Lake McDonald Lodge
About
Lake McDonald Lodge is a boat launch in Glacier National Park in Montana, managed by the National Park Service. The nearest town is West Glacier, about 10 miles away. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in West Glacier show July highs around 80°F with lows near 50°F, and August is the driest month, with about seven wet days. Several trails start close by. Lincoln Lake Trail, Avalanche Cutoff and Upper McDonald Creek Trail are each about 1.3 miles away, and Mount Brown Trail is about 1.4 miles away.
Launch Details
Managed by
National Park Service
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: May–Sep. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 64–80°F and lows of 39–50°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the W Glacier, MT weather station, 9.4 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan30° high19° low
- Feb34° high19° low
- Mar42° high25° low
- Apr53° high31° low
- May64° high39° low
- Jun70° high45° low
- Jul80° high50° low
- Aug79° high48° low
- Sep68° high41° low
- Oct52° high33° low
- Nov37° high26° low
- Dec29° high20° low
Where it is
- Glacier National Park · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- West Glacier, Montana · 10 mi
Source: NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for Glacier National Park as of Oct 9, 2026:
Going-to-the-Sun Road is Open for 2026 Season
Information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: NPS Alerts API
Nearby
- Lincoln Lake TrailHiking1.3 mi
- Avalanche CutoffHiking1.3 mi
- Upper McDonald Creek TrailHiking1.3 mi
- Mount Brown TrailHiking1.4 mi
- McDonald Creek CutoffHiking1.5 mi
- Glacier National ParkRock climbing6.4 mi
- Apgar Group SitesCamping8 mi
- Belton Bridge at Glacier National ParkRock climbing9.2 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
