Swan Range
The Swan Range is a mountain range in western Montana in the United States. Its peaks typically rise to around 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m). The range is bounded by the South Fork Flathead River to the east, the Flathead River to the north and northwest, the Swan River to the west, and lie to the southwest of Glacier National Park, just south of the U.S.-Canada border. It runs about 99 miles (159 km) from north-northwest to south-southeast. Major cities near the Swan Range include Kalispell and Bigfork to the northeast, and Seeley Lake on the south.
Etymology
The range shares its name with Swan Lake and the 93-mile (150 km) long, north flowing Swan River on its west side. The name may have originated from trumpeter swans that once populated Swan Lake, but none are found there today. The river, range and lake may have also been named after Emmett Swan, a long-time resident of the Swan Valley.
Geography
The Swan Range, part of the Kootenay Mountains, is bordered by the Mission Range, a smaller mountain range, to the west, and by the similar-sized Flathead Range to the east and northeast. It is about 99 miles (159 km) north to south and 66 miles (106 km) wide. The highest peak is 9,356-foot (2,852 m) Holland Peak, situated in the southern quarter of the range in Missoula County. Streams running off the east side of the range drain into the 98-mile (158 km) South Fork Flathead River. The 50-mile (80 km) long Hungry Horse Reservoir, formed by damming the South Fork, lies to the northeast. Badrock Canyon, through which flows the Flathead River, separates the Swan Range from the Whitefish Range in the north. The range is part of the Pend Oreille River drainage basin, which eventually drains to the Columbia River.
