Madison River Access Points & Float Guide

Every public access from the Quake Lake slide to Three Forks: who has a ramp, who allows camping, where the wade-only water starts and stops.

The Madison runs 183 miles from Yellowstone National Park to Three Forks. The fishable water below the park breaks into the Upper Madison (Hebgen Dam to Ennis Lake, covered in the first two sections here) and the Lower Madison (Ennis Dam to Three Forks). The water inside the park is wade-only pullout fishing with its own rules; see the West Yellowstone report.

GPS coordinates on this page are Montana FWP's own published coordinates for their fishing access sites. BLM and informal accesses are described by highway position instead; we don't print coordinates we can't verify.

Wade Water: Quake Lake to Lyons Bridge

From the Quake Lake outlet down to Lyons Bridge, fishing from a boat is prohibited. This is the technical, boulder-strewn top of the river, and you fish it on foot. The slide water directly below Quake Lake is the roughest wading on the Madison; the gradient eases as you work down toward Lyons.

Raynolds' Pass FAS

GPS (FWP): 44.82871, -111.47932 · Gravel ramp

Highway 87 bridge below the Quake Lake slide. Braided channels, pocket water and gravel bars.

Three Dollar Bridge FAS

GPS (FWP): 44.83193, -111.51416 · No ramp

The classic Upper Madison wade access, public since 2002. Miles of riffle water in both directions.

Between Three Dollar Bridge and Lyons, BLM ground and highway pullouts along US-287 give you more places to get in, including the West Fork and South Madison recreation areas, both with camping. The winter fishing up here concentrates around Raynolds' Pass and Three Dollar Bridge.

Raynolds' Pass has a gravel ramp because rowing this stretch is legal. Fishing from the boat is not. If there's a rod in your hand, your feet belong on the bottom of the river.

Float Water: Lyons Bridge to Ennis Lake

Lyons Bridge is where float fishing legally begins, and from here to Ennis is the run people picture when they picture the Madison: fifty-odd miles of riffle, banks lined with private ranchland, brown trout that average 14 to 16 inches. Some anglers and shops call this the middle Madison. Our reach reports fold it into the Upper, since it all runs on the Kirby gauge.

Access (upstream → down) GPS (FWP) Ramp Camping
Lyons Bridge FAS 44.89910, -111.59259 Concrete ramp No
McAtee Bridge FAS 45.09665, -111.66151 Gravel ramp No
Varney Bridge FAS 45.22900, -111.75195 Concrete ramp Yes
Eight Mile Ford FAS 45.29998, -111.75405 Gravel ramp No
Burnt Tree Hole FAS 45.31492, -111.74869 Concrete ramp No
Ennis FAS 45.34442, -111.72309 Gravel ramp Yes
Valley Garden FAS 45.36725, -111.70539 Gravel ramp Yes

Two BLM sites fill the gap between Lyons and McAtee: Palisades, the first access below Lyons, and Ruby Creek, with campgrounds at both. Day floats out of Lyons take out at one of these or push through to McAtee. From Ennis bridge down to Ennis Lake the river goes wade-only again, so Valley Garden is a place to park and walk, not a place to launch a fishing float.

Lower Madison: Ennis Dam to Three Forks

Below Ennis Dam the river drops through Bear Trap Canyon, then flattens into thirty miles of shallow, weedy valley water. The dam releases off the top of Ennis Lake, so this reach runs warm, not cold. By midsummer it is usually the first water in the state under hoot owl restrictions. Spring and fall are its seasons.

Bear Trap Canyon (BLM wilderness)

Trailhead off MT-84 at the downstream end of the canyon · No ramp · No vehicles

The trail follows the riverbank about nine miles upstream toward the dam, so you are fishing pocket water within minutes of parking, and the crowds thin with every bend. The rapids in the canyon, Kitchen Sink among them, have killed experienced boaters. Treat it as a wade fishery.

Warm Springs (BLM)

Off MT-84 at the canyon mouth · Launch and day use

Where the canyon opens into the valley, and the put-in for the Lower Madison float down to Damselfly or Black's Ford.

Damselfly FAS

GPS (FWP): 45.62320, -111.54809 · Concrete ramp · Camping

First FWP launch below Warm Springs. Camping, and the take-out for the short upper-valley float.

Black's Ford FAS

GPS (FWP): 45.64638, -111.52247 · Concrete ramp

The busiest access on the Lower. Concrete ramp and day-use only.

Greycliff FAS

GPS (FWP): 45.70191, -111.51418 · Gravel ramp · Camping

Gravel ramp and camping partway down the valley water.

Cobblestone FAS

GPS (FWP): 45.77293, -111.51580 · No ramp

Walk-in access on the lower valley. No ramp, light pressure.

Blackbird FAS

GPS (FWP): 45.90138, -111.52690 · No ramp

Walk-in water near Three Forks, close to the mouth.

Milwaukee FAS

GPS (FWP): 45.89860, -111.52628 · Gravel ramp

Last ramp before the Madison joins the Jefferson and Gallatin at Missouri Headwaters.

Float Combinations That Work

Lyons Bridge to Varney Bridge (about 13 miles)

Full day | Easy rowing

The classic. Riffle after riffle, no rapids, and the heart of the salmonfly water in late June. Palisades and Ruby Creek give you bail-out points if the wind comes up.

Lyons Bridge to Ruby Creek (about 8 miles)

Half day | Easy rowing

The beginner float. Steady current, forgiving lines, camping at the take-out if you want to make a weekend of it.

Varney Bridge to Ennis (about 10 miles)

Full day | Easy rowing, braided channels

Side channels and cottonwood banks. Take out at Ennis FAS; the water below the bridge is wade-only.

Warm Springs to Black's Ford (Lower Madison)

Half day | Easy rowing

The Lower's standard run, with Damselfly as a midway take-out. In July and August launch at first light and be off before the afternoon closure.

Two stretches to stay out of

The slide water below Quake Lake is Class III–IV through earthquake rubble, and fishing from a boat is illegal there anyway. Bear Trap Canyon holds serious rapids miles from any road. Wade both; float neither.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the best access points on the Madison River?

For wade fishing, Three Dollar Bridge and Raynolds' Pass put you on the best pocket water on the river. For floating, Lyons Bridge down to Varney or Ennis is the classic run. On the Lower Madison, Warm Springs and Black's Ford bracket the most-floated stretch.

Do I need a permit to float the Madison River?

No permit for private boaters. Commercial outfitters are licensed by Montana FWP. Montana's stream access law lets you float and wade below the high-water mark, but crossing private land to reach the river is trespassing, so use the access sites.

Where does float fishing legally start on the Madison?

Lyons Bridge. From Quake Lake down to Lyons, and again from Ennis bridge down to Ennis Lake, fishing from a boat is prohibited. You can row those stretches, but you fish them on foot.

What is the best float trip on the Madison River for beginners?

Lyons Bridge to Ruby Creek, about eight river miles of steady riffles with no rapids. Add the rest of the run to McAtee or Varney if the rowing feels easy. Stay off the Quake Lake slide water and out of Bear Trap Canyon; both have real whitewater.

Where can I camp near Madison River access points?

On FWP sites: Varney Bridge, Ennis, Valley Garden, Damselfly and Greycliff allow camping. On BLM ground: Palisades and Ruby Creek along the upper river, and the West Fork and South Madison areas off US-287. Ennis has private campgrounds and motels.

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