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YELLOWSTONE RIVER GUIDE

Yellowstone River Guide

History, public access, fish and paddling resources, and live water data along the Yellowstone River.

Open a live Yellowstone River gaugeCompare Yellowstone River gauges
River story
History, landscapes and river context
Fishing
Species, water and places to explore
Live data
Current USGS gauges along the river
LIVE YELLOWSTONE RIVER DATA

Yellowstone River levels, gauges and monitoring stations

Check the live river overview or open an individual USGS gauge for current streamflow, gauge height, trends and historical context.

Open live gauge →Yellowstone River at Billings MT · USGS 06214500Current Yellowstone River levels & streamflow →River overview with live USGS conditions and trendsWyoming river levels →Browse monitoring stations across WyomingMontana river levels →Browse monitoring stations across MontanaNorth Dakota river levels →Browse monitoring stations across North Dakota
Yellowstone River at Billings MTUSGS 06214500 · View live gauge →Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs MTUSGS 06191500 · View live gauge →Yellowstone River at Forsyth MTUSGS 06295000 · View live gauge →Yellowstone River near Sidney MTUSGS 06329500 · View live gauge →
EXPLORE THE RIVER

Follow the Yellowstone River

Trace the reviewed Yellowstone River mainstem geometry and use linked agency resources to plan for a specific reach.

Loading river map…
River path derived from U.S. Geological Survey NLDI hydrography.
Yellowstone River winding through Hayden Valley. Photo: NPS / Jacob W. Frank.
THE YELLOWSTONE STORY

A free-flowing river from Yellowstone Lake to the Missouri

The Yellowstone leaves its namesake lake and canyon, crosses Montana’s Paradise Valley and prairie badlands, and joins the Missouri near the North Dakota line. With no large storage dam on its mainstem, snowmelt, ice and sediment still shape an unusually long connected river, even as diversion structures influence fish movement and irrigation.

For thousands of years
A river across Tribal homelands
Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Assiniboine, Sioux and other Indigenous nations have longstanding cultural and subsistence relationships with the Yellowstone basin.
1872
Headwaters included in Yellowstone National Park
Creation of Yellowstone National Park protected the lake, falls, canyon and upper river within the new park boundary.
Late 19th century
Railroad and towns follow the valley
The Northern Pacific corridor encouraged settlement and commerce along the lower valley, layering new infrastructure onto older Indigenous routes.
20th century
Diversions support irrigation
Low-head diversion structures moved water to farms but also created barriers for fish including endangered pallid sturgeon.
Modern fish-passage work
A bypass channel at Intake
A new bypass channel around Intake Diversion Dam was built to reconnect lower Yellowstone habitat for pallid sturgeon and other native fish.
Research context: National Park Service, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
FISHING

Fishing the river

Yellowstone cutthroat trout are central to the upper river in and near the national park; Montana reaches also support rainbow and brown trout, warmwater species and, far downstream, paddlefish. Park rules, Montana fishing districts, invasive-species requirements and seasonal closures differ substantially.

Fish you may encounter

Yellowstone cutthroat trout
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
Paddlefish

Where the river changes

FISHING AREA
Montana fishing regulations ↗
Current rules and district-specific guidance.
Before you fish
  • Rules, seasons, closures and consumption advice vary by jurisdiction and can change; consult the linked fish and wildlife agency before a trip.
  • A gauge reading describes conditions at that monitoring location; it does not establish fishing quality or safety elsewhere on the river.
PARKS & ACCESS

Places to reach the river

Montana fishing access sites ↗
Official statewide access-site finder; confirm the selected site is on the intended reach.
Yellowstone National Park ↗
Official conditions, closures and visitor guidance for headwater reaches.
UNDERSTAND THE CONDITIONS

Learn how river levels affect fishing and paddling

How river flow affects fishing →How river levels affect kayaking →How to read a USGS river gauge →What CFS means →
Yellowstone River Guide | Levels, Fishing, Boating & Access