Mountain maple seeds are already fully formed! (Keith Hammer photos)
Sixteen Swan Rangers hiked the Peterson Creek Trail in advance of forecast thunderstorms on Saturday, June 18, 2016!
Though some huckleberries are already ripe, lots of wildflowers remain in bloom!
Click here for a map of the Peterson Creek Trail.
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A view of Mud, Echo and Flathead Lakes! (Keith Hammer photos)
Ten Swan Rangers hiked a damp Switchback Trail on a clearing Saturday, June 11, 2016!
They saw a broad array of wildflowers and learned from other hikers that the Jewel Basin Road is still snowed-in a bit prior to the Camp Misery parking lot.
Click here for a map of the Switchback Trail.
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A view of the Swan Crest in the headwaters of North Lost Creek! (Keith Hammer photos)
Five Swan Rangers hiked a closed road in North Lost Creek while four hiked the Phillips Trail on a sunny, hot Saturday, June 4!
The hike on the closed road was for fun but also to check out culverts removed from avalanche chutes to protect bull trout and to confirm one big culvert was wrongly left behind!
Click here for a copy of Swan View Coalition's "Road to Ruin" report if you'd like to learn more about how culverts trash water quality and fish habitat.
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There's still a bit of snow and ice at Strawberry Lake! (Norma Linsky photo)
Fifteen Swan Rangers hiked to Strawberry Lake on a partly sunny Saturday, May 28, 2016!
The Rangers report the trail is in great shape and that huckleberries look very promising for later this summer!
Click here for a map of the Strawberry Lake Trail.
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The Rangers read an interpretive sign along the trail. (Keith Hammer photos)
Ten Swan Rangers hiked the Sprunger-Whitney Nature Trail on Saturday, May 21, 2016!
The trail is maintained by Friends of the Wild Swan through a lease with the Swan River State Forest and interprets the dynamics of old growth forests while identifying plants and trees!
Click here for a map and description.
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A view of Flathead Lake from Elk Spring! (Norma Linsky photo)
Nine Swan Rangers hiked the old Bear Creek Road to Wolf Creek, with half continuing up to Broken Leg Trail and Elk Spring on Saturday, May 14!
There's lots of water flowing out of the mountainsides and in the streams!
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Lunch and a great view of Flathead Lake! (Roger Benson photos)
Eight Swan Rangers hiked the Phillips Trail from the Estes Lake trailhead down to the overlook of Flathead Lake on a sunny Saturday, May 7!
Starting at the Estes Lake trailhead rather than the Phillips trailhead adds a bit of trail somewhat parallel to the Crane Mountain Road, but either saves a lot of climbing from the Beardance trailhead along Hwy 35!
Click here for a map.
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Overlooking Echo and Flathead Lakes from Peters Ridge Road! (Keith Hammer photos)
Seventeen Swan Rangers hiked up Krause Creek and down Peters Ridge Road on a sunny Saturday, April 30, 2016!
They encountered only a little snow, lots of wildflowers and a lot of winter deadfall across the old Krause Basin road!
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Big trees in the fog! (Keith Hammer photos)
Sixteen Swan Rangers hiked the Switchback Trail on a foggy, but better than rainy, Saturday, April 23!
They encountered enough snow to turn back only a few switchbacks into the old burn area.
Click here for a map of the Switchback Trail.
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A pileated woodpecker peers out from its nesting hole! (Keith Hammer photos unless otherwise noted)
Twenty-five Swan Rangers broke into two groups and hiked Krause Basin on Saturday, April 16, 2016!
One group braved deeper snow and came across bear tracks while the other group stayed dry and came across nesting pileated woodpeckers!
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