Saint Mary Lake is the second-largest lake in
Glacier National Park, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
.
Located on the east side of the park,
Going-to-the-Sun Road
Going-to-the-Sun Road is a scenic mountain road in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, in Glacier National Park in Montana. The Sun Road, as it is sometimes abbreviated in National Park Service documents, is the only road that trave ...
parallels the lake along its north shore. At an elevation of , Saint Mary Lake's waters are colder and lie almost higher in elevation than
Lake McDonald
Lake McDonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park. It is located at in Flathead County in the U.S. state of Montana. Lake McDonald is approximately 10 miles (16 km) long, and over a mile (1.6 km) wide and 472 feet (130 m) ...
, the largest lake in the park, which is located on the west side of the
Continental Divide. Here, the
great plains end and the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
begin in an abrupt elevation change, with
Little Chief Mountain posing a formidable southern flank above the west end of the lake.
The lake is long and deep with a surface area of . The waters of the lake rarely rise above and are home to various species of
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...
. During the winter, the lake is often frozen over with ice up to thick.
The opening scene in the 1980
Stanley Kubrick film ''
The Shining'' was shot at Saint Mary Lake.
Wild Goose Island rises a mere 14 feet (4.3 m) above the lake. The island is dwarfed by the lake and surrounding mountains, yet it is of one of the most frequently photographed locations along the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Gallery
Image:Panoramic aerial view of Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana 01b.jpg, Aerial panorama
Image:St Mary Lake at Sun Point.jpg, From Sun Point
Image:St. Mary Lake.jpg, Lakeside panorama
See also
*
List of lakes in Glacier County, Montana
There are at least 118 named lakes and reservoirs in Glacier County, Montana.
Lakes
* Alkali Lake, , el.
* Allison Lake, , el.
* Atsina Lake, , el.
* Aubery Lake, , el.
* Bench Lake, , el.
* Big Spring Lake, , el.
* Boundary Lake, ...
References
{{reflist
Going-to-the-Sun Road
Lakes of Glacier National Park (U.S.)
Lakes of Glacier County, Montana