Kintla Lake

Photo Use Guidelines

Note : The entire southern shore of Kintla Lake was burned over by the Wedge Canyon Fire in 2003. The photographs show the area prior to the fires.

Kintla Lake is a beautiful lake that lies in the remote and wild northwest corner of Glacier National Park. The lakes remote setting, combined with a bumpy, slow ride, tend to keep visitor use on the lake low. Other than a small campground right at roads end, no other amenities are found anywhere near Kintla Lake. As a result, for the car camper in search of relative solitude - with lots of solitude found just away from the campground - Kintla Lake is a great choice.

Kintla Lake is quite large, being over 8 miles in length and up to a mile wide in some spots. Like Bowman Lake just to the south, Kintla Lake is surrounded by towering mountains and lies in a spectacular setting.

The fishing in Kintla Lake is decent for both whitefish and cutthroat trout. While the cutthroat trout are not huge, the very light fishing pressure makes these trout relatively easy to catch. They will eagerly rise to most small dry flies. Small spoons on spin casting outfits also work well.

Motorized vessels are not allowed on Kintla Lake. As such, it is an ideal place to fish using a canoe, pontoon boat or inflatable kayak. While the lake can be windy at times, generally the lake has only light to moderate winds. Float tubes can also be used effectiely, although the huge size of the lake and the very cold water can cause problems for float tubers.

Photo Use Guidelines

Use of Kintla Lake is exceedingly light. Virtually all of the use of the lake is concentrated around the small campground at the head of the lake. And of the few people who visit the head of the lake, ever fewer head out on a boat to fish Kintla Lake. Instead, most of the use of Kintla Lake and vicinity is either for pleasure camping or for hiking - a fairly popular trailhead (the Boulder Pass Trail) for overnight backpacking begins at Kintla Lake. One note of caution. This section of Glacier National Park is very remote and is prime habitat for grizzly bears, so take all necessary precautions for storing food and when hiking.

Overall, Kintla Lake in Glacier National Park is well worth the long and bumpy drive to reach. The fishing will be fine for cutthroat trout and whitefish. While the fish will not be huge, they are still fun to catch. Combine the remote setting with the spectacular scenery of Glacier National Park and you have the recipe for a wonderful fishing trip.

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