An Ideal Setting
Swan Mountain Base Camp is nestled in what is known as the Swan Valley, due south of the quaint village of Swan Lake. The Swan Valley lies in the heart of the Rocky Mountains between the Swan Mountain Range and the Mission Mountain Range forming the western edge of the Continental Divide. While we are easily accessed from the big cities of Kalispell and Missoula, here in the Swan Valley you’ll feel the quiet. Swan Mountain Outfitters is ideally situated to serve as the perfect launch off spot for your northwest Montana vacation!
The Heart of Glacier Country
This area of northwest Montana is often referred to as “glacier country” and is filled with a rich abundance of wildlife due to the high concentration of protected wilderness areas in this part of the state. We are surrounded by the Flathead National Forest which includes Flathead Lake, the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River. We are also on the western edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, an alpine wilderness of 1.5 million acres encompassing areas within the Flathead National Forest, the Lewis and Clark National Forest, Lolo National Forest and the Helena National Forest. We are an hour’s drive of Glacier National Park. With its jutting mountains, twisting valleys, cascading waterfalls, thick forests and more than 200 lakes covering some 1.2 million acres, Glacier is one of the most popular attractions in northwest Montana.
Flora and Fauna
This area is very mountainous and densely forested. Unlike many areas of the Rockies, we don’t have sagebrush here. Depending on which habitats or alpine zones you are in, here you may fine yourself surrounded by old growth cedars, huge ponderosas, tall larch trees, groves of aspen, or mixed coniferous forests. Wild berries abound and the mix of habitat and food sources leads to a rich diversity of wildlife. Birders can spot loons on the lakes and grouse in the woods. Deer are among the most commonly spotted wildlife but big game such elk, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolves, grizzly and black bears are also frequently seen by visitors.
