Fish Lake
| Trail Features: | Lake, Forest hike |  |
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| Trail Location: | Lake McDonald Lodge | ||||
| Roundtrip Length: | 5.8 Miles | ||||
| Total Elevation Gain: | 1210 Feet | ||||
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 417 Feet | ||||
| Highest Elevation: | 4260 Feet | ||||
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 8.22 (moderate) | ||||
| Parking Lot Latitude | 48.61686 | ||||
| Parking Lot Longitude | -113.87554 | ||||
Trail Description:
The hike to Fish Lake in Glacier National Park begins from the Sperry Trailhead, located across the road from the Lake McDonald Lodge. In a very short distance, after passing the horse path, the trail becomes known as the Gunsight Pass Trail.
Almost immediately the trail begins climbing, passing through an old growth forest of red cedar, western larch and hemlock along the lower elevations, to a dense spruce-fir forest as it ascends higher. At roughly three-quarters of a mile from the trailhead hikers will begin noticing a few burn spots from the Sprague Fire. The blaze was ignited on August 10, 2017 when lightning struck along the north side of Sprague Creek, roughly three miles from the Lake McDonald Lodge. During the two-month blaze the wildfire burned 16,982 acres, and destroyed the interior of the historic Sperry Chalet dormitory. Hikers should note that park crews have cleared thousands of trees that had fallen on trails throughout the burn area. As a result, some of these trails will have limited shade in some areas.
Upon reaching the Mt. Brown Trail junction, roughly 1.6 miles from the trailhead, hikers will have already climbed more than 900 feet. Many hikers and horses will be sharing this heavily used segment of trail as they head up to Sperry Chalet and other points in the area.
One-tenth of a mile past the Mt. Brown Trail is the Snyder Lake Trail junction, which also branches off to the left. Once past the junction the trail travels downhill for a short distance before crossing over Snyder Creek at Crystal Ford. Just across the footbridge is the Snyder Ridge Trail, which leads to Fish Lake. Hikers should turn right at this junction. Continuing on the main trail will eventually lead hikers up to the Sperry Chalet.
From the junction the trail makes a relatively steep climb for a short distance, before leveling out for the remainder of its length to the lake. The path continues through a beautiful spruce-fir forest. Along the way hikers will cross over Jackson Creek and Sprague Creek before reaching Fish Lake, roughly 2.9 miles from the trailhead. Upon reaching the lake there's a short side trail that leads down to the shoreline. Be forewarned though: the mosquitoes at Fish Lake can be quite thick during the late spring and early summer months.
The 8-acre lake is lined with lily pads around its perimeter, and is surrounded by a dense forest. The quiet setting makes Fish Lake a good place for a lunch break while enjoying the peaceful scenery, provided the mosquitoes aren't in season.
Fish Lake is also a good option for a hike if snow is blocking access to trails in the higher elevations.
