Gillette Lake

Gillette Lake is one of four small interconnected lakes of the Little Pend Oreille chain of lakes system with plenty of opportunities for family activities. Camping is available at Gillette Lake, Lake Leo and Lake Thomas. Nearby trails systems offer excellent opportunities for hiking, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and ORV riding. The lake is great for fishing, camping, boating, and swimming. Nearby trails offer spectacular views of wildflowers and the landscape. Wildlife is abundant so bring your binoculars. During peak season you can find dark-blue or black edible huckleberries. Lake Thomas to the north and Sherry Lake to the south can be accessed by small, navigable channels.     

Rufus Trail #148 (USFS) and Ruftac Trail #146 (DNR) totals 14 miles and are multi-use trails for mountain bike, people on foot, horseback, and motorbike users. ATV’s are not allowed on this trail. From Pend Oreille Lake Road off Highway 20 E, turn right and into the Little Pend Oreille ORV Trails parking lot. You can also access the trail from Forest Service Road (FSR) 2712000 as well as the campground.

Little Pend Oreille Trails #140, #142, #144, #148 totals 36 miles of designated ORV trails with access to Batey Bould ORV trails system. These are shared trails between hikers and motorbikes. Points of interest include a view of Little Pend Oreille Lakes and Rufus Trail Bridge. Difficulty levels vary from moderate at the trailhead progressing higher in elevation and in some areas challenging. Trails can be difficult during wet periods.

Lake Gillette Campground, along the eastern shore offers eight single and six double campsites with picnic tables, fire pits and tent pads. Campsites are spacious and certain ones have views of the lake. Access to Rufus Trail #148 is near this campground. There is also an amphitheatre that can be reached by any of the several campground trails. The day use area has a large parking lot and includes picnic tables, a boat launch, boat dock, swimming area, drinking water, vault toilets, and bear proof garbage disposal. There are no RV hookups or dump stations. Camp host is provided during seasonal months. 

Shoreline access is good as there are many trails down to the lake from Forest Service campground areas. Gillette Lake is stocked with tiger trout and rainbow trout. Other species that you might catch include: brook trout, largemouth bass, cutthroat, yellow perch and black crappie. Fly, spin and bait methods are allowed along with two-pole fishing.

Gillette Campground is within walking distance across from Gillette Lake, and offers 29 single sites with picnic tables, fire pits and tent pads. Facilities include: bear proof garbage containers, vault toilets and drinking water in this first come first serve camping area.