The Boulder River runs under a trail bridge to a point when it disappears into the ground only to reappear as a surface river further down it's path. Natural Bridge Falls, Montana.
The Boulder River runs under a trail bridge to a point when it disappears into the ground only to reappear as a surface river further down its path. Natural Bridge Falls, Montana.

“Montana has two Boulder Rivers. One is in the west-central part of the state and runs into the Jefferson River near the town of Cardwell. The other Boulder River is a tributary of the Yellowstone and originates high in the Absaroka Mountains south of Big Timber MT. This is the better known Boulder River and offers great visiting experiences for the Montana hiker, camper, angler or visitor.” ~~ Montana Hikes

The campground where we currently are staying is located along the second better known beautiful Boulder River.

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A few days after arriving at Spring Creek Campground and Trout Ranch, Big Timber, Montana, our explorations included a 27-mile drive south on MT 298 to Natural Bridge Falls.

A view of the point where the Boulder River goes underground. The upper above ground channel which also flows water during high water conditions can also be seen above the ground entry point. Natural Bridge Falls, Montana.
Another view of the point where the Boulder River goes underground. The upper above ground channel, which also contains water during high water conditions, can be seen above the ground entry point. Natural Bridge Falls, Montana.

At this location, the Boulder River runs underground and works its way through the porous sandstone until it emerges further down the river bed to become a surface river again. In high-water times, the river also uses an upper, above ground river bed as well as through the underground channels.

The Boulder River returns to the surface. The upper high water channel can be seen above where the sub-surface water emerges.
The Boulder River returns to the surface. The upper high water channel can be seen above where the sub-surface water emerges.

When water is running the upper channel it forms a 100 ft waterfall at the point the lower channel comes back to the surface.  Prior to a collapse in 1988 the creek was spanned by a natural bridge that gave the park its name.

Further down stream the Boulder River returns sub-surface for a short distance. Natural Bridge Falls, Montana.
Further down stream the Boulder River returns sub-surface for a short distance. Natural Bridge Falls, Montana.

It’s a beautiful location with nice walking trails and easy access to national forest areas.

 

6 Comments

  1. Has you fallen in love with Montana yet?

  2. The only other place I might choose to live would be Idaho.

  3. That would be quite a surprise if you were in a canoe and came upond that underground river. That is a beautiful area!

    • LOL, I thought that same thought, Monte. In this day and age we can search on the Internet and find out about a river and it’s path before we launch our canoe. What in the heck did Lewis and Clark do? I guess they used Indian guides and scouted ahead on foot when there was a question about it. That would be scary.