Take the Long Way: Fall in the Seeley-Swan Valley
The Seeley-Swan Corridor is beautiful. The real fun starts when you stop.
The Seeley-Swan Valley in the fall is hard to beat. Chances are if you ask someone where to see the fall colors around Bigfork, they will send you down Highway 83. The highway itself runs between the Swan and Mission Mountains, through lakes, rivers, hiking trails and roads that disappear into the forest in every direction. And this time of year, there are tamaracks. Lots of tamaracks.
But the best thing about the Seeley-Swan isn’t necessarily the drive. It’s how easy it is to disappear into it. But before you head out, there are definitely a few things to know…
First, part of what makes this drive so easy to disappear into is that you lose cell phone coverage pretty quickly. Make sure you know where you are going by downloading maps or having paper copies. As you head south, the wilderness gets bigger and the towns get smaller, as do the services they offer.
You can pick up last-minute supplies and local information at Swan Lake Trading Post along the way. They are celebrating their 100th anniversary and have been serving people traveling through the Swan Valley since 1926.
The Halfway Point
Along the drive, you may notice signs for Condon Loop, Old Condon or the Condon Ranger Station and not even realize you’ve arrived in a town.
Condon isn’t a tourist destination. It’s a small community with a lot of history and a lot of pride. The people who live here have chosen a life in a remote valley surrounded by wild country, and there’s a strong sense of ownership and responsibility for the place. People know their neighbors, they know the landscape and they care deeply about both.
That connection to the land is also where Swan Valley Connections comes in. SVC got their start here in 1997, and today they continue to inspire conservation and expand stewardship in the Swan Valley and beyond. Their office in Condon is a resource for visitors and residents alike. These are people who know this landscape. They can help with current trail information, maps, bear safety and ideas for exploring the valley.
There are Forest Service roads throughout the Seeley-Swan Valley, and it’s very easy to look at one disappearing into the trees and think, I wonder where that goes…
SVC are the people to ask.
Before you leave Condon, stop at Mission Mountains Mercantile. It feels a little like an old farm stand with all the modern conveniences. There is fresh produce, a deli, groceries and all the necessities you’d expect. Then there are the shelves of jars. Pickles, salsa, pasta sauces and more, all waiting to be perused until you inevitably decide you need something that you cannot wait to try. This is a great place to grab something for the trail and fill up the gas tank before you head out.
Do Go Chasing Waterfalls
The valley is gorgeous in fall, but you aren’t going to understand why we love the Seeley-Swan if you spend the whole day looking at it through a windshield. This is a massive wilderness area. Get into it.
There are many lakes and trailheads throughout the corridor, and one of our favorite places to send people is Holland Lake. It has good parking and signage, a campground on the shores of the lake if you want to stay the night, and one of the most rewarding, relatively easy hikes around.
The Holland Lake Falls Trail follows the lake before climbing toward the waterfall above. It’s about 1.6 miles each way with roughly 750 feet of elevation gain. Enough to feel like you’ve gone somewhere without giving up the entire day to get there.
But it’s the last few steps that we love, just as you arrive at the waterfall. Honestly, hiking to a waterfall is pretty cool in its own right. But when you turn around, Holland Lake stretches out below you with the back side of the Mission Mountains beyond it. In fall, the mountains and changing forest all stack up in front of you, with the gold working its way through the evergreens and reflecting in the calm water below.
Find other hikes around Bigfork.
The Swan Is for the Birds
You don’t have to be a serious birder to appreciate what’s happening in this valley in fall.
The Swan River National Wildlife Refuge protects wetlands and floodplain habitat near the southern end of Swan Lake. More than 200 species of birds have been documented there, and fall migration brings waterfowl and other migrating birds through the valley. Eagles, hawks, owls and sandhill cranes are also among the birds that use the area.
If you’re a birder, bring binoculars. If you’re not a birder, bring them anyway. Because plenty of things down here don’t fly. Deer, elk, moose, black bears and grizzly bears all use this landscape.
You might see something. You might not. But that is all part of wildlife watching. Slow down and pay attention. Dawn and evening can be especially good times to watch, and you’ll see a lot more standing still for ten minutes than you will trying to spot wildlife at 60 miles an hour.
Deer don’t understand traffic. They will watch you drive by, peacefully grazing alongside the road, and then dart out in front of you as if possessed by the devil himself.
Find the Water
One of our favorite ways to experience the Swan in fall is from the water. Whether you’re boating on Swan Lake or dropping your kayak or SUP into the river, fall on the water can feel like you’re alone in the world.
Fall boating isn’t something to approach casually. Water levels can get shallow, there are places where you may need to portage, the water is cold and downed trees and log jams can create hazards. Know the stretch you’re paddling, check current conditions and make sure your ability matches the trip.
Tamaracks in the Seeley-Swan Valley in Fall
This is what a lot of us are waiting for.
Western larch—which almost everyone around here calls tamaracks—are conifers that do something a little strange. They turn gold and drop their needles.
Fall color starts showing up throughout the valley in September. Then, later in the season, the tamaracks start doing their thing. Depending on the year and weather, you can suddenly find entire hillsides glowing gold while the surrounding evergreens stay dark green.
And because the Seeley-Swan is so heavily forested, it isn’t a patch of color here and there. The gold can stretch across mountainsides, wrap around lakes and follow you for miles down Highway 83.
You don’t need to find the perfect overlook.
You’ll be driving through the middle of it.
A Few Things Before You Disappear
The lack of cell service is charming right up until you need directions.
Download your maps before leaving Bigfork. Fill the gas tank. Bring food, water and more layers than you think you’ll need. If you’re heading onto Forest Service roads, check current road and trail conditions and make sure the road is actually open to motorized travel.
Fall is also hunting season in Montana, and you’ll be sharing public lands with hunters. Make yourself visible, be aware of what’s happening around you and respect the other people using the landscape.
And yes, this is serious bear country. Carry bear spray when you’re hiking and know how to use it. Secure your food, give wildlife plenty of space and pay attention to your surroundings.
None of that requires turning the day into an expedition. It just means coming prepared enough that you can enjoy being somewhere your phone isn’t going to solve every problem for you.
Take Your Time
The Seeley-Swan is still big enough and wild enough that you can leave Bigfork in the morning, lose cell service somewhere along the way and spend the better part of a day feeling genuinely disconnected from the world and considerably more connected to where you actually are.
Then eventually you’ll head back to Bigfork.
Good news, the tamaracks look pretty good in the other direction, too.
