Payette Lake on the shores of McCall, Idaho

Payette Lake is a 5,330 acre expanse of clean, glacial water at an elevation of about 5,000 feet in the forests of Idaho. Over 10,000 years ago Payette Lake was carved out by a glacier 1,000 ft high, 2.5 miles wide and 8 miles long. At its deepest point the lake is 392 ft deep.

Payette Lake offers excellent boating and several sandy beaches all with the backdrop of spectacular mountain scenery. Locals and tourists alike enjoy playing on the lake and there are several events held each year. The Payette Cup Regatta is usually held during the first weekend of June.

Half of the lake is protected as part of Ponderosa State Park which offers over 1000 acres of natural wilderness, camp sites, hiking trails and unspoiled beauty on the peninsula jutting out into the center of Payette Lake.

Sharlie, Payette Lake's fictional "Loch Ness" monster, has been a part of McCall fantasy and lore since his first sighting in 1920. Some of the locals think Sharlie is nothing more than an ancient Sturgeon or other kind of fish. With 8 square miles to swim in we think our pristine, deep, glacial lake deserves to have it's own version of a sea monster!

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