Lion Lake Dam

About Lion Lake Dam

The primary purpose of Lion Lake Dam is recreation. The dam creates a reservoir used for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming. The dam is owned by Usda Fs (federal). It impounds the Whelp Creek near Hungry Horse.

The dam stands 22 feet tall and stretches 200 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 43 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 1,621 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 200 square miles. Completed in 1948, the structure is well-established, with more than 75 years of service.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam. The most recent inspection on record was 07/08/2016. That was 9 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Montana dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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