LAKE MCDONALD
Lake McDonald is the largest lake in the park, being 10 miles long and a mile wide. Its shores are heavily forested with cedar, hemlock, white pine, and larch. At its head, impressive, rocky summits rise to elevations 6,000 feet above its waters. The Going-to-the-Sun Highway runs along its southeastern shore. Its outlet is 2 miles above Belton station.
Lake McDonald Hotel is on the highway near the upper end of the lake. It has a store for general supplies, a gasoline station, curio shop, and all modern conveniences. Its dining room, facing the lake, is one of the most appropriate and charming in the park. Its lobby is filled with well-mounted animals and birds of the region. It is the focal point for trails to Sperry Chalet and Gunsight Pass, Upper McDonald Valley, the summit of Mount Brown, and Arrow Lake. There is good fishing in Arrow and Snyder Lakes.
Private cabin camps are located at the head and foot of the lake. A general store and gasoline filling station are located at the foot of the lake. A well-equipped public auto campground is at Sprague Creek, near Lake McDonald Hotel.
Ranger-naturalist services are available at the hotel. Lectures on popular natural history are delivered each evening in the hotel lobby and at the Sprague Creek campfire circle. A cut wild-flower exhibit is also placed in the hotel. Self-guiding trails lead to Fish and Johns Lakes, short distances from the hotel.