Places to Paddle: Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park, Montana

Our nation's tenth National Park, Glacier in the state of Montana, includes more than a million acres of land. The Salish and Kootenai reservation is southwest of Glacier. The Blackfeet Reservation is on the east side of the park. This entire area holds great spiritual importance to the Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai people.

Eddy Miller, a member of our Bend Standup Paddle community sent us these photos of his time spent paddling on Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. The lake is 10 miles long and 472 feet deep. There is a speed limit, so you won't see any wake-board boating or jet skis. The morning Eddy went out the water was cold and the day was beautiful. He said that the best time to paddle is in the early morning or late evening. Lake McDonald is a high mountain lake and wind and storms can come on quickly, so take precautions and plan for safety. Thanks Eddy for the photos.

The National Parks service has a Webcam so you can see this lake and others in Glacier Park.

Information to help you plan your visit to Glacier National Park is on the official National Parks Service website. There are 13 campgrounds within Glacier Park and several historic lodges, so there are plenty of options for travelers.

Here's how the National Parks website describes Glacier:

Glacier National Park preserves more than a million acres of forests, alpine meadows, lakes, rugged peaks and glacial-carved valleys in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Its diverse habitats are home to over 70 species of mammals including the grizzly bear, wolverine, gray wolf and lynx. Over 260 species of birds visit or reside in the park, including such varied species as harlequin ducks, dippers and golden eagles. The landscape is a hiker's paradise that is traversed by more than 750 miles of maintained trails. Glacier Park's varied climate influences and its location at the headwaters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Hudson Bay drainages have given rise to an incredible variety of plants and animals.

Read about more Places to Paddle on our website.