Seeley Lake

Seeley Lake is a natural glacial lake in the Clearwater River chain, about 1,031 acres in size, sitting at roughly 3,998 feet beside the town that shares its name.¹¹³ It is deep for its size: FWP’s survey found 125 feet at the deepest point.² Most visitors get on the water at Big Larch Campground on the east shore, which has the public boat ramp, a dock and a roped swimming beach.⁴

This page covers the lake itself: how big and deep it is, where to launch and swim, the rules that apply on the water, what you can catch under the 2026 regulations, loons, the ice season, and where to camp.

How big and deep is Seeley Lake?

The depth figures come from FWP’s bathymetric map, surveyed on July 18, 2011.² You will sometimes see 56 feet quoted as the lake’s maximum depth, including in a line of Wikipedia’s article. That number is FWP’s average depth. The maximum is 125 feet.

We have not found an authoritative figure for shoreline length. Third-party sites quote numbers around 8 miles, but none cite a survey, so we leave it out.

To see how Seeley compares with Placid, Salmon, Inez, Alva and the rest, use the lakes comparison table.

Where can you get on the water?

Big Larch Campground (USDA Forest Service). This is the public access point we have verified. It sits on the east shore about a mile north of town and has a concrete boat launch, a dock and a roped swimming beach.⁴ Day use runs 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. In 2026 the boat dock closed for the season on October 1, so plan on a ramp-only launch in late fall.⁴

From the Clearwater River. The Clearwater River Canoe Trail is a 3.5-mile paddle on the river that ends at the north end of Seeley Lake, with a take-out behind the Seeley Lake Ranger Station at 3583 Highway 83 North.⁶¹² The Forest Service rates it Easiest. Details are on our Clearwater Canoe Trail page.

Other access. Big Larch is the only public launch we have been able to verify from agency sources. Other access spots may exist. If you need a second launch option, ask the Seeley Lake Ranger District at 406-677-2233 (weekdays 8:00 to 4:30, closed federal holidays).¹²

Can you swim in Seeley Lake?

Yes. The Big Larch day-use area has a roped swimming beach.⁴ FWP’s fish consumption advisory for Seeley Lake is about mercury in certain fish you might eat, not about the water for swimming.¹ We did not find a water-quality advisory for the lake. Check for posted notices at the beach before you go in.

Summer is short at this elevation. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for the Seeley Lake station put the average high at about 83 F in July and August, but June averages 72 F, and nights in every summer month average in the 40s.¹⁰ We have no verified water temperature data, so test the water yourself before a long swim.

What boating rules apply?

Aquatic invasive species (AIS). Montana requires watercraft inspections for aquatic invasive species, and nonresidents need a Vessel AIS Prevention Pass. Rules and inspection station locations change, so check FWP’s AIS page before you tow a boat in.⁷

Wake and speed rules. We did not find a Seeley Lake-specific speed limit or no-wake ordinance in the sources we checked, so we do not list one. Motorized craft must run no-wake on the Clearwater River Canoe Trail upstream of the lake.⁶ For statewide boating law, see FWP, and confirm any local rules with the ranger district before assuming.

Loon nests. Common loons nest in the Clearwater drainage in May and June. Keep boats well away from any marked nest areas (see the loon section below).⁸

Closures happen. During the 2017 Rice Ridge Fire, the lake was closed to boats from August 7 to 18 and again from August 28 to September 7 while scooper aircraft drew water from it.¹⁴ In a fire season, check Lolo National Forest alerts before you launch.

What fish are in Seeley Lake?

FWP lists 14 species. Native fish are bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish, largescale and longnose suckers, northern pikeminnow and peamouth. Introduced species are brown trout, kokanee, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout and yellow perch.¹

FWP stocks kokanee (Lake Mary Ronan strain) in most years. The 2024 plant was 20,000 fish on May 8.¹ It is a busy fishery: FWP estimated 14,640 angler-days on the lake in 2021, up from 5,743 in 2017.¹

2026 regulations at a glance

These are the Seeley Lake entries in FWP’s 2026 Western District regulations. Rules change every year, so read the current FWP regulations before you fish.³

Lakes in the Western District are open to fishing all year, while rivers and streams open on the third Saturday in May.³

Fish consumption advisory

Seeley Lake has a mercury-based consumption advisory on FWP’s FishMT page.¹ Northern pike of 22 to 30 inches and mountain whitefish of 10 to 14 inches carry serving limits. Yellow perch of 10 to 14 inches are listed as safe to eat. Bull trout are also listed as safe to eat, but you cannot keep them. Check the FishMT page for the current serving guidance.

Where can you see loons?

The Clearwater drainage has the highest concentration of nesting common loons in Montana, according to the Montana Loon Society.⁸ The statewide numbers are small: about 200 loons, about 65 nesting pairs and about 40 chicks a year, with only 25 to 30 pairs nesting successfully. About one chick in five survives to age three. May and June are the critical nesting months.⁸

The society’s Loon Ranger program started as a pilot based in Seeley Lake in 2000.⁹ The Forest Service lists loons among the wildlife on the Clearwater River Canoe Trail just upstream of the lake.⁶

On the water, keep well away from loons and stay outside any marked nest area. For current viewing advice, call the ranger station at 406-677-2233.¹²

When does Seeley Lake freeze, and is there ice fishing?

Ice timing is not verified. We could not find an authoritative record of ice-in or ice-out dates for Seeley Lake, so we do not publish any. Ice thickness and timing vary from year to year and across the lake. Before you walk or drive on the ice, ask people who have been out recently and check with FWP or the Seeley Lake Ranger District.

What we can say: winters are long and cold. NOAA normals show January averaging 32.0 F for a high and 12.1 F for a low, with about 30 inches of snow that month and 118.9 inches a year.¹⁰

The Forest Service lists ice fishing among the area’s winter activities.¹¹ Two 2026 rules worth knowing:³

• Pike spearing is open on Seeley Lake.
• In waters not open to spearing, ice-fishing holes may be no larger than 144 square inches, or 12 inches across.

Organized ice-fishing derbies have been held on the chain in the past, but we have not confirmed a current annual event. Check the events page for what is on this winter.

Where can you camp on Seeley Lake?

Big Larch Campground is the Forest Service campground on the lake. It has 29 reservable sites and 19 first-come sites, plus 2 group sites and 3 bike sites, with peak-season rates of about $20 a night as of 2026.⁴ Reserve through Recreation.gov.⁵ The Forest Service notes that bears frequent the area.⁴

Bear rules apply here. Under Forest Service Order R1-2023-02, from March 1 to December 31 each year (through 2028), food, garbage and other attractants must be stored in a bear-resistant way whenever you leave them unattended.¹⁵ See wildlife and bear safety for the details.

Other campgrounds within a short drive:

• Placid Lake State Park: see Placid Lake.
• Salmon Lake State Park: see Salmon Lake.
• Lake Inez Campground (USFS): see Lake Inez.
• Lake Alva Campground (USFS): see Lake Alva and Rainy Lake.

Status and closures change. Confirm with the ranger station before you count on a site.

A little history

The lake is named for Jasper B. Seely, who built a cabin in 1881 on what was then called Clearwater Lake. Surveyors later added the extra “e.”¹³ In the early logging era, logs were staged near what is now Big Larch until spring and then driven downriver to the mill at Bonner.¹³ Accounts differ on the year of the timber sale behind those drives, so we leave the date out.

For more on the valley’s past, see our history section.