWP rules and Montana directories beside the rivers list
- Every Montana fishing page, A to Zreservoirs, streams, counties, towns and fish together
- Montana license prices and district rulesFWP fees, general seasons and the three fishing districts
- Western District standard limitschart rows and every exception water printed there
- Central District standard limitschart rows and every exception water printed there
- Eastern District standard limitschart rows and every exception water printed there
- Montana reservation and national park waterswhere tribal or Park Service rules come on top
- Montana ice fishing conteststhe FWP-approved winter list with dates and waters
- Montana free fishing weekendsMother's Day and Father's Day weekends by law
- Montana state record fishFWP's certified records, weights and lengths
- Montana stocking in 2026the FishMT plant report by water and species
- Montana reservoir levels and stream gaugesUSGS live flow plus dated Corps readings
- Montana boat rampsFWP fishing access sites and state park ramps
- Montana fishing access siteswalk-in, hand launch and bank sites
- Montana bait and tackle shopscounters, fly shops and marinas in four map quadrants
- Montana fishing guideslisted outfitters and guide services with towns and phones
- Montana fishing tournamentsFWP-approved contests and posted results
- Protected fish in Montanabull trout, pallid sturgeon and species of concern
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