0
Pull-thru
USFSFlathead National Forest · Montana
Swan Guard Station
Overview Swan Guard Station is located next to beautiful Swan Lake, in northwestern Montana, where visitors enjoy all kinds of recreation.
Sites1all reservable
Elev.3,100ft
Comf.May-Oct6 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Missoula2h05real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 3,100 ft, Swan Guard Station has a 6-month comfortable window (May-Oct). Winter nights average around 23°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 1 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on quiet.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jul
May-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
79%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
May 9
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 15.
56°F
Average July low. Bring a fleece.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Missoula
109 mi
2h05
02
Helena
157 mi
2h56
03
Bozeman
272 mi
4h47
04
Billings
413 mi
7h08
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 0 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 1 SITES
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
1
Prime
1
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
25
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
0 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.