With its headwaters near Butte, Montana, the 360 mile-long Clark Fork River winds its way though the mountains, enters the Missoula valley from the east and leaves to the northwest. Twenty miles downstream from Stillwaters, the Clark Fork cuts through the mountains at the 11-mile-long Alberton Gorge, host to seven class III rapids and dozens of class II rapids. The area is full of geological history and a destination for rock-hounds and fossil hunters alike.

Fishermen also enjoy the river with gamefish species in the Clark Fork including Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Mountain Whitefish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, and Yellow Perch.