Flathead Lake

Flathead Lake is is a large natural lake in northwest Montana. It is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in the lower 48 states, with over 200 square miles of water and 185 miles of shoreline. The lake is also home to Wild Horse Island where the Kootenai Indians were reported to have pastured their horses to keep them from being stolen by other tribes. Descendants of those horses remain on the island to this day and it is also home to myriad other native wildlife such as bighorn sheep, mule deer, songbirds, waterfowl, bald eagles, and falcons. It is a popular fishing, boating, hiking, and camping spot in the warmer months, and a great snowshoeing, snowmobiling, skiing, and Nordic skiing spot in the winter.