Montana · Camping

Van Lake

Year round, weather dependent
season
May–Oct
best months

Is Van Lake open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 5 alerts for Flathead National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Flathead National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

  • At 3,645 ft
  • Swan Lake Ranger DistrictFlathead National Forest

Van Lake is a campground in the Swan Lake Ranger District of Montana's Flathead National Forest. It sits within the district's recreation sites, and the Forest Service lists it as a site with no fees required for use. Vault toilets are the only amenity at the site. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Swan Lake weather station, which sits about 545 feet lower than the campground, show July and August highs around 82°F with lows in the upper 40s. Winters there are cold, with January highs near 31°F and lows around 18°F. Several hikes lie within a few miles. Squeezer Creek is about 1.9 miles away and Lion - Palisade about 2.3 miles. For more camping, the 10651-2 Pony Creek Dispersed Camping Area is about 5.4 miles off, and Old Condon Ranger Station is about 8 miles away.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Oct

    Best time to visit Van Lake

    Best months: May–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      31° / 18°

    2. Feb

      36° / 18°

    3. Mar

      45° / 26°

    4. Apr

      54° / 31°

    5. May

      64° / 38°

    6. Jun

      71° / 44°

    7. Jul

      82° / 48°

    8. Aug

      82° / 46°

    9. Sep

      70° / 39°

    10. Oct

      55° / 32°

    11. Nov

      39° / 25°

    12. Dec

      30° / 20°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Swan Lake, MT, 15.4 mi away at 3,100 ft. The station sits about 500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.