Distinctly Montana Magazine

Distinctly Montana Magazine Fall 2018

Distinctly Montana Magazine

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W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 13 JEWEL BASIN LOOP e Jewel Basin Hiking Area, east of Bigfork, is the centerpiece of the Swans: a clutch of subalpine tarns, from grassy lawns to deep lakes set under massive shadowed peaks, dotting wildflower-clad meadows and open ridgelines. Outside of Glacier National Park, this hiker-only trail system is perhaps the only place in western Montana where you'll encounter a full trailhead parking lot. But the hiking hordes are adequately spread out over dozens of miles of singletrack, and nowhere more than on this 10-mile highlight reel of the Swan Range. From the popular Misery Camp trailhead, the Jewel Basin Loop climbs to a notch in the Swan Crest before descending to the shallow pair of Picnic Lakes, which sprawl out below a large cirque, before crossing crocus-filled meadows and spruce forest to Black Lake at the base of Mount Aeneas (a worthwhile hike in its own right). e loop continues to the shallow and grassy Jewel Lakes and the burnt snags and brush of Blackfoot Lake before climbing back to the Swan Crest and an aerial view of Twin Lakes before a return to Misery Camp. GETTING THERE From the junction of Montana highways 35 and 83 north of Bigfork, head east on MT 83 for 2.7 miles to the community of Echo Lake. Turn left (north) on Echo Lake Road and proceed for 2.2 miles, then turn right onto Foothill Road. After 1.1 miles, continue straight on Jewel Basin Road and follow this steep, washboarded road for 6.3 miles to the road's end at Misery Camp trailhead (elev. 5750 feet). 1

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