# Boulder River (Sweet Grass County, Montana)

The Boulder River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River, approximately 60 mi (96 km) long, in south central Montana in the United States. It is one of two rivers named the Boulder River in Montana.
It rises in the Gallatin National Forest in the Absaroka Range in southern Park County. It flows north through mountainous canyons, a cataract under a natural bridge, and northwest in a widening valley past McLeod. It joins the Yellowstone at Big Timber. The landscape of the Boulder River and river valley has merited the filming of two movies: A River Runs Through It and The Horse Whisperer.

## Discharges

| River | Location | Discharge |
| East Boulder River | near McLeod | 80 cu ft/s (2.3 m$^3$/s) |
| West Boulder River | McLeod | 189 cu ft/s (5.4 m$^3$/s) |
| Boulder River | Big Timber | 563 cu ft/s (15.9 m$^3$/s) |

## Tourism

The river is a popular destination for fly fishing. Other attractions in the valley include several church camps, a guest ranch, and several USFS campgrounds. The Forest Service also maintains several guard stations, trailheads, and picnic areas in the valley.

## Variant names

The Boulder River has also been known as: Rivers a Cross, Rivers across, and Rivers-across. And, to distinguish it from the other Boulder River in Montana, it is sometimes called the "East Boulder River" (as it is east of the other) or the "Boulder Fork of the Yellowstone," parallel with the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone as differentiated from the Clark's Fork River of Western Montana.

## Climate

The Placer Basin SNOTEL weather station is situated near the source of the East Boulder River, at an elevation of 8830 feet (2691 m).
Climate data for Placer Basin, Montana, 1991–2020 normals: 8830ft (2691m) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 54 (12) | 55 (13) | 57 (14) | 66 (19) | 71 (22) | 78 (26) | 82 (28) | 83 (28) | 77 (25) | 71 (22) | 59 (15) | 50 (10) | 83 (28) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 43.8 (6.6) | 44.6 (7.0) | 51.8 (11.0) | 58.7 (14.8) | 65.5 (18.6) | 72.1 (22.3) | 76.8 (24.9) | 75.9 (24.4) | 72.1 (22.3) | 61.9 (16.6) | 50.1 (10.1) | 40.5 (4.7) | 77.6 (25.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 36.6 (2.6) | 41.9 (5.5) | 50.1 (10.1) | 57.9 (14.4) | 67.0 (19.4) | 65.9 (18.8) | 57.0 (13.9) | 43.7 (6.5) | 32.5 (0.3) | 25.5 (−3.6) | 44.5 (7.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 23.6 (−4.7) | 28.8 (−1.8) | 37.6 (3.1) | 44.8 (7.1) | 51.6 (10.9) | 50.3 (10.2) | 43.4 (6.3) | 32.7 (0.4) | 22.5 (−5.3) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 32.1 (0.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.0 (−13.9) | 5.2 (−14.9) | 10.5 (−11.9) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 25.1 (−3.8) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 36.2 (2.3) | 34.7 (1.5) | 29.7 (−1.3) | 21.6 (−5.8) | 12.3 (−10.9) | 5.8 (−14.6) | 19.6 (−6.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −20.1 (−28.9) | −23.3 (−30.7) | −15.1 (−26.2) | −6.1 (−21.2) | 5.9 (−14.5) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 29.5 (−1.4) | 26.8 (−2.9) | 16.7 (−8.5) | −3.0 (−19.4) | −14.4 (−25.8) | −21.8 (−29.9) | −31.9 (−35.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −41 (−41) | −40 (−40) | −32 (−36) | −24 (−31) | −5 (−21) | 10 (−12) | 24 (−4) | 17 (−8) | −1 (−18) | −26 (−32) | −37 (−38) | −39 (−39) | −41 (−41) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.90 (74) | 3.01 (76) | 3.44 (87) | 4.22 (107) | 4.51 (115) | 3.39 (86) | 1.84 (47) | 1.72 (44) | 2.01 (51) | 3.48 (88) | 3.12 (79) | 3.11 (79) | 36.75 (933) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2 ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation) ||||||||||||||