Lake McDonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park. The Continental Divide follows the crest of the mountains visible in the background. Clouds blocked by the mountains drop considerable rainfall in this part of the park providing perfect growing conditions for forest species much more typically found on the Pacific Coast, like western red cedar and western hemlock.

On the evening of August 10, 2003 a forest fire advanced onto Howe Ridge. The point of land that can be seen on the left in the picture remains unburned, but just beyond that the fire burned to the lakeshore for a distance of several miles. Video of that event is available on the park Fire Video Page.

The Lake McDonald Webcam is located on the Village Inn in Apgar. It and Glacier National Park's other Webcams are made possible by a generous donation from the Glacier Natural History Association. Visit them at the Park Bookstore link. For information on the Village Inn visit the Concession Services page.

Peak Identifications

If you have a Java enabled browser you may click here for a floating Lake McDonald Webcam that will automatically refresh every 5 minutes.

Glacier National Park's Webcams are made possible through the generous support of the Glacier Natural History Association. This nonprofit cooperating association helps to support Glacier National Park's educational, interpretive, cultural and scientific program needs. They offer a variety of publications and materials which promote a better understanding of Glacier's diversity of landscapes, animal and plant life, culture, and history. Visit their website at www.glacierassociation.org.

Special thanks also, to Mark Gillen for his contribution to Glacier National Park's Webcams.