Lake Pend Oreille, Hope Idaho

Lake Pend Oreille is located in the northern Idaho Panhandle, near Hope. The lake is 148 square miles. It is 65 miles long and 1,150 feet deep in a few areas. It is the fifth deepest lake in the United States. Lake Pend Oreille is fed by two rivers: Clark Fork and Pack River. It then drains into the Pend Oreille River. Much of the lake is surrounded by national forest. There are a few small towns along the shores of the lake like Hope. The largest residential area is located at Sandpoint.

The lake lies in two counties. Bonner County covers all but the southern tip of the lake. At the southern region is Kootenai County, which is home to Farragut State Park. Lake Pend Oreille offers a number of different species of fish. These species include rainbow trout, perch, lake trout, crappie, whitefish, bass, and Kokanee. The forests surrounding the lake are home to Ponderosa Pine, Poplar, Douglas Fir, Quaking Aspen, Western Larch, and Paper Birch.

As with the many species of fish there are also a variety of animals in the forests. Whitetail deer, gray wolves, elk, moose, black bears, squirrels, grizzlies, bobcats, and coyotes live in the forests. Birds such as the bald eagle, owls, osprey, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, hawks, ducks, and mountain bluebird also reside in the forests. Some water fowl will migrate in the winter to Lake Pend Orielle.

Lake Pend Orielle was formed due to the ice age. Once the ice age ended and the glaciers began to melt a lake formed. The eastern side of the lake is associated as a path for the ancient Missoula Flood. Today the lake is on the south end of the Purcell Trench which was created by glaciers moving from the south away from Canada. Geological research shows the glacier acted as a natural dam on the eastern side, and then the Missoula Flood came.

In the past the lake was used by the Kalispell Indian. French fur trappers in the 1800's also came to the lake. It is the French which have given the lake its name. Pend Orielle means ear pendant, which were popular among the Kalispell. Some even believe the lake is shaped like a human ear. During World War II the south end of the lake was used for naval training. The area was built after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This training area was eventually turned into Farragut State Park. The navy used to take large scale submarine prototypes down in the lake since the depth is a lot like the ocean.

Today the lake is a popular recreational spot for several of the Idaho towns that surround it. Visitors come to go boating, water skiing, fishing, or even scuba diving in some of the shallower spots. Picnicking around the lake and even camping in a few areas is allowed. Visitors are able to hike through the forests to look down over the lake from a higher vantage point. Most recreation is for the summer months.