Whitefish Lake
Flathead County, MontanaView mapDirections
Montana DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Whitefish Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Whitefish Lake in Flathead County, Montana has water-quality measurements published by Montana DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 2.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.9 µg/L.
Whitefish Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Flathead County, Montana. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Flathead County, Whitefish Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Montana DEQ, last sampled 2024-12-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Whitefish Lake has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Whitefish Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Whitefish Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water22 ft of visibility
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Whitefish Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Whitefish Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Whitefish Lake
These are the measurements Montana DEQ publishes for Whitefish Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down. Phosphorus 2.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 0.9 µg/L. TSI 27.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 22ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 2.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 0.9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 27 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Whitefish Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Baypoint DrivePublic
- Whitefish Lake State ParkPublic
- Roadhouse LandingPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Whitefish Lake
- Whitefish Lake State Park campground1.1 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Whitefish Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Whitefish Lake in Flathead County, Montana — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Whitefish Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Whitefish Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 13 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.02 µg/L/yr13 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.07 µg/L/yr12 years
EPA Impairment Status
Whitefish Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2021 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MT76P004_010 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Flathead County
Frequently asked questions about Whitefish Lake
Where is Whitefish Lake?
- Whitefish Lake is a lake in Flathead County, Montana. Its water-quality measurements are published by Montana DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Whitefish Lake?
- Whitefish Lake in Flathead County, Montana has water-quality measurements published by Montana DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 2.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.9 µg/L.
Is Whitefish Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Whitefish Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Whitefish Lake?
- Whitefish Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Baypoint Drive, Whitefish Lake State Park, Roadhouse Landing. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Whitefish Lake?
- Whitefish Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Montana's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Whitefish Lake?
- Whitefish Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Whitefish Lake State Park campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Whitefish Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Glacier?
Whitefish Lake is about 31 miles from Glacier National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Glacier →More lakes in Montana
Other Lakes in Montana
Oligotrophic Lakes in Montana
Where this data comes from
325 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Montana Watershed
MTWTRSHD_WQX325 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 4500 N C ~ Persufate Method for Total Nitrogen
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles