About Priest Lake Area
Priest Lake was originally called Roothaan Lake by Father Desmet in 1846 in honor of his Jesuit Superior in Rome. One of the prominent peaks in the Selkirk Range still bears the name Roothaan. In 1865, Captain John Mullan designated this same lake as Kaniksu Lake on one of his maps. It is believed that "Kaniksu" was the Indian name of Black Robe, although this has never been authenticated. The name was gradually changed in the early 1900's from Kaniksu Lake to its present name of Priest Lake, which refers to the early-day Jesuit missionary priests who had established a base camp at Kalispell Bay in the 1840's. The lake is one of three largest and most beautiful lakes in the Idaho Panhandle, and a very popular recreation attraction. The world's largest Makinaw trout was caught here in 1963. Dolly Varden, Cutthroat, and Kokanee are also caught in the lake. It is now illegal to fish for…
- Managed by: Idaho Panhandle National Forests, FS
- Where: 8 mi northwest of Coolin, ID · 48.57931, -116.91215
Things to do:
Weather by month
Typical daily highs and lows (°F), 1991–2020 NOAA normals. Best months: Jun–Sep (comfortable days, mild nights, little rain). Nights below freezing: Oct–Apr.
Fly over it in 3D, check today's weather and fire news, plan the drive and print a trip plan.
Trails near camp
| Trail | Open to | From camp | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalispell - Reeder Bay | Dirt bike | at camp | 4.1 mi |
| Kalispell Tract | ATV road | 0.6 mi | 0.1 mi |
| Kalispell Island | Hiking | 0.7 mi | 8.3 mi |
| Kalispell Island A Spur | Hiking | 1.3 mi | 0.4 mi |
| South Lakeview | ATV road | 1.3 mi | 2.3 mi |
| Lakeview Mountain | Horse, Dirt bike | 1.4 mi | 5.3 mi |
Straight-line distance from camp, from Forest Service, BLM, state and OpenStreetMap trail data.
Good to know
Verizon 4G · AT&T 5G
From the carriers' FCC coverage maps, which tend to be generous.The Milky Way shows rich detail, horizon to horizon.
Class 2 of 9, from NASA/NOAA night-light data.Dump station: 4 mi
Nearest of each within 25 miles, straight-line.Camps nearby
- Shady Campsite 0.7 mi
- Kalispell Vista Campsites 0.8 mi
- North Cove Campsites 0.8 mi
- Rocky Point Campsites 1 mi
- Kalispell Island Group Site and other Campgrounds 1 mi
- West Shores Campsites 1.1 mi