Not unless you're willing to pack it out, that is.
“We have received numerous complaints from the public regarding sanitation practices,” said Paula Peterson, recreation specialist on the Flathead National Forest.
The regulations require boaters on the popular North and Middle forks of the Flathead River - both sections of the official Wild and Scenic River Corridor - to carry portable potties as well as campfire pads, in some areas, to protect the ground from unsightly scars.
In addition, forest officials have adjusted the rules regarding overnight stays and campfires at several river access sites.
The problem, Peterson said, was too much human waste and trash piling up at popular put-ins.
Now, overnight floaters or riverside car campers must pack along a washable, leak-proof and reusable toilet system or a biodegradable bag-toilet system approved for landfill disposal.
Either system must be large enough for the entire camping group, she said, allowing boaters to pack it all out.
Local outdoor shops carry the toilet systems, officials said, as do Internet retailers. In addition, some local river-guide operators rent them for a small fee.
The use of fire pans or blankets is required only for floaters in the wilderness portion of the Middle Fork Flathead River.
And both portable toilets and fire pans are recommended - but not mandated - on the South Fork Flathead, as well.
“The North and Middle Fork corridors of the Flathead River are such special places,” Peterson said, “and we hope these new regulations, which are ‘Leave No Trace' practices, will help in maintaining the character of the river corridor and provide for an enjoyable experience for all.”
Outfitters and guides on these rivers, she said, already have been using the toilet systems for more than a decade.
The new rules will be posted at river access sites, at Flathead forest offices, at www.fs.fed.us/r1/flathead and on all updated editions of the “Three Forks of the Flathead River Floating Guide.”
The regulations come in the 40th year of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which protects 219 miles of Flathead Forest waterways. Enacted in 1968, the act is intended to preserve selected rivers in their natural and free-flowing condition.
Sections of the North, Middle and South Fork Flathead were designated for protection in 1976, based on their tremendous scenery, historic sites and unique fish and wildlife populations.
The North Fork is designated along the western edge of Glacier National Park, from the Canadian border to its confluence with the Middle Fork near Columbia Falls.
The Middle Fork is protected from its wilderness headwaters to its confluence with the South Fork near Hungry Horse. The South Fork protections stretch from the headwaters to Hungry Horse Reservoir.
The only other Montana river section designated under the act is 149 miles of the Missouri River from Fort Benton to Robinson Bridge, managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
For more information about the National Wild and Scenic River System, visit www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/cda/wild-scenic-rivers.
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