Placid Lake State Park

Coordinates: 47°07′11″N 113°30′10″W / 47.119613°N 113.502898°W / 47.119613; -113.502898
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Placid Lake State Park
Sunset over Placid Lake
Map showing the location of Placid Lake State Park
Map showing the location of Placid Lake State Park
Location in Montana
LocationMissoula County, Montana, United States
Nearest cityMissoula, Montana
Coordinates47°07′11″N 113°30′10″W / 47.119613°N 113.502898°W / 47.119613; -113.502898
Area31 acres (13 ha)[1]
Elevation4,124 ft (1,257 m)[2]
DesignationMontana state park
Established1977[3]
Visitors57,119 (in 2016)[4]
AdministratorMontana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
WebsitePlacid 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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Placid Lake State Park". Montana State Parks. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Placid Lake". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ a b "Park Origin by Date". Montana State Parks. 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "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. "Visitation to Montana state parks up in 2012". Billings Gazette. January 11, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  5. ^ Rich Aarstad; et al. (2009). Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman. Helena, Montana: Montana Historical Society Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-9759196-1-3. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  6. ^ "Placid Lake Vacation and Resort Properties". FindLakes. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "Seeley Lake Area Recreation Opportunities" (PDF). United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  8. ^ "Montana State Parks Guide". Montana State Parks. 2014. p. 20. Retrieved May 25, 2018.

External links[edit]