Rivers & Streams
Abundant fish, raging rapids, scenic canyons, and towering peaks. The rivers and streams of southwest Montana are home to some of the most recreational opportunities and resources in the area.
Featured video:
Tubing the Gallatin
On those blazing summer days in Bozeman, sometimes all you want is to grab a swimsuit and some beer and go in search of sweet relief. There are a number of places to swim around Bozeman if you’re willing to look. Read more >>
Spring speaks promises of warmth, whispering words in the currents of rivers that rise like smoke to the big sky. Read more >>
The river to wadeNestled in the Gravelly and Ruby Mountains outside Alder, the Ruby River flows from Ruby Reservoir. Narrower than most of the major rivers in southwest Montana, the Ruby offers unique and rewarding fishing. Read more >>
The big thaw starts slow. Warm weather and sunshine soften the high mountains and a season of accumulation begins to morph beneath the changing elements. Read more >>
Fly fishing and roaming around good country is what autumn was designed for, with the array of color in leaves and grasses, cool blue skies, pure waters, and trout feeding with a fervidness driven by approaching winter. Read more >>
Nothing deters backpackers from the Bechler more than the bugs. A handful of Deet and a quick pace might shield you along the trail from the ranger station to the edge of Bechler Meadows, but no further. Read more >>
We Montanans have a lot to be proud of when it comes to contributing to our nation’s conservation legacy: Montana is home to two of America’s most beloved national parks—Glacier and Yellowstone. Read more >>
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Yellowstone
Last year’s massive whitefish kill on the Yellowstone River was bad, but for Montana anglers, it may be a signal of what's to come. Read more >>
Fall camping trips to the river offer an opportunity for quiet reflection before the storms of winter. In the high country, snow begins to pile up, but down in the valley, the fire keeps us warm for one more night. Read more >>Madison
The lower Madison in spring. Spring is a tricky season for the angler: weather is unpredictable, fish are elusive, and stream flows are in constant flux. Finding a waterway worthy of your time and effort can be challenging, but where there’s a will there’s a way. Read more >>
Trophy trout, heavy-handed cops, and small-town hospitality. A Madison River fishing story. Kind of. Read more >>
The shadows stretched long as my wife, daughter, and I drove to our friends’ ranch to catch a few fish on the Madison. Getting out of the car we noticed a commotion above us. Three ospreys flew around erratically; then we saw an eagle, and then another, talons outstretched and beaks open. Read more >>East Gallatin
Two memories often percolate through the stratified bedrock of my accumulated fishing experiences, seeping into consciousness cold and clear like a mountain spring. Read more >>On a high bank above the East Gallatin River, my father and I sat on the hood of my beat-up ’64 Pontiac Catalina, sharing a beer. The early-afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees, warming our upturned faces. After the last swig we hopped down and got our fishing gear together. Read more >>For fly-fishers, spring is a godsend: no more frozen fingers, lethargic fish, or streamside shiver-fits. But before you get all giddy about warm days and feisty, ravenous trout, think about what comes with it: the removal of winter’s cosmetic blanket. Read more >>Gallatin
The Gallatin River is our backyard playground—we fish it, paddle it, swim it, hunt it, meander it. Come spring, it’s more dynamic than ever, waking from a season-long slumber, roaring to life once again. Here are some facts and figures about Bozeman’s beloved local waterway. Read more >>
The boat slices through the last standing wave and carves smoothly into the placid eddy on my right. The thrill of the upstream rapids courses through my veins while I slowly spin in the calm water. Read more >>Missouri
I lived in Montana for eight years without ever actually leaving "Bozeman." Sure, I skied at Big Sky, backpacked the Beartooths, cycled Yellowstone, and soaked at Norris. However, I never escaped my Bozeman bubble when I was home. Read more >>“In the beginning of this record I tried to explore the nature of journeys, how they are things in themselves, each one an individual and no two alike. Read more >>
