Lake McDonald Lodge is a big log building with a deep porch, and it looks as though it belongs in a Swiss mountain story that someone transplanted to Montana. It went up in 1913 and 1914 as a hotel built by a local entrepreneur, and the Great Northern Railway later took it over and promoted the area for tourists. The architecture is Swiss chalet in style, with massive timbers, stone fireplaces and animal heads on the walls, and the interior is lovely and a little smoky, with a comfortable, slightly faded feel.
The lake in front of it is the real star. Lake McDonald is about ten miles long and more than four hundred feet deep, carved by a glacier that once filled the whole valley, and the water is so clear that you can see the coloured stones on the bottom from the shore. The mountains rise steeply on the far side, still wearing snow in early summer, and in the morning, when the surface is flat, they are reflected perfectly. It is easily among the most photographed views in Montana.
For the rider, this is a mellow stretch of the road. The road runs close to the water through dense forest of cedar, hemlock and larch, with shafts of light coming through the trees and a damp, resinous smell in the air. The corners are easy, the surface generally good, and the speed limit low. Because the road here is relatively sheltered, it can be cool and shady even on a hot day, and a dry road in the morning can be damp from the spray of waterfalls in the afternoon.
The lodge has a restaurant and a gift shop in season, and it is a good place to stop for a coffee or a lunch. Boat tours leave from the dock, and some of the older wooden launches have been in service for decades.
Wildlife is plentiful. Bears, both black and grizzly, live in the park, and you should carry bear spray if you plan to walk on the trails. Elk and deer graze in the meadows near the lake, and bald eagles hunt over the water. If you stop for photographs, keep your distance and never feed the animals, and the park's rangers will thank you.