Montana’s Lakes: From the Deepest to the Longest, to the Most Beautiful Lake Town

How Much Do You Know About Montana's Lakes?

Yes, the Great Lakes will make you feel like you're looking at an ocean and Minnesota is the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" but summer in Montana is also lake season, and we have some impressive bodies of water.

Montana's Deepest Lake

It's a knee-jerk reaction to think that for anything that has to do with the size of Montana lakes, the answer will be "Flathead Lake" but Flathead is not Montana's deepest lake. And the internet might tell you that the deepest lake in Montana is Tally Lake just west of Whitefish, but that's not it either. Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park boasts a depth of 472 feet while Tally Lake is 445 feet deep and only the second deepest lake according to the US Forest Service.

Montana's Longest and Largest Lake

But this is an honor that does go to Flathead Lake. At 27.28 miles, it's the longest lake in Montana and by surface area, it's also considered the largest. It's also the "largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 states" according to visitmt.com.

Montana's Largest Lake (man-made)

While Flathead is the largest natural freshwater lake, Fort Peck Reservoir, visitmt.com says, is "Montana's largest body of water." But like the freshwater lakes of Montana, it offers all the same recreational opportunities, like fishing and boating, and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge also provides opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts.

Montana's Cleanest Lake

It's impressive that Montana's, and the west's largest freshwater lake is also the cleanest. It's not just the cleanest in Montana, but Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks says it's "one of the cleanest lakes in the world." Part of what helps in this effort is the watercraft inspection stations leading to and from the lake. The Flathead Lake Biological Station also protects the lake through monitoring and educating the public about water quality.

READ MORE: Protect Montana's Lakes - Aquatic Invasive Species Checkpoints Now Operational 

Montana's Best Lake Town

It's earned the designation twice--in 2023 from Trips to Discover and in 2024 from Country Living. Bigfork is Montana's best lake town. It's hard not to love Bigfork. It has that small-town Montana vibe, good beer, good food, and good art, and it sits on arguably Montana's best lake.

Montana's Spookiest Lake

Visit if you dare. One Montana lake has a spooky history thanks to an earthquake in 1959. Quake Lake still has trees in the middle of the lake that serve as an eery reminder of what happened on that tragic day.

For more interesting lakes in Montana, see if you can identify these Montana lakes from their Google Earth image.