Falls Creek (Dearborn Trib), Montana, US

(hike up) 2 miles above Dearborn to Dearborn

Usual Difficulty	III-V(V+) (for normal flows)
Length	2 Miles
Avg. Gradient	150 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
Dearborn River near Craig MT
usgs-06073500	500 - 1500 cfs	III-V(V+)	31d19h50m	68 cfs (rc= -0.4 )

River Description

Falls Creek is a great run, offering drops for those new to creeking and some big falls for the serious creek boater.

You can put in at the second river crossing, or continue upstream approx. 200 yards to run a fun ten foot broken ledge and some small bedrock slides.

Below here are enjoyable small ledge drops with a log portage immediately after the first ledge. This is followed by boogie water and a couple of smaller ledges until you reach the 20 footer. This drop is great, but has a dangerous boil feeding into an undercut wall. Be wary and set good safety.

A few more ledge drops lead to the second portage. Find this 12 foot spigot falls (which is fifty yards upstream of the 50 foot falls) on your way up. Eddys are scarce above this portage. Portage on the right. I highly recommend paddling back up the chasm after the portage to check out the bowl and undercut cave. It is sinister in there and the undercut is a jaw dropper.

The fifty footer is just downstream. It has been run clean four times, but is definitely a big commitment. Portage on the left down the cliff.

Below here are two more good drops. The first has a sticky hole and the second is a broken ledge slide.

Takeout on river left down by the parking area. Make sure you know where the portages are and the fifty footer before you put on.

If you come up for this creek, also check out the Upper Dearborn.