North Fork Flathead River

North Fork Flathead River
North Fork of Flathead River, North Fork of the Flathead River
The river at the boundary of Glacier National Park
Countries	Canada, United States
States	British Columbia, Montana
City	West Glacier, Montana
Source	Clark Range
- coordinates	49°19′56″N 114°51′09″W / 49.33222°N 114.85250°W / 49.33222; -114.85250
Mouth	Flathead River
- elevation	3,120 ft (951 m)
- coordinates	48°28′02″N 114°04′09″W / 48.46722°N 114.06917°W / 48.46722; -114.06917Coordinates: 48°28′02″N 114°04′09″W / 48.46722°N 114.06917°W / 48.46722; -114.06917
Length	153 mi (246 km)
Basin	1,560 sq mi (4,040 km2)
Discharge	for USGS gage #1235550, 4.1 miles (6.6 km) from the mouth
- average	2,976 cu ft/s (84 m3/s)
- max	69,100 cu ft/s (1,957 m3/s)
- min	190 cu ft/s (5 m3/s)
Map of the Flathead River drainage basin showing the North Fork

The North Fork Flathead River (Ktunaxa: kqaskanmituk ) is a 153-mile (246 km) river flowing through British Columbia, Canada, south into the U.S. state of Montana. It is one of the three primary forks of the Flathead River, the main inflow of Flathead Lake and a tributary of the Columbia River via the Clark Fork River and the Pend Oreille River. The river is sometimes considered the upper headwaters of the Flathead River, although the North Fork is its official name in the U.S. Other naming conventions for the river include Flathead River - North Fork, North Fork of Flathead River, and North Fork of the Flathead River.

The river originates in a valley northeast of Lake Koocanusa in the Clark Range, and flows west. It then meets the Continental Divide and turns south, winding through a broad glacial valley. The river then crosses the Canada–US border into the state of Montana, where it begins to delineate the western boundary of Glacier National Park. Roughly following the "inner" and "outer" North Fork Roads and Montana Secondary Highway 486, the river winds southwest past Kintla Lake, Bowman Lake, Quartz Lake, Logging Lake, and Lake McDonald, then turns west and south into a narrower valley before joining the Middle Fork Flathead River near the southwestern entrance of the national park, several miles northeast of Columbia Falls. Less than 6 miles (9.7 km) below this confluence, the combined river joins the South Fork Flathead River, forming the main Flathead River.