Montana cliff jumping spots
Montana jumps are short-season and cold: glacial lakes around Flathead and Glacier, rock ledges on the Blackfoot and Clark Fork near Missoula, and canyon spots on the Gallatin and Yellowstone. Late July and August are the window before the rivers drop and the nights turn.
17
cliff jumps
100 ft
tallest listed
9
counties
Showing 17 of 17 in Montana
Cliff jumps17
100 ftTally Lake
Expert Unverified 25 · 100 ft Flathead CountyMontana's deepest lake (495 feet) west of Whitefish, with a series of cliffs along the shore from 20 feet up to a 100-foot wall. Deep water everywhere, but the big one is expert…
60 ftLava Lake (Spanish Peaks)
Intermediate Unverified 15 · 60 ft Gallatin CountyAn alpine lake at the end of the Cascade Creek trail in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness between Bozeman and Big Sky, ringed by rock walls with a few small cliffs and one big 60-foot…
40 ftLake Koocanusa (Pinkham Creek cliffs)
Intermediate Unverified 25 · 40 ft Lincoln CountyTall cliffs over deep, clear water on the southeast side of Lake Koocanusa where Pinkham Creek comes in, east of the Koocanusa Bridge. Plenty of 20 to 40-foot rock, and a 90-foot…
30 ftAxtell Bridge (Gallatin River)
Beginner Unverified 10 · 30 ft Gallatin CountyThe most popular jump on the Gallatin, 15 minutes west of Bozeman, where deep clear water runs under the Axtell-Anceney Road bridge. Rock and bridge takeoffs from 10 to 30 feet.
30 ftHungry Horse Reservoir cliffs
Beginner Unverified 15 · 30 ft Flathead CountyA 34-mile reservoir on the South Fork Flathead southeast of Columbia Falls with rock walls and deep water all along the west-side road. Locals boat or drive to the cliffs near the…
20 ftEnnis Lake cliffs
Beginner Unverified Madison CountyA shallow, warm Madison River reservoir north of Ennis with rock at the north end where the lake enters Bear Trap Canyon. A handful of cliff spots and a hard-to-find rope swing…
20 ftJohnsrud Park cliffs (Blackfoot River)
Beginner Unverified Missoula CountyThe Missoula swimming hole: a deep pool on the Blackfoot at the Johnsrud Park fishing access, with 20-foot cliffs across the main channel that locals jump all summer. You swim the…
20 ftJump Rock (Alberton Gorge, Clark Fork)
Beginner Unverified Mineral CountyA rock on the Clark Fork just below Roller Coaster rapid in the Alberton Gorge, the whitewater run west of Missoula. Every raft trip stops here when the level allows; a second…
20 ftOld Belton Bridge (Middle Fork Flathead)
Beginner Unverified 8 · 20 ft Flathead CountyThe 1920 concrete arch bridge that was once the entrance to Glacier National Park, now closed to cars and the West Glacier swimming hole. The bridge deck is 15 to 20 feet above…
20 ftPainted Rocks Reservoir cliffs (Blue Joint Road)
Beginner Unverified 10 · 20 ft Ravalli CountyA reservoir on the West Fork of the Bitterroot ringed by granite walls streaked orange and green with lichen — the painted rocks the place is named for. Along Blue Joint Road just…
20 ftWild Horse Island jump rock (Flathead Lake)
Beginner Unverified Lake CountyA rock on the east shore of Wild Horse Island, the 2,100-acre state park in the middle of Flathead Lake with bighorn sheep and a few wild horses. Boaters anchor off the rock for…
15 ftHolland Lake jump rock
Beginner Unverified Missoula CountyA rock outcrop on the north shore of Holland Lake near the falls trail in the Swan Valley, a local favorite for jumping into clear water under the Swan Range. Combine it with the…
15 ftWayfarers State Park (Flathead Lake)
Beginner Unverified Flathead CountyRocky shoreline cliffs on the northeast corner of Flathead Lake at Bigfork, with 10 to 20-foot rocks over clear water. The local sunset-and-swim spot.
11 ftLake Como west end cliffs
Beginner Unverified 5 · 11 ft Ravalli CountyA big Bitterroot Valley reservoir under the Como Peaks with granite ledges at the far west end, well past the swim beach and the crowds. The ledges nearest the trail are short,…
Bell Crossing (Bitterroot River)
Unverified Ravalli CountyA walk-in fishing access on the Bitterroot just north of Victor, and the deep-water swimming hole for that stretch of the valley. The bank drops into a slow, deep bend that locals…
Carter's Bridge (Yellowstone River)
Unverified Park CountyThe fishing access three miles south of Livingston where Paradise Valley opens out, and the bridge jump that counts as a Livingston rite of passage. It is also the put-in for the…
Fairy Lake rope swing (Bridger Range)
Unverified Gallatin CountyAn emerald alpine lake at 7,550 ft in a cirque under Sacagawea Peak, half an hour up a rough road from Bridger Canyon. A rope swing hangs on the south side just off the shoreline…
Cliff jumping in Montana: common questions
- Where can you go cliff jumping in Montana?
- SmartLeap maps 17 cliff jumping spots in Montana across 9 counties, concentrated around Flathead Lake, Missoula, the Gallatin. Every listing gives the jump heights, the water depth where someone has measured it, how to get there and what the hazards are.
- What is the highest cliff jump in Montana?
- The tallest jump mapped here is 100 ft at Tally Lake. Height is not the same as safety: depth under a jump changes with the season, so check your own landing before anyone goes off it.
- Is cliff jumping legal in Montana?
- It depends on who manages the land. Spots that a land manager has closed to jumping are deliberately left off this map, and where a place has a posted rule — a height limit, a waiver, a seasonal closure — the spot page says so. Signs on site always win over anything written here.
- When is the season for cliff jumping in Montana?
- Most of it runs from mid-July into September, after spring runoff drops out of the rivers and the water has had a few weeks of sun. Early-season flows are the thing that actually kills people, not the height of the rock.