Placid Lake State Park | |
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![]() Sunset over Placid Lake | |
Location | Missoula County, Montana, United States |
Nearest city | Missoula, Montana |
Coordinates | 47°07′11″N 113°30′10″W / 47.119613°N 113.502898°WCoordinates: 47°07′11″N 113°30′10″W / 47.119613°N 113.502898°W |
Area | 31 acres (13 ha)[1] |
Elevation | 4,124 ft (1,257 m)[2] |
Designation | Montana state park |
Established | 1977[3] |
Visitors | 57,119 (in 2016)[4] |
Administrator | Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks |
Website | Placid Lake State Park |
Placid Lake State Park is a public recreation area located 28 miles (45 km) northeast of Missoula, Montana. The state park sits on 31 acres (13 ha) at the eastern end of Placid Lake that include the lake's outlet to Owl Creek, a tributary of the Clearwater River. The park is known for its scenery, camping, aquatic recreation, and fishing.[1]
History
Placid Lake was named after the Adirondack Mountains' Lake Placid by Hiram Blanchard, a New Yorker who moved to the area in 1892 to form the Clearwater Land and Livestock Company.[5] A dam was completed below the lake's Owl Creek outlet in 1972,[6] and the park was created in 1977.[3]
Activities and amenities
Park facilities include a swimming area, campsites, and boat launch.[1][7] The park offers an opportunity to view rednecked grebes, ospreys, common loons, and other species of waterfowl.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "Placid Lake State Park". Montana State Parks. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ "Placid Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ^ a b "Park Origin by Date". Montana State Parks. 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "2016 Annual Visitation Report". Montana State Parks. Retrieved June 22, 2020. Placid Lake and Salmon Lake shared top honors as the two most visited state parks in the Missoula area in 2012, with each logging more than 45,000 individual visitors. Staff (January 11, 2013). "Visitation to Montana state parks up in 2012". Billings Gazette. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ Aarstad et al. (2009). Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman. Helena, Montana: Montana Historical Society Press. p. 207. ISBN 9780975919613. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
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: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link) - ^ "Placid Lake Vacation and Resort Properties". FindLakes. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Seeley Lake Area Recreation Opportunities" (PDF). United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ "Montana State Parks Guide". Montana State Parks. 2014. p. 20. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
External links
- Placid Lake State Park Montana State Parks
- Placid Lake State Park Map Montana State Parks