The Clarks Fork Yellowstone River (sometimes called the Clarks Fork River) is a tributary of the Yellowstone River

Yellowstone River

The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...

, 150 mi (241 km) long in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

s of Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

 and Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...

.

It rises in southern Montana, in the Gallatin National Forest

Gallatin National Forest

Founded in 1899, Gallatin National Forest is located in south central Montana, United States. The forest comprises 2.1 million acres and has portions of both the Absaroka-Beartooth and Lee Metcalf Wilderness areas within its boundaries...

 in the Beartooth Mountains

Beartooth Mountains

The Beartooth Mountains are located in south central Montana and northwest Wyoming, U.S. and are part of the 900,000 acre Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, within Custer, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests. The Beartooths are the location of Granite Peak, which at 12,807 feet is the highest...

, approximately 4 mi (6 km) northeast of Cooke City and southwest of Granite Peak

Granite Peak (Montana)

Granite Peak, at an elevation of above sea level, is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the tenth highest state high point in the nation. It lies within the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, in Park County very near the borders of Stillwater County and Carbon County...

. It flows southeast into the Shoshone National Forest

Shoshone National Forest

Shoshone National Forest is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly 2.5 million acres in the state of Wyoming. Originally a part of the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve, the forest was created by an act of Congress and signed into law by U.S....

 in northwest Wyoming, east of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...

, then northeast back into Montana. It passes Belfry

Belfry, Montana

Belfry is a census-designated place in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 219 at the 2000 census. It is located approximately 11 miles from the Wyoming border, roughly halfway between Billings, Montana and...

, Bridger

Bridger, Montana

Bridger is a town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 745 at the 2000 census.The town of Bridger was named for the scout Jim Bridger...

, Fromberg

Fromberg, Montana

Fromberg is a town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 486 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fromberg is located at ....

, and Edgar

Edgar, Montana

Edgar is an unincorporated community in Carbon County, Montana, United States. Although it is unincorporated, Edgar has a post office with a ZIP code of 59026. Edgar lies east of the intersection of U.S. Route 310 and Elwell Street. Edgar is south of Rockvale and northeast of Fromberg.-References:...

, and joins the Yellowstone approximately 2 mi (3 km) southeast of Laurel

Laurel, Montana

Laurel is a city in Yellowstone County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is located in the Yellowstone Valley, as an east-west terminal division point of the Burlington-Northern Railroad.. The population was 6,781 at the 2010 census.Both...

.

The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River should not be confused with the Clark Fork River, which is located in Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

 and Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

.

See also

• Montana Stream Access Law
  Montana Stream Access Law
  The Montana Stream Access Law says that anglers, floaters and other recreationists in Montana have full use of most natural waterways between the high water marks for fishing and floating, along with swimming and other river or stream-related activities...
  
  
• List of rivers of Montana
• List of Wyoming rivers