How Dangerous Are Montana Rivers

Montana has the third-highest drowning rate in the USA; it falls behind Hawaii, which comes in second, and Alaska has the highest. The Treasure State has an average of 2.32 drowning deaths per 100,000 people. That’s much higher than the national average of 1.31 deaths per 100,000, including boat-related deaths. In Montana, drowning deaths are most common between June and August. Furthermore, most of these deaths occur in natural bodies of water, like rivers and lakes. But just how dangerous are Montana Rivers? This article will discuss which rivers in Montana are the most dangerous and why.

Fatal Boat Accidents and Drownings in Montana Rivers

Many people lose their lives each year in Montana’s rivers. Unfortunately, most of these fatalities are caused by boating accidents and accidental drownings. Below are Montana’s five most dangerous rivers and what makes them deadly.

1. Clark Fork River

In July 1996, a family decided to go rafting on the Clark Fork River. Unfortunately, they opted to pass through Rest Stop Rapid, and due to high water, the roadside drop had a bank-to-bank reversal of epic proportions. Sadly, there were six people on the raft: a mother, her boyfriend, her brother, and her three children aged five, three, and two. Everyone was thrown off the raft when it hit the reversal, and while the two-year-old wore a life jacket, it was an adult-sized jacket. As a result, the child and the life vest were never seen again. The mother managed to save one of her other children, and one of the men dragged the other child to the bank.

Clark Fork River is known for its exciting whitewater rafting, but some sections have difficult rapids, which are not suitable for children. Furthermore, everyone on board should wear a life jacket that fits them properly. However, a life jacket will not protect a child from big rapids, so it’s best to avoid situations like these altogether when you have young children.

2. Stillwater River

This river’s name is very misleading because Stillwater River is anything by still. In fact, it flows, cascades, and burbles for 70 miles from the mountains in Absoroka Beartooth Wilderness until it joins the Yellowstone River. Therefore, the Stillwater River is one of the most dangerous rivers in Montana.

For example, in July 2012, a 41-year-old man and a 1-year-old girl drowned in two separate accidents. However, they were both from the same place: Billings, Montana. The first accident occurred at around 2:20 p.m. The little girl was with her parents and brother when she was swept away. Her body was found by two teenagers who called for help. But unfortunately, the rescue team was not able to resuscitate her. The second accident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. when a man fell out of a raft. The two men who were with him tried to rescue him but failed. Emergency responders arrived quickly, but there was nothing they could do to save him once they pulled his body out of the water.

3. Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone River is 676 miles long, originating at Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming and making its way down to its confluence with the Missouri River. Surprisingly, a 21-year-old Chinese man named Feiyang Xiang went missing near this lake in 2015. This young man was working for a park contractor when he vanished. Feiyang Xiang was visiting the area while on a backpacking trip and decided to swim. But, sadly, he got swept away by the current. His remains were only found three years later, in 2018, within the vicinity of where he went missing. Even though an extensive search for his body took place the day he went missing.

4. Bitterroot River

The Bitterroot River is a medium-sized river that originates from the confluence of the West Fork near Connor, MO, and East Fork Bitterroot. This river flows north through the breathtaking Bitterroot Valley on the way to the Clark Fork near Missoula, Montana. But how dangerous is this Montana river? Rivers in this state have caused many fatal accidents. One example is a 6-year-old girl who drowned in the Bitterroot River. Her family was on a boat when It capsized, but help was too late for the little girl, and she died.

5. Missouri River

The Missouri River spans over 2,341 miles, originating at the confluence of the Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson Rivers in the Rocky Mountains, Three Forks, MT, and ends when it merges with the Mississippi River at St. Louis, MO. The Missouri River can be very dangerous, which is why you should never swim alone. For example, the body of a man was recovered on June 11, and his death was due to drowning. The man’s name was  Jim Kurz, a 78-year-old man from Lady Smith, Wisconsin. Jim was kayaking down the Missouri River and Bull Creek as he was trying to be romantic. But what caused his death? Jim eventually settled and set up camp on Bull Creek with a woman he had met before. During the night, severe storms tormented the area, and his canoe broke free, leading him to pursue it. Unfortunately, he and his canoe did not make it out alive.

6. Gallatin River

The Gallatin River originates in the Gallatin Range in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It stretches 120 miles long to Three Forks in Montana. This river does not look friendly, even in the more smooth-looking spots. But, as the saying goes, “It what’s below the surface that counts,” and in this case, the Gallatin River’s undersurface water is cold and has strong currents, often getting the best of people and animals. For example, you could be on a calm, peaceful stretch of river and then come around the bend, and you’re sucked into a strainer or up against a log, often resulting in the raft flipping and people getting trapped underneath.

There have been many accidents on this river, including a 55-year-old man and his wife who went on a commercial rafting trip in June 2002. They were visiting Montana from New Jersey. When the group got to the House Rock Rapids, the raft overturned. These rapids are the start of the Mad Mile, a long stretch of continuous whitewater. The man weighed over 300 pounds and swallowed water immediately. While a female employee tried to save him, he was too large for her to drag out the water, and sadly, the man died.

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