Madison River

About the River

The Madison River begins at Madison Junction inside Yellowstone National Park, where the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers meet, then flows north for about 183 miles before joining the Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers at Three Forks, Montana, to form the Missouri River. Hebgen Dam and Quake Lake, the natural dam formed by a 1959 earthquake that triggered a massive landslide, both interrupt the upper river before it settles into the broad, gentle valley for which the Madison is famous.

Below Quake Lake, the Madison runs roughly 90 miles to Ennis Lake in what anglers call the 50-Mile Riffle, one of the most productive and heavily fished trout streams in the country. Below Ennis Lake and Madison Dam, the river drops through Bear Trap Canyon, a designated wilderness area with Class III-IV whitewater culminating in the Kitchen Sink rapid, before mellowing into the Warm Springs float on its way toward Three Forks.

Flows near Cameron and at Ennis are the standard reference for the upper river and the riffle; the gauge below Ennis Lake reflects releases into Bear Trap Canyon. Water released from Madison Dam warms considerably by midsummer, so anglers fishing the lower river should plan around early morning or evening once temperatures climb. Commercial trips, competitive events, and organized groups need a Special Recreation Permit anywhere between Quake Lake and the Jefferson River confluence; private anglers and boaters do not.