Bad Rock Canyon, River canyon near Columbia Falls, Montana, US

Bad Rock Canyon is a river canyon of the Flathead River lying 2.64 miles east of Columbia Falls, Montana. U.S. Highway 2 runs through it alongside the river, and BNSF Railway tracks follow the northern side, where slide fences stand watch. The canyon forms the entryway to the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Hungry Horse Dam and Glacier National Park.

For centuries Bad Rock Canyon formed part of a buffalo trail through the Rocky Mountains to the hunting grounds of the Great Plains. Plateau tribes such as the Kalispel, Pend d'Oreilles, Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai, along with the Flathead, passed through on buffalo hunts, while Blackfeet parties came to take horses raised by the western tribes. Oral tradition holds that some battles may have been fought in the canyon.

For centuries the canyon formed part of a buffalo trail through the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains hunting grounds. Plateau tribes — Kalispel, Pend d'Oreilles, Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai — and the Flathead passed through on buffalo hunts, while Blackfeet parties came to take western horses; oral tradition holds that some battles occurred here.

Visitors can view the canyon from Highway 2, which runs directly alongside it and provides good vantage points. Several pullouts along the road offer safe spots to stop and observe the rock formations up close.

Specialized fences along the railway tracks include sensors to detect rockfall and stone movements from the canyon walls. This monitoring system helps protect trains that pass through regularly.