Priest Lake Area

Priest Lake was originally called Roothaan Lake by Father Desmet in 1846 in honor of his Jesuit Superior in Rome. One of the prominent peaks in the Selkirk Range still bears the name Roothaan.

Type

Lake

Nearest town

Ponderay · 26 mi from the town center

Official page

fs.usda.gov

Location

48.57931, -116.91215 · Open map

Source

Recreation Information Database · checked October 2, 2026

Check the official page for hours, fees, access and closures before you go. Distances are straight-line miles. See something wrong? Let us know. Thank you.

• Priest Lake Area
• Trail
• Attraction
• Lake
• Museum
• Historic site
• Waterfall
• Park

Other parks, trails and things to do within 15 miles, nearest first.

• Kalispell Island Trail2.8 mi long · near Ponderay
  0.5 mi
• Indian Rockattraction · near Ponderay
  0.6 mi
• Priest Lakelake · near Ponderay
  2.7 mi
• Priest Lake Museummuseum · near Ponderay
  2.7 mi
• Hanna Flat Trail0.4 mi long · near Oldtown
  3.0 mi
• Reeder Bay Trail4.2 mi long · near Bonners Ferry
  3.0 mi
• Beach Trail5.9 mi long · near Ponderay
  3.1 mi
• Bulldog Point Trail1.8 mi long · near Ponderay
  3.2 mi
• Lakeview Mountain Trail5.1 mi long · near Ponderay
  3.4 mi
• Priest Lake Public Libraryhistoric site · near Priest River
  3.9 mi
• Hunt Fallswaterfall · near Ponderay
  4.3 mi
• Priest Lake Memory Gardensnature reserve · near Ponderay
  4.4 mi
• Priest Lake State Parkstate park · near Bonners Ferry
  4.6 mi
• Priest Lake State Forestnear Ponderay
  6.3 mi