Full Day Trips | Great Northern Resort

Montana's Best White Water Rafting Trips

If you don’t want to think about lunch plans, we’ve got you covered! Great Northern’s full day white water rafting trips, on the boundary of Glacier National Park, are an exhilarating activity for the whole family. Enjoy a relaxing morning float before you pull over for a freshly grilled lunch and then brave some of the best Montana white water rapids. If you’re a little more adventurous, consider our inflatable kayak trips or a smaller sport boat for a wet ride through the white water.

Great Northern’s Montana full day white water rafting trips and Montana fly fishing trips run May through September on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

Cherish your Glacier Park rafting trip forever with a photo package. Our photographer, Mountain Photography, is on the river from mid-June through Labor Day and takes photos of all our whitewater trips. Pre-buy your photos separately at a discount at the time of booking or purchase them separately in our office on the day of your trip. Don’t miss this Glacier National Park souvenir! You can buy them online here.

More Rafting Options!

Fly Fishing Trips

Half Day Rafting Trips

Overnight Rafting Trips

Dinner Rafting Trips

Raft & Guide School

Technical River Rescue

Youth River School

FULL DAY 1 & 2 PERSON FUNYAKS W/ LUNCH

Rafting Times:

10:15 (Resort Check-In Time 15mins Prior to Trip Time)

Available Dates:

Mid June to late September

Full Day - $101.00

Price does not include fishing license, 7% service fee or gratuity.

This is one of the most exciting trips on the river, and designed for the more adventurous paddler!

This trip is wonderful because you get to float through Nyack Flats, a large area where the majority of the river flows through large gravel basins providing an incredibly diverse ecosystem. As you travel through the flats, the views into the backcountry of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness are phenomenal! This is also a great area to see all sorts of wildlife.

Lunchtime consists of your fearless whitewater guide/river chef preparing a top-notch river spread. We offer steak, chicken, beef burgers, or veggie burgers for your main course. Make sure to tell the reservation staff which you prefer. Accompanying your lunch choice is an appetizer, assortment of salads and a dessert. It would be great to list all of the items now, but they are whatever is fresh and in season in our chef's own organic garden.

After lunch comes the Whitewater!

When you get to John Stevens Canyon the river picks up speed and your adventure really begins. You'll need all of that practice from upstream to execute the commands in the whitewater. With rapids like Bonecrusher, Jaws and the Notch (to name a few) your crew is sure to have an exciting time.

Once you see the Old Bridge, (The original route in to Glacier National Park) you are nearly there. There's about a mile left to the take out, followed by a short ride back to the Great Northern Resort. Make sure to check out the photos of your run through Bonecrusher in our main Chalet!

*Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan, nut allergies, etc.

Trip Duration:

5-7 hours depending on the flow of the river.

River Rating & Rapids:

This trip offers a scenic and whitewater adventure (Class III-IV in Late May - Early July; to moderate Class II-III later in the summer) Rapids Include: Tunnel, Bonecrusher, Toilet Boil, The Big Squeeze, Screaming Right-Hand Turn, Jaws, The Narrows, CBT and Pumphouse.

River Miles:

15 river miles

Age Limits:

Ages 12 & up - age is dependent upon weather & river conditions.

Lunch Choices:

Steak, chicken, beef burger or vegetarian.

*min 4 people

FULL DAY ADVENTURE WITH LUNCH

Rafting Times:

10:15 (Resort Check-In Time 15mins Prior to Trip Time)

Available Dates:

Early June to Late August

Rates:

Adult - $98.00

Child (12 and Under) - $78.00

Private Boat - $828.00

Private Trip - $1,012.00 per Boat

(Limit 8 People Per Boat on Private Boat and Private Trip Boat)

Boat Prices do not include 7% service fee or gratuity

Our Full-day trip is a great way to see more of Glacier National Park. The adventure starts with a stunning scenic float and then after a riverside lunch comes the true whitewater experience as you enter the John Stevens Canyon and paddle through exciting Class II-III whitewater.

This trip is wonderful because you get to float through Nyack Flats, a large area where the majority of the river flows through large gravel basins providing an incredibly diverse ecosystem. As you travel through the flats, the views into the backcountry of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness are phenomenal! This is also a great area to see all sorts of wildlife.

Lunchtime consists of your fearless whitewater guide/river chef preparing a top-notch river spread. We offer steak, chicken, beef burgers, or veggie burgers for your main course. Make sure to tell the reservation staff which you prefer. Accompanying your lunch choice is an appetizer, assortment of salads and a dessert. It would be great to list all of the items now, but they are whatever is fresh and in season in our chef's own organic garden.

After lunch comes the Whitewater!

When you get to John Stevens Canyon the river picks up speed and your adventure really begins. You'll need all of that practice from upstream to execute the commands in the whitewater. With rapids like Bonecrusher, Jaws and the Notch (to name a few) your crew is sure to have an exciting time.

Once you see the Old Bridge, (The original route in to Glacier National Park) you are nearly there. There's about a mile left to the take out, followed by a short ride back to the Great Northern Resort where the Railway Cafe is sure to be cooking and the frozen yogurt is nice and cold on a hot summer's day. Make sure to check out the photos of your run through Bonecrusher in our main Chalet!

*Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan, nut allergies, etc.

Trip Duration:

5-7 hours depending on the flow of the river.

