The Long Way
Lake County
A view of a mountain landscape and forest from a wooden balcony.
Plate I. View from walkway, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov
A view of forested mountains and a cloudy blue sky from a wooden balcony.
Plate II. View from balcony, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov
A brightly lit sunroom features a wooden dining table and chairs with scenic views through large windows.
Plate III. Interior view, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov
A tall wooden lookout tower stands surrounded by trees under a clear blue sky.
Plate IV. Fire lookout tower, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov
A low-angle view looking up at the wooden structure and stairs of a tower against a blue sky.
Plate V. Wooden tower structure, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov
A bright room with a bed and many windows overlooking a forest and mountains.
Plate VI. Interior view, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov
An interior room with large windows showing a mountain landscape view.
Plate VII. Interior view, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov
An interior shot of a wooden cabin room surrounded by windows offering a mountain view.
Plate VIII. Interior dining area, Mission Lookout. From recreation.gov

Mission Lookout

Swan Lake, Lake County, Montana. Fire lookout.

Details

Map. Swan Lake, Lake County, Montana. Larger map
Where
Swan Lake, Lake County, MT. No street address stated. Directions
Season
Open May 15th - October 15th weather dependent.
Getting there
From Swan Lake, travel south on Highway 83 for 3 miles. Turn west onto Porcupine Creek Road 10229 (mile-marker 68). After passing Forest Road 9714, turn right onto Forest Road 9803 (2.2 miles after leaving the state highway). Continue on Forest Road 9803 for 1.4 miles, to a gate.
Fees
Overnight Use: $45 per night.
Access
Potable water is not available at this site.
Walk-in or reserve
The cabin remains locked; a combination lock code will be contained in the reservation confirmation letter.
Phone
406-837-7500
Managed by
Flathead National Forest.
Established
1959.
Coordinates
47.89372101, -113.8733152.

Mission Lookout towers above the forest canopy, providing guests with unrivaled 360-degree views of the beautiful Swan Range, Mission Mountains and Swan Lake.

Notable Events

  1. 1921A 25' platform tower was built in 1921. firelookout.com
  2. 1930sA cabin for living quarters was built in the 1930's along with a newer, 35' wooden platform. firelookout.com
  3. 1940The Daily Inter Lake reported that the first lookout stations in the Flathead Forest to be manned that season were two in the Lower Swan district, Mission Lookout and McCaffery Lookout, with Lester Lawrence sent to Mission. montanalookouts.weebly.com
  4. 1959The present tower, a 41' treated timber with R-6 flat cab, was built in 1959, is still used for emergencies, and is also on the Recreation Rental program. firelookout.com
  5. 1962Ranger Arnold Dillard reported three lightning caused fires in the Swan Lake District; Mr. and Mrs. Garth Skaar on the Mission Lookout discovered the fire on South Lost Creek, and patrol planes spotted the other two. montanalookouts.weebly.com
  6. 2020Mission Lookout was registered on the National Historic Lookout Register as US 1473, MT 68, nominated by Kyle Stetler. nhlr.org

People

  • Ewing Micken, lookout personnel (1957).
  • Mr. & Mrs. Richard Beighle, lookout personnel (1958).
  • Arnold Dillard, Ranger reporting the lightning caused fires in the Swan Lake District (1962).
  • Delores and John Vogel, manning the Mission Lookout; Vogel a forestry student from the University of Minnesota (1959).
  • Frank Westphal, lookout personnel of Mission Lookout; spotted, fought and controlled a cigarette-caused fire (1962).
  • Lester Lawrence, sent to the Mission Lookout when it was among the first Flathead Forest stations manned that season (1940).
  • Mr. and Mrs. B.J. Micken, manning the Mission lookout; returned from Bozeman where Micken attended Montana State College (1957).
  • Mr. and Mrs. E.M. Micken, lookout personnel at the Mission lookout in Swan Valley (1957).
  • Mr. and Mrs. Garth Skaar, lookout personnel on the Mission Lookout; discovered the South Lost Creek fire (1962).
  • Mr. and Mrs. Richard Deighle, to be in charge of the Mission Lookout near Swan Lake (1958).
  • Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Snyder, lookout personnel, located at the Mission lookout in the Swan Lake District (1956).
  • Mrs Art Halverson, shown in a photograph caption being helped down from the first Mission Lookout, Swan District.

Sources

  1. recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234360
  2. fs.usda.gov/r01/flathead/recreation/mission-lookout-cabin
  3. nhlr.org/lookouts/us/mt/mission-lookout
  4. npshistory.com/publications/usfs/region/1/early-days/4/sec34.htm
  5. montanalookouts.weebly.com/mission.html
  6. firelookout.com/mt/mission.html