Montana · Hiking · Cabinet Mountains Wilderness

Swamp Creek

17.7 mi
round trip
687 ft
climb
4,839 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Sep
best months

Is Swamp Creek open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Kootenai National Forest. It doesn't name Swamp Creek, so check the source for the area it covers.

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

Swamp Creek is a hard hike in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, part of the Cabinet Ranger District of Kootenai National Forest in northwest Montana. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is a natural-surface out-and-back that climbs from about 2,650 feet to nearly 4,840 feet over roughly 17.7 miles. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Libby show July and August highs around 78°F with lows in the low 40s and only about six wet days a month. That station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the high ground run cooler. The trail is not accessible. Horses are allowed, but bikes are not. Buck Lake and the Divide Cutoff Trail both lie about a mile away. Lake Creek Campground is about 5 miles off, and Ojibway Peak offers climbing about 6 miles away.

Local outfitters

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

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Swamp Creek

    Best months: May–September. 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

      30° / 15°

      14 wet · 12 snow

    2. Feb

      35° / 15°

      12 wet · 10 snow

    3. Mar

      43° / 22°

      13 wet · 10 snow

    4. Apr

      52° / 28°

      12 wet · 5 snow

    5. May

      62° / 34°

      12 wet · 1 snow

    6. Jun

      69° / 39°

      10 wet

    7. Jul

      78° / 42°

      6 wet

    8. Aug

      78° / 40°

      6 wet

    9. Sep

      67° / 34°

      7 wet

    10. Oct

      52° / 27°

      11 wet · 3 snow

    11. Nov

      37° / 22°

      14 wet · 9 snow

    12. Dec

      29° / 15°

      15 wet · 13 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Libby 32 Sse, MT, 16.5 mi away at 3,440 ft. The station sits about 1,400 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.