Skip to content

Swan River in Montana

River62.1 mi

Around here

Around Swan River

Swan Lake Campground12.2 miFlathead National Forest10.4 mi10 mi

Data Source: Recreation.gov · Public land: USGS PAD-US

About this river

Swan River is a 62.1 mile river. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Swan River near Bigfork, MT (site 12370000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 6. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.

Typical flow by month

1922 to 2025

Swan River typically runs highest in June, at a median 3,125 cfs, and lowest in February, at 432 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 8,800 cfs, in 1974.

Show the numbers
Typical flow by month at Swan River near Bigfork, MT, in cfs
MonthTypical (cfs)Usual range (cfs)
January449381 to 556
February432364 to 565
March517413 to 703
April1,365956 to 1,935
May2,5901,870 to 3,320
June3,1252,380 to 4,080
July1,480970 to 1,990
August634492 to 801
September476399 to 583
October500393 to 590
November540437 to 678
December477409 to 583

Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 103 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Swan River near Bigfork, MT (site 12370000). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.

Boat access nearby

8 mapped launches sit in the mapped area of Swan River. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.

  • Blue BayFlathead LakePublic
  • Flathead Lake State Park-Yellow BayFlathead LakePublic
  • Geri LaneSwan LakePublic
  • Swan LakeSwan LakePublic
  • Woods BayFlathead LakePublic
  • Hidden Harbor MarinaFlathead LakeRestricted
  • Horseshoe Lake/FerndaleHorseshoe LakePublic
  • Loon Lake/FerndaleLoon LakePublic
Free widget

Embed this gauge on your site

Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Swan River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.

Embed code

See every free widget you can put on your site, including live conditions and a 7 day forecast.