Western Montana

To step on the DeSmet tour boat you might think you are going to see Gilligan, maybe even the Skipper, but don’t worry , there is no fearful three hour tour here. We arrived about 45 minutes before the boat tour started and enjoyed the Lake McDonald lodge as we waited. The lodge was a delight, filled with many animals mounted on the walls and Native Indian decor. We stopped by the gift shop and roamed around, selecting a few trinkets to remind us of our trip once we got home.

Once it was time for the tour to start, we loaded on to the boat. The boat was not full and allowed us to find the perfect seat. As the boat pulled away from the dock we were treated to view of the Lake McDonald Lodge from the lake. Mountains filled the view along with the green water, flowing from the glacier, which we were told made the water green. We were allowed to move around the boat as the tour continued where we were told stories of how the lake was formed by the glacier, which explained it’s long narrow shape, reaching about 400 feet deep. The tour guide told us how the lake was also filled with fish, which can be fished in the park without a Montana fishing licence. There were certain fish that had been introduced into the lake that have wrecked havoc on the waters, such as the mackinaw. These fish were introduced throughout the northwest and have been nothing but a problem to the local ecosystem. The mackinaw feed off the food that the local fish eat and have been destroying the ecosystem since, hence why there is no fishing licence needed.

The tour guide on the boat also informed us about the Kootenai Indians, who held the lake sacred and why Lake McDonald was named, by the McDonald name carved into a tree at the west end of the lake. As we moved along the shoreline of the lake we looked for wildlife, finding a eagle who flew away as soon as we approached. The tour continued informing us of the fires of 2001 and 2003, which gave us views of the burned hills, giving a grave memory of the fires. As we enjoyed the tour circling Lake McDonald we were treated to many beautiful views of Mount Brown, Vaught, Stanton and Garden Wall.

The Lake McDonald boat tour is one of four offered by the park. Other tours are offered on the other lakes of the park, on St Mary Lake, Two Medicine Lake and Swiftcurrent Lake. Most of the boat tours start around July 1^st, except for the Lake McDonald, which starts in May. The boat fare for Lake McDonald was $14 for adults and $7 for children for an hour tour.

The tour for Lake McDonald has five different departure times of 11am, 1:30pm, 3pm, 5:30pm and 7pm. To find more information regarding the boat tours or to make reservations you can contact www.glacierparkboats.com or call 406-257-2426.