Elk River

Lower Canyon

Difficulty	III-IV
Length	8.5 mi
Avg Gradient	n/a
Reach Info Last Updated	March 12, 2024

River Description

A classic large volume run through a dramatic canyon with pale cliff walls and blue-green water. Expect some big waves and swirly eddy lines. This is a great late season option when many runs in the area are too low. There is an online gage.

River Features

Take Out by the highway

Access PointDistance: 8.47 mi

Easy and convenient take-out.

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Trip Reports

Fall on the Gorgeous Elk River - Kevin Colburn

Sep 8, 2013

Folks often lament the scant paddling opportunities in the fall in Montana, but we've occassionally headed north just over the border to the Elk for some excellent fall paddling. Flows on this trip were fun, we watched an otter eat a fish, and enjoyed the run immensely. Not sure what the flows were, but I think they were pretty typical for September.