Canyon Creek Flow Restoration

Canyon Creek and it’s confluence with the Teton River.

Canyon Creek is a wild and remote tributary of the Teton River Canyon.  Its headwaters and most of its 45 stream miles lie within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.  Among the tributaries in the Teton Watershed, Canyon Creek is a major focus for restoration efforts due to its valuable high-elevation habitat, importance as a Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (YCT) spawning tributary, and historic productivity as a fishery.  It is one of the few YCT strongholds in the entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that still has an intact spawning run.

Canyon Creek is also home to collaborative work by local water users and Friends of the Teton River (FTR) for water resource management and stream restoration that benefits Yellowstone Cutthroat. For over a decade, FTR has been working with willing water users and landowners on Canyon Creek. Past projects to improve fish passage, connectivity, habitat, and stream function include building fish-friendly step-pools and structures at three points of diversion and stabilizing 1,400 feet of eroding stream banks. Currently, FTR is working with water users on a long-term flow restoration strategy that will be a win-win for farmers and fish. Working toward positive ecological outcomes while also maintaining a water supply to support agricultural needs is a tricky balance that requires communication, ingenuity, and trust among the people willing to try something different. This is what makes the effort on Canyon Creek a “once-in-a-century” opportunity.