Caroline L.

Missoula, MT

Joined June 2020

Great camping, swimming, paddling, hiking, views

We love this campground! The views are gorgeous, the sites big, the pit toilets clean, and the people friendly. At the lodge(and the campground now, too, I believe) you can rent kayaks and/or paddle boards. The hike to the waterfall is beautiful, and swimming and snorkeling in this lake are wonderful due to the clarity and purity. One can also take a fun hike all around the lake in four or five hours(but be sure to bring bug spray) and walk over to see the horses in the adjacent horse campground. Why it didn’t earn five stars: the road to the campgrounds are gravel and heavily trafficked, which means that it can get pretty dusty, creating a blanket of dust over the lake if a busy weekend. Also, because the vast majority of users are kayakers and paddle boarders, the lake’s shape and smaller size mean that it can be a challenge for motorized users to keep distance from them. Overall, a lovely, natural lake.

Campground amazing, motorized boating not so much

If you are going to paddle or swim you will love this lake. But if you want to boat or jet ski you will have a challenging time putting in or taking out, as well as lot of competition for surface area with the paddlers and find your self dodging SUPs every 30 seconds. Just be practical and go to Seeley, Placid or any Flathead Lake campground with a boat launch.

Primitive boat launch

If you have a small boat or are willing to wade out to walk your boat in then this launch will work for you. The water depth can be very low at times, depending on time of year and runoff. The most important information to know, however, is that the lake is very popular with non-motorized users (canoes, SUPs etc.)  This means that it can be challenging to do much more than just slowly cruise around the lake, always watching for small craft.  If you want to open up the throttle to water slow etc., you’re better off at Seeley or Flathead.