North Fork Flathead River Access Improvement Projects to Require Temporary Closures

Ongoing work to improve the conditions at three popular river access sites along the North Fork Flathead River will require temporary closures this month to accommodate heavy-machinery operations, according to Flathead National Forest officials, who said they are suspending the work over the July Fourth holiday weekend to accommodate increased boating traffic.

The improvement projects at Ford, Great Northern and Glacier Rim access sites have been ongoing this spring and summer and will resume the week of July 7, requiring brief closures to ensure public safety as heavy equipment completes grading, blading, surface treatment, and roller compacting, which cannot occur if any vehicles are parked in the lot.

The sites will be signed in advance of the closures and boaters, including shuttle-vehicle drivers, should be aware of the disruption to access, according to Flathead National Forest spokesperson Kira Powell.

The anticipated dates of the closures are:

• Ford River Access Road #308 will be closed the morning of Tuesday, July 9 from 6 a.m. until noon.
• Great Northern River Access Road #1070 will be closed the morning of Wednesday, July 10 from 6 a.m. until noon.
• Glacier Rim River Access Road #10363 will be closed the morning of Thursday, July 11, from 6 a.m. until noon.

According to Powell, the work is part of a multi-year project focusing on Wild and Scenic river site improvements. The specific work this year includes road reconditioning, grading and road improvements, including building and installing new kiosks and information signs.

“These are very popular river access sites, which is why the Forest is improving them for recreational use,” Powell said. “Unfortunately, this improvement comes with a very brief period where these access sites will not be accessible.”

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