Montana trails · Swiftcurrent Pass
Swiftcurrent Pass
A 8.2-mile network in Montana, with 2,263 ft of climbing. Reaches Swiftcurrent Pass and other lake/pass/viewpoint/waterfall destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 67% of the ascent, between mile 5.4 and mile 8.2. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Swiftcurrent Pass (pass)
- Redrock Falls (waterfall)
- Fishercap Lake (lake)
- Redrock Lake (lake)
- Bullhead Lake (lake)
- Redrock Falls (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Swiftcurrent Pass junction. About 3 h 06 min drive (139 mi) from Kalispell. 48.79974, -113.67928 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:21 a.m., the sun rises at 7:53 a.m. and sets at 6:47 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:19 p.m. (MDT) — 10 h 54 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.2-mile route takes roughly 4 h 09 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:02 p.m. — 6 h 45 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Swiftcurrent Pass + Ptarmigan Cutoff + Ptarmigan — 2.7 mi loop, 220 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Stoney Indian Pass — 9.3 mi
- Gunsight Pass — 15.4 mi
- Pitamakan Pass — 19.1 mi
- Dawson Pass — 25.5 mi