Completed in 1953, Hungry Horse Dam is Montanas'highest and the eleventh largest concrete dam in the U.S. Just a stone's throw from Glacier National Park's west entrance is the 564-foot Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir. The project, located on the South Fork of the Flathead River, was authorized to help prevent the recurring spring floods on the Columbia and Flathead rivers and to alleviate the annual winter power shortage in the Pacific Northwest. The visitor center is located at the dam where guided tours begin. The dam and reservoir are surrounded by spectacular mountains, offering excellent fishing and hiking in the immediate area. The Hungry Horse Project received its name from two husky freight horses working in the rugged wilderness of the Flathead River's South Fork area. They wandered away from their sleigh during the severe winter of 1900-01. After struggling for a month in belly-deep snow, they were found so starved and weak that considerable care and feeding were needed to nurse them back to health. The name Hungry Horse stuck and was given to a mountain, a lake, a creek, the dam and the project. Click here for more information.