Crystal Cross to Point of Rocks

Yellowstone River · 4.4 river miles · Gardiner and Yankee Jim Canyon

At today's flow of 1,340 cfs, Crystal Cross to Point of Rocks is about 2h 20m of continuous drifting over 4.4 river miles.

Conditions right now

Flow now1,340 cfs · 27th percentile for this date

Estimated float time2h 20m

Range1h 45m to 2h 55m

Wind8 mph NE

Sunset today7:11 PM

Typical float time by month

Typical flow is the median day for the month at the gauge that represents this stretch. Float times are continuous drifting at that flow. Flow by month has the full record.

Month	Typical flow	Float time
January	830 cfs	2h 48m
February	814 cfs	2h 50m
March	909 cfs	2h 43m
April	1,300 cfs	2h 22m
May	5,780 cfs	1h 20m
June	10,800 cfs	1h 03m
July	6,240 cfs	1h 18m
August	2,840 cfs	1h 45m
September	1,800 cfs	2h 05m
October	1,410 cfs	2h 18m
November	1,145 cfs	2h 29m
December	938 cfs	2h 41m

How long it takes at different flows

Flow	Estimated drift time
1,200 cfs	2h 26m
2,000 cfs	2h 00m
3,000 cfs	1h 43m
5,000 cfs	1h 25m
8,000 cfs	1h 11m
12,000 cfs	1h 01m

On this stretch

Flow read from USGS gauge 06191500, Yellowstone River at Corwin Springs, MT

Access

Put-in

Crystal Cross

Hand launch, no trailer ramp. Parking limited. FWP lists Boating.

FacilityHand Launch

LaunchHand launch

FWP activitiesBoating, Fishing, Hunting

River mile16.53

Coordinates45.20224, -110.89983

Take-out

Point of Rocks

Below Yankee Jim Canyon; the upper valley opens out here.

FacilityRamp (Gravel)

LaunchBoat ramp

FWP activitiesBoating, Fishing

River mile20.89

Coordinates45.25476, -110.86940

Measured along the NHDPlus flowline, not straight-line distance.

Shuttle

4.2 miles by road, about 5 minutes driving. The drive is 0.97x the river distance.

Gradient

This reach is gentler than typical for this river, which is why its drift time differs from another stretch of the same length.

Hazards and landmarks in this stretch

This float enters Yankee Jim Canyon -- Class III-IV whitewater. Class III-IV whitewater. Named rapids -- Yankee Jim's Revenge (III+), Big Rock (III), The Pinch (III), Boxcar (III+) -- are concentrated in the upper part of the canyon. Class III at moderate and low flows, closer to Class IV at high water. Not a drift-boat or innertube stretch. Scout it, and do not treat a float time from this page as permission to run it.

Connecting stretches

Float times are estimates from river flow, not a judgement that conditions are safe for you or your craft. They assume continuous drifting; anglers working the banks often take two to three times as long. Check current Montana FWP regulations before you go. What the estimate leaves out.

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Sources

Flow from USGS stream gauges 06191500 (Corwin Springs) and 06192500 (near Livingston). River miles from USGS NHDPlus; wind from the National Weather Service; access facts from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Every source and how the estimate is made · Terms.