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PRIEST LAKE – Crystal clear waters surrounded by a pristine forest and mountains has been a tourist destination for many Americans looking for the peace and quiet of lake country life. It’s no different at Priest Lake, considered Idaho’s Crown Jewel.
Nineteen miles long and 300 feet deep, Priest Lake attracts hikers, anglers, and recreational boaters from near and far.
Upper Priest Lake is only accessible by boat or hiking. You can launch a canoe from Beaver Creek Campground on the west side of the lake, or from Lionshead Campground on the East side of the lake.
Lower Priest Lake is where people live and vacation.
Betsy White, age 80, has lived in Priest Lake year-round for nearly 20 years, planting flowers in her garden as well as at local establishments.
“I love living here. It’s ‘brr’ in the winter, but the people keep me around,” she said.
Priest Lake went through a few name changes before settling on its current name.
The native Kalispell tribe referred it as “God’s Country.”
The lake was originally called Roothaan Lake by Father Desmet in 1846 in honor of his Jesuit Superior in Rome. One of the prominent peaks in the Selkirk Range still bears the name Roothaan.
The lake was designated Kaniksu Lake by Captain John Mullan in 1865, “Kaniksu” being the Indian name for Black Robe, for the Catholic missionaries living among them, but the term has never been authenticated.
The name was gradually changed in the early 1900s from Kaniksu Lake to its present name of Priest Lake, which refers to the early-day Jesuit missionary priests who had established a base camp at Kalispell Bay in the 1840s.
Priest Lake was a center for logging before it became a tourist destination.
The lower Priest River was famous in the early days as a log-drive stream. The first recorded drive was in 1901 and the last in 1949. The greatest drive took place in 1931 when 50,000 cedar poles and 125,000,000 board feet or logs were herded down the river by the “river pigs.”
Another local also loves lake life having moved permanently to Priest Lake’s Kalispell Bay three years ago.
Lisa Hillerns had been visiting the lake since she could remember, her parents having bought a house on Priest Lake in the 1970s.
Growing up in Spokane, Hillerns moved to the area because it “felt like home.”
She works at one of the few resorts found on the lake, her husband being a fly-fishing guide part time while working remotely from home.
“Lake life is perfect,” she said. “I water ski, kayak, canoe and swim. Our dog Wallis also loves swimming.”
The Hillerns also own a boat that is docked at the local marina in Coolin.
She admits life at the lake can be challenging at times.
“It can get a little isolating and quiet in the winters. Everything closes,” she said.
“But Priest Lake has grown. There is a lot more development and more owners on the lake. A lot of people coming up results in prices being overblown,” Hillern said. “I don’t like too much growth, but it helps tourism.”
There are stores and restaurants that grew up on the lake catering to locals and the summer crowd including Ardy’s, Moose Knuckle, The Bar Coolin, and the Leornard Paul general store.
Ardy’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner specializing in Thai food on Fridays and a special Vietnamese noodle soup called Pho on Saturdays.
“In the summer, we have huckleberry milkshakes,” owner Goth Ahlefeld said.
The Ahlefelds started their ownership 16 years ago after buying the restaurant from Ahlefeld’s in-laws.
“Our restaurant is casual, laid back and the food is served family style,” she said.
Owners of several commercial properties including the Tamarak grocery store and hardware store, Tracy and Bill Olmo left the Air Force behind them 42 years ago to help Olmo’s parents with their Priest Lake business before taking it over.
Tracy Olmo said summertime is a special time at the lake.
“Summer is a blur. That’s when we make most of our money, but you work from morning to night,” she said.
“It’s a special time for me. It’s like you see the first robin out there and you see the first motor home coming back. It’s great to see those people hoping everyone weathered the winter,” Olmo said.
Olmo said Priest Lake is a tight knit, low key community where people support each other that extends into Priest River Elementary School.
The school is divided into three classes comprised of kindergarten- 2nd grade, 3rd-4th grades, and 5th -6th grades where they get a lot of one-on-one support.
“The school is really special,” she said. “They are taught to be polite and look out for the kid who might have troubles.”
“Those of us who are fortunate to live here year-round are supportive.” Olmo said. “They are also hardy and independent individuals. We go through a lot in the winter because there is more snow than other places.”
To live at Priest Lake is to enjoy nature and the outdoors.
“You just have to have that mentality. If you are a city person who likes to go to the movies and shopping and you like that life, that’s great, but if you want to live up here you like all the outdoor activities,” Olmo said.
“We value our way of life up here. I feel fortunate to be a part of it,” she said.
