Montana Highway 83 (MT 83) is a north–south
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
Flathead,
Lake, and
Missoula counties in
Montana, United States, that connects
Montana Highway 200
Montana Highway 200 (MT 200) in the U.S. state of Montana is a route running east–west covering the entire state of Montana. From the starting point at ID 200, near Heron, the highway runs east to ND 200 near Fairview. It is part of a ...
(MT 200) in
Clearwater (east of
Missoula) with
Montana Highway 35 (MT 35) on north edge of
Bigfork.
Route description
MT 83 starts at the intersection with MT 200 at Clearwater Junction, about east of Missoula, and runs north-northwesterly, mostly through broad, forested valleys and along scenic lakeshores within the
Lolo National Forest,
Flathead National Forest and
Swan River State Forest
Swan River State Forest is a state forest located in Montana. The forest has an area of approximately 39,000 acres and is one of the seven state forests in Montana.
The forest was designated as a state forest in 1925 through a law passed by the ...
, before curving west to its northern terminus at MT 35 about north of
Bigfork. The region is sparsely settled, with small communities economically dependent on a mixture of logging and tourism. The largest communities along the route are
Seeley Lake,
Condon and
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
.
MT 83 passes through mostly forest landscape, and wildlife crossings should be expected at all times. Elk herds crossing near Clearwater Junction can be hard to see at night.
History
Most of today's MT 83 has existed since at least 1934, originally designated as part of MT 31 as depicted on the 1935 state map.
From 1960 until 1977, the southerly of MT 83 were a part of
Secondary Highway 209 (S-209), and the northernmost were designated as
S-326.
Since 1978, a small segment of S-209 survives under its original designation, between Bigfork and a junction with the current MT 83 near
Ferndale.
(The S-326 designation was later reused on an unrelated highway in southeastern
Carter County, Montana.)
Major intersections
See also
*
List of state highways in Montana
References
External links
{{authority control
083
Transportation in Flathead County, Montana
Transportation in Lake County, Montana
Transportation in Missoula County, Montana