Priest Lake Area

Photo of scenic Priest Lake with Selkirk Mountains in the background 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 Dolly Varden and they are to be returned to the lake when caught.

Upper Priest Lake is part of the Upper Priest Lake Scenic Area. There were five small parcels of private land totaling about 420 acres on Upper Priest Lake. The Forest Service purchased these tracts in 1967 with the assistance of Nature Conservancy. The entire shoreline of Upper Priest Lake is now in either the State of Idaho or Federal ownership, and is administered as a scenic area.

Upper Priest River, which flows into Upper Priest Lake, is one of the rivers to be studied for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers system along with the lower Priest River which was famous in the early days as a log-drive stream. The first recorded drive was in 1901 and the last in 1949. The greatest drive took place in 1931 when 50,000 cedar poles and 125,000,000 board feet or logs were herded down the river by the "river pigs".

At a Glance

Closest Towns: Priest River, Idaho

Recreation Map

Map showing recreational areas. Map Information

Activities

Mountain Biking

Areas for Mountain Biking at Priest Lake Area

Campground Camping

Areas for Campground Camping at Priest Lake Area

RV Camping

Areas for RV Camping at Priest Lake Area

Group Camping

Areas for Group Camping at Priest Lake Area

Dispersed Camping

Areas for Dispersed Camping at Priest Lake Area

Lake and Pond Fishing

Areas for Lake and Pond Fishing at Priest Lake Area

Day Hiking

Areas for Day Hiking at Priest Lake Area

Backpacking

Areas for Backpacking at Priest Lake Area

Horse Riding

Areas for Horse Riding at Priest Lake Area

Viewing Wildlife

Areas for Viewing Wildlife at Priest Lake Area

Viewing Scenery

Areas for Viewing Scenery at Priest Lake Area

OHV Trail Riding

Areas for OHV Trail Riding at Priest Lake Area

Picnicking

Areas for Picnicking at Priest Lake Area

Boating - Motorized

Areas for Boating - Motorized at Priest Lake Area

Boating - Non-Motorized

Areas for Boating - Non-Motorized at Priest Lake Area

Swimming

Areas for Swimming at Priest Lake Area

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Recreation Areas

Recreation Activities

Location

 
  Latitude : 
48.579308

  Longitude : 
-116.912149