Madison River

The Madison River is one of the three rivers that join at Three Forks to form the Missouri, and one of the best-known trout rivers in the United States. It begins at Madison Junction in Yellowstone National Park, where the Firehole and Gibbon rivers meet, and runs about 183 miles north through Hebgen Lake, Quake Lake, the wide Madison Valley past Ennis, and Ennis Lake before reaching Three Forks. Meriwether Lewis named it in July 1805 after James Madison, then Secretary of State. Montana classes it as a blue-ribbon fishery, with brown and rainbow trout, some cutthroat and mountain whitefish.

The river is a reminder of two dramatic events. In 1959 the Hebgen Lake earthquake set off a landslide that dammed the river and created Quake Lake, upstream of the valley. Downstream of Ennis, Madison Dam holds back Ennis Lake, and below that the river enters Bear Trap Canyon, known for class IV-V whitewater.

Near Ennis, the river runs along the east edge of town. Most visitors fish from the many Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fishing access sites: the Ennis site, about half a mile south-east of town; Valley Garden, about two miles north-east; and Varney Bridge, Eight Mile Ford and others upstream along Varney Road. Wade fishing is common, and guided drift-boat trips are the usual way to cover more water.

The Madison is busy, and its rules are stricter than on most Montana rivers. Recreation rules adopted at the start of the 2020s limit commercial trips and set days when guides may not operate on certain sections in summer. Fishing from a boat is closed between Ennis Lake and the Ennis fishing access site. Anyone aged 12 or older needs a conservation licence, a base fishing licence and an aquatic invasive species prevention pass. The rules have been revised several times, so read FWP's current Madison regulations before you go, especially if you plan to hire a guide.

Ice jams and spring floods sometimes close boat ramps and access sites, so check FWP closures in early spring. Summer is the main season, and the rest of the year brings fewer people. In Ennis, the Ennis on the Madison Fly Fishing Festival is held in August. Even if you don't fish, the Ennis access site is an easy place to walk down to the water.