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Montana Lakes
There are so many Montana lakes, each with its own unique beauty and appeal, that you may have a hard time deciding which one(s) to go to. Of course if you're heading to any of the many lakes in Montana, you probably would like to spend a little time at that lake too. Besides spending time at that lake, it takes time to get to some of these lakes too. This page is intended to be somewhat of a "mini-hub" to summarize information about the numerous Montana lakes to help you narrow down and prioritize which lake you want to (or have time to) visit and help you build your Montana lake visit itinerary.
Montana Lakes With No National Park Entry Required
Flathead Lake
You can't talk about Montana lakes without mentioning Flathead Lake! It is located in Northwest Montana, between Kalispell and Missoula as the larger Montana cities with airports. Kalispell is about 10 miles away from the northern banks of the lake, making it much closer than Missoula. However, Kalispell also being closer to Glacier Park often makes flying into Kalispell significantly more expensive than flying into Missoula, which is about 70 miles from the southern banks of Flathead Lake. Once you reach either end of the lake, you can can drive along it for about 30 miles, being a fairly large lake. Flathead Lake is about 30 miles long (North-South), 16 miles wide (East-West), averages about 165' deep, and has some areas over 370' deep!
My family and I recently drove between Kalispell (actually Whitefish) and Missoula and made sure to make a stop along the lake. The two highways following along each side of Flathead Lake are surprisingly vastly different. The east side, MT Highway 35, is where many of the cherry orchids are. Side-note here -- I don't know what makes them different (aka, more tasty!) but you must try some Flathead Cherries if you're in this area, whether straight from the orchid or stands along the way, or in some form of meal, desert, or drink. More on that on a different page, though, we'll get back to Flathead Lake. There are a few places you can stop along the way on this side, some with some lakeside dining choices. Just make sure to check hours, though. The west side of the lake, along Montana highway 93, is completely different, with no cherry orchids on this side as it has a completely different climate. Because of the Flathead cherries on the east side, we usually stick to that side, so will need to add more on the west side later on.
There is public access in numerous spots along the road, with pretty clearly marked signage, as well as a public park in Polson, MT.
Whitefish Lake
