Lakeside is nestled on the western shore of Flathead Lake with sweeping views of the Swan Mountain Range. Charming, festive, and friendly, this little town of about 3,000 residents will steal your heart if you give it even half a chance. Lakeside has dining and overnight accommodations, gas, groceries, a volunteer-staffed library, and a lumber yard. Charter fishing and other watercraft rental can be found along the lakeshore as well as several public lake access sites.

Almost 30 miles long and 15 miles across at its widest point, Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi.  There’s 160 miles of shoreline, nearly 200 square miles of surface area and it’s approximately 300 feet deep. Flathead Lake lies in the shadows of Glacier National Park and Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort to the north. Two scenic highways parallel the lake. On the west side, US Highway 93, and Route 35 on the east wind along the curving shorelines offering majestic views of the lake, mountains and the scenery that made Montana famous. Coming over the hill in Polson you get your first glimpse of the lake . . . a truly spiritual experience. A few small islands dot the lake and the largest is Wild Horse Island, which is also a state park. The lake is populated by native Bull and Cutthroat trout, and huge Lake trout (Mackinaw), along with perch and whitefish.

Lakeside's newest recreational addition is Blacktail Mountain Ski Area. Surrounded by 1,000 acres of National Forest, visitors enjoy unlimited visibility and 24 un-crowded, groomed runs on over 13 miles of terrain. The ski area's base facilities are located just below the summit of Blacktail Mountain, at an elevation of 6,757 feet.

The drive along the Flathead Lake's west shore offers an impressive backdrop of snow-capped peaks to the lake's brilliant blue waters in the foreground.