Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake occupies the valley carved by the Flathead Glacier's advance and retreat over several ice ages, producing a basin of 197 square miles at 2,893 feet elevation in northwestern Montana. The lake's remarkable water clarity the result of glacier-filtered water and limited agricultural runoff allows visibility to 40+ feet and produces a deep sapphire blue on calm days. The Flathead Valley surrounding the lake is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, whose Flathead Indian Reservation covers the lake's eastern and southern shores; the National Bison Range in the valley's south end was restored to tribal management in 2021. Cherry orchards on the western shore (especially around Polson and the Finley Point peninsula) produce the sweet Flathead Lake cherries that appear at farmers' markets across Montana and the Pacific Northwest in July harvested from trees that benefit from the lake's moderating microclimate. Bigfork, a small arts community at the lake's northeast corner, has a summer theater festival and some of Montana's best restaurants in a walkable lakefront village. Polson at the south end has a historic downtown and the Flathead Lake Marine Trail for kayakers circumnavigating the lake. The lake is directly on the route between Missoula and Glacier National Park.