River Rating & Rapids:

This trip offers a scenic and whitewater adventure (Class III-IV in Late May - Early July; to moderate Class II-III later in the summer) Rapids Include: Tunnel, Bonecrusher, Toilet Boil, The Big Squeeze, Screaming Right-Hand Turn, Jaws, The Narrows, CBT and Pumphouse.

River Miles:

15 river miles

Age Limits:

Ages 5 & up - age is dependent upon weather & river conditions.

Lunch Choices:

Steak, chicken, beef burger or vegetarian.

*min 4 people

FULL DAY SPORT RAFT WITH LUNCH

Meeting Times:

10:15 (Resort Check-In Time 15mins Prior to Trip Time)

Available Dates:

Mid June to late September

Rates:

Full Day - $128.00/person

Private Boat - $516

*min 4 people, max 6

Price does not include 7% service fee or gratuity.

This trip is for the daring paddler that wants a smaller boat and crew to make for a wilder whitewater experience!

This is one of the most exciting trips on the river, and designed for the more adventurous paddler!

This trip is wonderful because you get to float through Nyack Flats, a large area where the majority of the river flows through large gravel basins providing an incredibly diverse ecosystem. As you travel through the flats, the views into the backcountry of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness are phenomenal! This is also a great area to see all sorts of wildlife.

Lunchtime consists of your fearless whitewater guide/river chef preparing a top-notch river spread. We offer steak, chicken, beef burgers, or veggie burgers for your main course. Make sure to tell the reservation staff which you prefer. Accompanying your lunch choice is an appetizer, assortment of salads and a dessert. It would be great to list all of the items now, but they are whatever is fresh and in season in our chef's own organic garden.

After lunch comes the Whitewater!

When you get to John Stevens Canyon the river picks up speed and your adventure really begins. You'll need all of that practice from upstream to execute the commands in the whitewater. With rapids like Bonecrusher, Jaws and the Notch (to name a few) your crew is sure to have an exciting time.

Once you see the Old Bridge, (The original route in to Glacier National Park) you are nearly there. There's about a mile left to the take out, followed by a short ride back to the Great Northern Resort. Make sure to check out the photos of your run through Bonecrusher in our main Chalet!

*Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan, nut allergies, etc.

Trip Duration:

5-7 hours depending on the flow of the river.

River Rating & Rapids:

This trip offers a scenic and whitewater adventure (Class III-IV in Late May - Early July; to moderate Class II-III later in the summer) Rapids Include: Tunnel, Bonecrusher, Toilet Boil, The Big Squeeze, Screaming Right-Hand Turn, Jaws, The Narrows, CBT and Pumphouse.

River Miles:

15 river miles

Age Limits:

Ages 5 & up - age is dependent upon weather & river conditions.

Lunch Choices:

Steak, chicken, beef burger or vegetarian.

White water Raft Guided Fishing Raft Montana Fly Fishing Cutthroat Trout

FULL DAY FLY FISHING

Rafting Times:

8:30
(Resort Check-In Time 15mins Prior to Trip Time)

Available Dates:

Late June through October

Rates:

1 or 2 people $497.00

Price does not include fishing license, 7% service fee or gratuity.

The Full Day Montana Fly Fishing Trip departs our base near West Glacier, MT first thing in the morning and allows us to be on the water at first light, spending the entire day fly-fishing the Flathead Rivers.

Your professional Montana fly fishing guide will ensure you are fishing the best stretch of river. Enjoy a fresh lunch from our Railway Cafe and then relax in the afternoon and anticipate the evening hatch as twilight settles over a great day in Glacier Country. Our most popular guided fly fishing trip!

Trip Duration:

7 hours

River Miles:

6-10 miles

Age Limits:

Age 6+ depending upon weather & river conditions.

Lunch will be provided

Fishing License:

The Montana fishing license can be purchased at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks website or Smith's and Super 1 in Columbia Falls.

SADDLE & PADDLE

Ride & Raft Times:

Ride at 7:45am & Raft at 2:15pm

Ride at 10:15am & Raft at 2:15pm

Ride at 10:15am & Raft at 3:15pm

Available Dates:

Mid-May to Late September

Rates:

Adult - $150.00

Child(12 and Under) - $135.00

Prices do not include 7% service fee or gratuity

Great Northern Resort has teamed up with the premier horse outfitter in all of "Glacier Country", Swan Mountain Outfitters.

These cowboys have been providing scenic horseback trail rides for over a quarter century in our part of the country. Swan Mountain Outfitters has several locations inside Glacier National Park to choose from. They also have rides right across the street from Great Northern Resort at the Rawhide Corral, and offer a variety of times and rides throughout the day.

"What about experience?" No rafting or horseback riding experience is necessary for these adventures.

This stretch of river is great for children age 12 and up during our Spring Runoff and for children age 8 and up in July and August.

This is an outstanding way to spend a summer day with your whole family!

Most people prefer to do the trail ride in the morning so they have a better opportunity to see wildlife and then return to Great Northern Resort after a lunch break. After a short drive up the canyon we put in for a half-day of whitewater adventure.

We return to the resort in the late afternoon where you can view photos of your rafting trip. Our office will be happy to help you with arrangements for your trail ride.

Make sure to wear long pants and closed-toed shoes for the trail ride and good water shoes with a back on them for the whitewater trip.