Trails and Maps
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Bitterroot River Float
Stevensville to Florence Refuge Float
Adventures not just on foot, but with a paddle or oars in hand.
This float is an 11-mile trip past the Lee Metacalf Natinoal Wildlife Refuge.
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Field Notes
Canoeing or rafting downriver in June, western tanagers fly across the river like a splash of sunset. Bank swallows nest in high cutbanks. Float past Lee Metcalf refuge and listen to Canada geese honking. A great blue heron flaps by. Mergansers drift in the current. Mayflies dance above the ripples. Anglers cast for trout in eddies. Backwater pools can be thick with tadpoles of Columbia spotted frogs or western toads. In the fall glow of yellow cottonwoods, the river drops lower as young osprey try their wings. Morning mists on the river lift to reveal the glory of the Bitterroot Range.
Back to TopHabitat Link
The river gathers strength as it flows downstream, joined by tributaries flowing from the Bitterroot Mountains to the west and the Sapphires to the east. In this stretch, the river tends to stay to its channel more than it does upriver. The broad floodplain is dominated by cottonwoods and ponderosas.
Back to TopCultural Link
The Salish knew the Bitterroot river as Spitlem Seukn or "waters of the bitter root." For centuries, the women harvested roots of what would become Montana's state flower.
Back to TopViewing Tip
Watch for wildlife at every level - on the water at the water's edge, in shrubs, treetops and overhead. Mornings and evenings are most active for birds. In midday, look for butterflies and dragonflies hovering above the sand.
Back to TopHelpful Hint
This float covers 11 miles. Allow 3 or 4 hours.
Back to TopGetting There
The Stevensville launch is on the east side of the river below the bridge. The Florence take-out is upstream of the bridge on the left.
Back to TopContact
Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, 3201 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804; (406)542-5500
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