The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately 142 mi (229 km) long, in southwestern Montana in the United States. It rises in the Beaverhead National Forest in the Beaverhead Mountains of the Bitterroot Range at the continental divide along the Montana-Idaho border in western Beaverhead County. It flows northwest and north, past Wisdom and between the Anaconda Range to the northwest and the Pioneer Mountains to the east. It flows around the north end of the Pioneer Mountains, then southeast, past Wise River , where it is joined by the Wise River, and along the east side of the Pioneer Mountains. Near Glen , it turns northeast, joining the Jefferson just north of Twin Bridges.
The river is a popular dstination for fly fishing, especially for trout. It is considered one of the last habits in the contiguous United States for the arctic grayling. The valley of the river is also used for raising livestock.
In 1877 the U.S troops under John Gibbon fought the Nez Percé Indians along the Big Hole River, during the Nez Perce War. See: Battle of Big Hole
See also