Hike to Swiftcurrent Fire Lookout (Swiftcurrent Mountain), Glacier National Park

Add to My List Check Off

The Swiftcurrent Fire Lookout in Glacier National Park is significant as one of a chain of manned fire lookout posts within the park. There are nine remaining fire lookout towers in the park but most are hard to hike to - but most are worth the hike. Swiftcurrent Lookout is one of the easiest to reach. The low two-story timber-construction structure with a gabled roof was built in 1936. Its detailing is reminiscent of the Swiss Chalet style of the nearby Many Glacier Hotel. The design is modified from standard U.S. Forest Service plans. The Swiftcurrent lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and it is also listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. Swiftcurrent Mountain Lookout is located at 2571-m (8436') elevation, along the Continental Divide between the McDonald & Many Glacier Drainages, approximately 1 mile northwest of Granite Park Chalet. Swiftcurrent Lookout also can be reached by taking the Highline Trail from Logan Pass 7.6 miles to Granite Park Chalet. From there, it’s just less than a mile to the trail junction with the Swiftcurrent Lookout trail and 1.4 miles to the lookout. From the lookout you can see many of the high peaks in Glacier National Park - Ipasha Peak, Mt Wilbur, the Lewis Range, & North Swiftcurrent Glacier are visible along the Continental Divide to the north. To the east is the Many Glacier Valley and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, with the summits of Mt Grinnell, Siyeh, & Gould framing Swiftcurrent Glacier. While Logan Pass & the Continental Divide continue to the southeast, Mt Cannon & the Flathead Range are visible in the south.

Write a Review

No Ratings Yet

Flag as inappropriate ›