Mission Divide (FR 498) in MT -- Free Camping & Overnight Parking in Montana

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Mission Divide (FR 498) in MT

Flathead NF, Swan Lake Ranger District
3,796 ft
Maps
Overnight camping allowedRUTTED
VerizonWEAK
AT&TNONE
T-MobileUSABLE
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A 16.8-mile stretch of gravel National Forest road in Lake County, MT. The road serves Phillips Trailhead. The road is open seasonally, April 1 to November 30.

Flathead National Forest, Swan Lake Ranger District records no overnight restriction here.

7.5 of the 16.8 miles in are maintained only for high-clearance vehicles. Mostly gravel, with 0.7 miles of dirt. Stretches run along a shelf with a drop of up to ~110 ft on the downhill side. Winds through 8 switchbacks. Dead-end road -- no mapped turnaround; expect to back out or unhitch. A gate 11.5 miles in.

Exposed here -- the nearest through road is 0.0 miles off. Mount Orvis Evans stands 3,666 ft above the site, 6.7 miles east. Estes Lake lies 1.0 mi off. The nearest town, Bigfork, is 6.2 mi off.

September normals 41–68°F, 2.2″ rain. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.

Nearby Spots
Condon Tree (FR 9760) in MTDispersed Camping34.2miDump Road (FR 10318) in MTDispersed Camping34.7miCondon Ranger Station (FR 1146) in MTDispersed Camping34.9miPowder Cache (FR 9551) in MTDispersed Camping34.9miCooney Flats (FR 10517) in MTDispersed Camping35.5mi
Fire restrictions

Set by Flathead National Forest, Swan Lake Ranger District. Stage 1 and 2 orders change within days -- check the current order before you build a fire.

fs.usda.gov
Sources checked August 2026Something wrong here?