---
template: byway.jade
id: "2135"
name: Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway
distance: "67"
duration: Allow 2 hours.
description: "Highlighting the southern half of Lake Koocanusa, the Byway connects the towns of Libby and Eureka along U.S. 37."
contact: "**[Kootenai National Forest](http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/kootenai/)**  \r\n 406-293-6211  \r\n\r\n"
path: 
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websites: 
  - url: "http://www.fs.usda.gov/flathead/"
    name: Flathead National Forest
  - url: "http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/US_National_Forest/mt_koote.HTM"
    name: Kootenai
  - url: "http://www.co.kootenai.id.us/"
    name: "Kootenai Country, Idaho"
  - url: "http://www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai/"
    name: Kootenai National Forest
  - url: "http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/kootenai/about/forest/featured_areas/koocanusa_byway.shtml"
    name: "Kootenai National Forest- Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway"
  - url: "http://www.libbynordicfest.org"
    name: Nordicfest
designations: 
  - National Forest Scenic Byway
  - Alaska State Scenic Byway
states: 
  - MT
ll: 
  - -115.55577900040055
  - 48.388271000106556
bounds: 
  - - -115.55577900040055
    - 48.36226999986059
  - - -115.05742600000985
    - 48.90536899977951

---

Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway, in the Kootenai National Forest in northwestern Montana, was created in 1992 to become the Northern Region's 5th scenic byway.  It follows the Kootenai River and Lake Koocanusa via State Highway No. 37.  Open year-round, this 67-mile route connects Libby and Eureka.  The byway also includes a side loop (Forest Development Road No. 228) around the west side of the lake, a more leisurely, two-lane, paved route that is closed in winter. Lake Koocanusa was formed behind Libby Dam which was completed in 1974.  The lake extends 90 miles north from the dam into British Columbia.  The scenic byway highlights the southern half of the reservoir.

To the untrained ear, Koocanusa sounds much like a Kootenai Indian word.  However, it is a modern creation.  When the dam was under construction, the Corps of Engineers conducted a contest to name the lake.  A woman from Eureka, Montana, won the contest by taking the first three letters from the words Kootenai and Canada and adding USA to create the name Koocanusa.

The Kootenai River and Lake Koocanusa dominate the landscape of this scenic byway corridor.  The lake cuts a narrow fjord-like gorge between the Purcell Mountains and the Salish Mountains.  Rock outcrops and ledges provide habitat for bighorn sheep, seen frequently along the byway.  The surrounding Kootenai National Forest provides habitat for wildlife of all kinds.

Recreational opportunities like camping, fishing, boating, and sightseeing at the area's ghost towns, Libby Dam, and lookouts, abound.

Surrounded by the unique culture and scenic wonders of the area, the Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway is as original as its name.
