Middle Fork Swan River

Middle Fork and North Fork Swan River share a western trailhead at a well-marked fork. North Fork Swan is FS 354 to the north. Middle Fork Swan is FS 6 to the east across a narrow bridge. There is a small parking area here.

Near a snowmobile and sled dog business to the north, Georgia Pass (FS 355) departs to the south. Continue straight on FS 6.2.

The water crossing to the south connects to Georgia Pass. During Spring run-off, this water crossing can be more than floorboard deep and very fast.

Just around the bend is the seasonal gate which is officially closed from November through May, although it usually remains locked well into June as parts of the trail can be impassable with snow as late as July.

NOTE: The area across the water has several inviting spots, but due to their proximity to the river, overnight camping is NOT ALLOWED.

The river bends near the trail offering a view of the picturesque cascade.

SOB Hill (FS 258) forks to the south and continues up to Glacier Ridge and the summit of Georgia Pass. Continue on FS 6.

This section of the trail becomes much more rocky with embedded boulders larger than a foot tall and smaller, loose rocks. A small water crossing complicates the issue.

The trail splits into a short bypass. The downhill option to the south is a bit rockier, but not difficult. A couple of other such bypasses have been blocked off. Remember to stay the trail!

About 50 yards east of this bypass is a disused, unmarked trail to the north. This is another way into the Swandyke mining camp and its sparse ruins. It is illegal to drive this trail, but it's an interesting hike.

The large cabin to the north is nearly all that remains of the booming mining camp of Swandyke. The population peaked at 500 in the late 1890s. The camp was home to a 75-bed hotel and even had stagecoach service to Jefferson via Georgia Pass. An avalanche destroyed the ore mill during the brutal winter of 1898-99, after which the population fell to about 20. Nonetheless, mining around Swandyke continued for another 30 years.

Exploring the woods in this area, you'll find many artifacts. A faint hiking trail north of the cabin leads further into the Swandyke mining camp. To the south is a mysterious buried vehicle. No one knows how it got there, although it seems likely it was left by the hippies who took up residence along Swan River in the 1970s (much to the chagrin of the Forest Service).

Behind the cabin are several dispersed campsites.

Swandyke (FS 325) forks off to the north. This easy trail goes up over the ridge line and dead ends at the tailings of a small mine. However, less than half of the established route appears on the MVUM, making it illegal to travel the whole road.

Continue on FS 6.

Smaller rigs can have a bit of fun on the embedded rocks in this switchback.

This is the first obstacle where stock vehicles need to take care. There are two large, embedded rocks that can bite a differential, followed by a V-notch with boulders on either side. This spot is also known to be blocked with snow as late as July.

The bypass around the trees on the right is off-trail and illegal. Stay the trail!

Just as the trail breaks above treeline, a couple of switchbacks are interrupted by a large, broken, rock slab. Smaller vehicles should have no problem if they skirt around the outside edge of the curve.

About 30 yards east of the slab, an old, disused trail forks off to the south. This route is not on the MVUM and is, therefore, illegal to drive.

The next quarter mile of trail gives Middle Fork Swan its high-end rating of 7. Taking the easiest bypasses up the hill (by following the published GPX track), you will only face the low-end rating of 5.

Coincidentally, all of the easy options are also where the snow lingers longest. While the harder options will be clear of snow by late June or early July, the easy routes can still be covered for two or three weeks longer.

This westernmost hard option is the hardest. Taking the northern side of the fork, you will face loose dirt and rocks along with a set of large ledges.

The easy option here (shown in the third picture) is no cakewalk either.

At this point, the trail widens out above the "Tombstone" rock, allowing a few trucks to park and watch the show.

This is the western extent of the easier shelf road option (the southern fork). The northern fork will not join back to the published track until after a long, steep, rock climb with multiple ledges along the way.

Although it might be tempting, please do not "pose" by driving up onto the Tombstone. The rock isn't all that stable.

Here, the easy and hard options meet back up. If traveling east to west descending Middle Fork, the southern option here (right) leads to the harder side of the hill described above. The southeastern fork (left) goes to the easy bypass.

It's worth taking a moment here to enjoy the stunning views of Glacier Ridge to the south and, on a clear day, Breckenridge Ski Resort to the west.

The northwestern fork is quite steep, with loose dirt and rocks, so traction can be tough to find, especially if you lose momentum. The northeastern option is easier but may be blocked with snow well into July.

If traveling east to west, the western fork (right) will become steep, with loose dirt and rocks, making for a slippy descent. The southwestern option (left) is easier but may be blocked with snow well into July.

The high saddle offers spectacular views to the east of Hall Valley below and the notorious descent of Red Cone, and to the west, the Swan Valley with Breckenridge Ski Resort in the far distance. More often than not, the wind here will steal your hat if you're not careful.

There is a well marked T-intersection. To the north, there are two options to climb. The northern option is steeper, but neither is difficult. The trail south toward Whale Mountain is not on the Forest Service MVUM and is thus illegal to drive.

Middle Fork Swan River's eastern trailhead is situated at a three-way intersection. To the northeast, Deer Creek (FS 5) descends into Montezuma, with a connector to the top of Radical Hill. To the west, Saints John (FS 275) traverses the tundra, connecting to North Fork Swan River before dropping down into Montezuma.