While there are actually two St. Mary Lakes, the second, Lower St. Mary Lake, is outside the northern edge of Glacier National Park and receives much less attention from the tourist crowd. The two are joined by the 1.78 km (1.10 mi) (as the crow flies; it's actually longer as it meanders, as rivers are wont to do) long St. Mary River, a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River. The Saint Mary together with the Belly River and Waterton River drains a small portion of Montana, in the United States, to the Hudson Bay watershed in Canada.
Known for its boating and water-skiing opportunities, St. Mary Lake is just inside Glacier National Park’s east entrance.
Going-To-The-Sun Road follows its northern shore for most of its length.
Numerous hiking trailheads are to be found along its shores, or one may book a boat cruise, troll for mackinaw, picnic, trek or camp at this exquisite location.
9.9 miles (15.9 km) long and 300 feet (91 m) deep, the lake occupies a surface area of 3,923 acres (15.88 km2). A high mountain lake at an elevation of 4,484 feet (1,367 m), its water rarely rises above 50 °F (10 °C), making it an excellent trout fishing lake, holding several species of trout.
Near the mid point of the lake at the eastern end of
The Narrows, on the north side, one may embark on a boat tour around the lake, provided by the
Glacier Park Tour Company. Alternatively, one may take a kayak out on the lake and experience views only available from the water. Glacier Park Boat Company has been operating scenic boat tours on the lakes of Glacier National Park since 1938.
St. Mary Lake
Mackinaw, Cutthroat, Rainbow
Left from St. Ignatius on a dirt road to ST. MARY'S LAKE (not to be confused
with the St. Mary Lakes in Glacier Park), 11 m., which offers excellent trout fish-
ing. The Salish called it "the waters of the forgiven"; their tradition is that a
brave once expiated a murder on its shore. Another Salish legend tells that beautiful
spirits inhabited the deep waters and lured careless warriors to destruction.
Left from the checking station on an oiled road to the Swiss type ST. MARY
CHALETS, 1.5 m., just above the shingle beach of
UPPER ST. MARY LAKE. The
lakes were held m reverence by the Blackfeet as the home of the Wind Maker; the
imaginative easily understand the origin of the belief, for Upper St Mary's dark
blue waters are usually spangled with whitecaps. Rough water often makes fishing
impracticable. The highway skirts the northern shore of the upper lake.
From Montana, A State Guide Book, Pages 298, 377, 388