The Lake McDonald Lodge, initially known as the Lewis Glacier Hotel. was the second hotel on the site. The first, the Snyder Hotel, was built by George Snyder in 1895. It was accessed by s steamboat that ran the 10 miles (16 km) from the Apgar area to the hotel, preceded by a two-mile trip on a horse-drawn carriage and a ferry trip over the Middle Fork Flathead River.