Flathead River

Flathead River
Flathead River
	The river near Perma, Montana
	Map of the Flathead River, its tributary forks and downriver connection to the Columbia River via Clark Fork and the Pend Oreille River
Native name	ntx̣ʷetkʷ (Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille); ntx̣ʷe (Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille);
Location
Country	United States, Canada
State	Montana
Province	British Columbia
Physical characteristics
Source	Confluence of North Fork and Middle Fork Flathead River
• location	Rocky Mountains
• coordinates	48°28′2″N 114°4′10″W / 48.46722°N 114.06944°W
• elevation	3,120 ft (950 m)
Mouth	Clark Fork
• location	Montana
• coordinates	47°21′56″N 114°46′34″W / 47.36556°N 114.77611°W
• elevation	2,484 ft (757 m)
Length	158 mi (254 km)
Basin size	8,795 sq mi (22,780 km2)
Discharge
• location	near mouth, at Perma, MT; max at Polson, MT
• average	11,380 cu ft/s (322 m3/s)
• minimum	2,670 cu ft/s (76 m3/s)
• maximum	110,000 cu ft/s (3,100 m3/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Middle Fork Flathead River, South Fork Flathead River, Swan River (Montana)
• right	Stillwater River, North Fork Flathead River
National Wild and Scenic River
Type	Wild 97.9 miles (157.6 km); Scenic 40.7 miles (65.5 km); Recreational 80.4 miles (129.4 km)
Designated	October 12, 1976

The Flathead River (Salish: člq̓etkʷ ntx̣ʷetkʷ, ntx̣ʷe, Kutenai: kananmituk),^[6] in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of 158 miles (254 km), empties into the Clark Fork. The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, as the Clark Fork is a tributary of the Pend Oreille River, a Columbia River tributary. With a drainage basin extending over 8,795 square miles (22,780 km²) and an average discharge of 11,380 cubic feet per second (322 m³/s), the Flathead is the largest tributary of the Clark Fork and constitutes over half of its flow.^[7]

^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Flathead River
^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates
^ Cite error: The named reference fischer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c Montana Water Resources Data, 2004, USGS
^ "National Wild and Scenic Rivers System" (PDF). rivers.gov. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
^ Tachini, Pete (2010). Seliš nyoʻnuntn, Medicine for the Salish language : English to Salish translation dictionary (2nd ed.). Pablo, MT: Salish Kootenai College Press. p. 242. ISBN 9781934594063.
^ "USGS 12389000 Clark Fork near Plains MT" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved August 2, 2012.

[gnis-1] U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Flathead River

[GE-2] Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates

[fischer-3] Cite error: The named reference fischer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[wdr-4] Montana Water Resources Data, 2004, USGS

[5] "National Wild and Scenic Rivers System" (PDF). rivers.gov. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.

[tachinipete-6] Tachini, Pete (2010). Seliš nyoʻnuntn, Medicine for the Salish language : English to Salish translation dictionary (2nd ed.). Pablo, MT: Salish Kootenai College Press. p. 242. ISBN 9781934594063.

[7] "USGS 12389000 Clark Fork near Plains MT" (PDF). USGS. Retrieved August 2, 2012.

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