North Fork Flathead River

North Fork Flathead River
North Fork of Flathead River, North Fork of the Flathead River
The river at the boundary of Glacier National Park
Map of the Flathead River drainage basin showing the North Fork
Location
CountryCanada, United States
ProvinceBritish Columbia
StateMontana
CityWest Glacier, Montana
Physical characteristics
SourceClark Range
 • locationBritish Columbia, Canada
 • coordinates49°19′56″N 114°51′09″W / 49.33222°N 114.85250°W / 49.33222; -114.85250[1]
MouthFlathead River
 • coordinates
48°28′02″N 114°04′09″W / 48.46722°N 114.06917°W / 48.46722; -114.06917[1]
 • elevation
3,120 ft (950 m)
Length153 mi (246 km)[2]
Basin size1,560 sq mi (4,000 km2)
Discharge 
 • locationUSGS gage #1235550, 4.1 miles (6.6 km) from the mouth
 • average2,976 cu ft/s (84.3 m3/s)
 • minimum190 cu ft/s (5.4 m3/s)
 • maximum69,100 cu ft/s (1,960 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • left
  • Canyon Creek
    • South Fork Canyon Creek, Kimmerly Creek, Depuy Creek, McGinnis Creek
DesignatedOctober 12, 1976

The North Fork Flathead River (Ktunaxa: kqaskanmituk [3]) is a 153-mile (246 km)[2] river flowing through British Columbia, Canada, south into the U.S. state of Montana. It is one of the three primary forks of the Flathead River, the main inflow of Flathead Lake and a tributary of the Columbia River via the Clark Fork River and the Pend Oreille River. The river is sometimes considered the upper headwaters of the Flathead River,[4] although the North Fork is its official name in the U.S. Other naming conventions for the river include Flathead River - North Fork, North Fork of Flathead River, and North Fork of the Flathead River.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "North Fork Flathead River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. April 4, 1980. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Calculated by adding Canada and US numbers given in "Flathead Subbasin Plan" (PDF). Northwest Power and Conservation Council. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2009. and Fischer, Carol (1990). Paddling Montana. Globe Pequot. pp. 67–69. ISBN 978-1-56044-589-0.
  3. ^ "FirstVoices: Nature / Environment - place names: words. Ktunaxa". Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  4. ^ "Flathead River". BC Geographical Names.