D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 8
12
(LOTSA LAKES)
(LOTSA LAKES)
F
ORMING THE WESTERNMOST BUTTRESS OF THE BROAD EXPANSE OF PEAKS
THAT COMPRISES THE BOB MARSHALL WILDERNESS COMPLEX, THE SWANS
LIE WITHIN AN HOUR'S DRIVE OF BOTH MISSOULA AND KALISPELL BUT SOME-
WHAT OFF THE BEATEN PATH OF THE HIKING MASSES. Here, stream-bottom trailheads
access great swatches of subalpine meadows and dozens of tree-shaded tarns high above the
Flathead and Seeley-Swan valleys. Aside from the justifiably popular Jewel Basin Hiking Area,
the Swans promise solitude.
e seven hikes below sample the Swan Range. For more details for these and other hikes in
the Swans, consult my new guidebook, Day Hiking Glacier National Park and Western Montana
(Mountaineers Books).
photos and article by AARON THEISEN
IN
THE
7
DAY HIKES
SWAN RANGE
