The National Bison Range located in Charlo Montana is a 18500-acre area created to preserve the American Bison. Although primarily created for the preservation of the American Bison it is home to many other types of wildlife. This includes but is not limited to deer, bear, big horn sheep, and hawks.
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Entry & Range Information
The Bison Range is located at 58355 Bison Range Rd. You can take US-93 to Beaverhead Dr and that will lead you to Bison Range Rd. The Bison Range is a pay-to-enter fee-use area. You will need to go to the visitor center to pay. As you enter you can either head off to your left and enter a day-use area or stay to your right and head to the visitor center. You should hit the visitor center first to get your pass. You will need the pass for the day-use area, drive the trails, or both.
How Much Is It?
Prices are always changing. As I always say, check the official website for the most up-to-date information on pricing, alerts, and any other pertinent information. I will leave a link to the website at the end of this article.
The Visitor Center
There is ample parking at the visitor center. There are some cool displays located around the parking area with tons of information on the Bison and the area’s history. There are restrooms located inside as well as more displays telling you about the history of the region. This is where you will purchase the type of pas you want.
Day Use Area
Once you have your pass you can decide whether you want to go to the day-use area or go up the mountain and do one of the mountain drives. If you decide to go to the day-use area, just before you get to the area with the picnic tables there is a small circular pull-off. From here you can access a couple of scenic nature trails. There is also a trail for fishing access. Get your information on what fishing while you are up at the visitor center. You can always do both the driving trail through the range and then come back to the day-use area to picnic. It makes for a great day.
The Picnic Area
The picnic area was made up of covered and uncovered picnic tables. It was a carry-in/carry-out area meaning there were no garbage cans. Whatever garbage you made, you took with you when you left. There were also small buildings throughout the area that housed pit toilets. The trails and picnic area were located along the Flathead River.
The Driving Roads
As you leave the visitor center and head for the trails you have a few choices. The first one that comes up is the West Loop. This one is just a short trail that goes into a field and loops back to the main road. You can do this one real quick and then hop back on the Red Sleep Dr trail. The west loop will display native vegetation.
2 Main Driving Roads
Besides the West Loop Road, there are two other roads/trails you can drive on. Red Sleep Dr is the longer one and winds its way up, around, and down the mountain. They will not allow you to start this drive after 6 pm. This road is also closed from mid-October to mid-May. The back end of that road (the lower part) is called Buffalo Prairie Drive. It’s a short in-and-out road and is open all year.
Red Sleep Mountain Drive
This road is the main road and the star of the show. It will wind around one side of the mountain and loop you back down the mountain on the other side. This road was amazing. Not to worry. It’s a solid road that just about any vehicle can manage. This road will not only wind through all kinds of local vegetation it will treat you to some amazing mountaintop views of the area including the Flathead River.
Bison Sighting
As you wind your way through the mountain you will more than likely come across heard of Bison. Of course, it’s always better to view from your car because any animal can be unpredictable (never get out and try and get up close to wild animals) but you can grab some great photos and videos because there are no fence restrictions. They wander all over the fields, and sometimes the roads…lol. These Bison are not specific to any one part of the trail. You might see them at any part.
Bitterroot Trail
After driving about halfway through there is a place to pull off, park, and walk a small trail. This trail will take you to an area where you can find the Bitterroot, the state’s official flower. The best time to see this plant in full bloom is in May or June. It opens its flowers in the morning and closes them on sunny afternoons and evenings. While on this short trail always be aware of animals in the area. I did not encounter any here.
Onward
After getting back in the car you will wind your way through the rest of the trail. As you come down the backside of the mountain pay attention because this is where I saw some bears!!! The bison were still there of course but there were 2 bears just wandering around enjoying the sunny day. Of course, they drew a large crowd of people who thankfully were smart enough to stay in their vehicles and observe.
The Final Section
The final section of the road follows along the Flathead River. This part of the trail is also part of the Buffalo Prairie Drive Trail. On this road/trail, you will drive in and then back out. You will not go up the mountainside and back down. Just because this is a shorter road, don’t think you won’t see anything. There were plenty of Bison in this area too.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed this adventure so much that we actually came back a second time while we were staying in the area. When my daughter came to visit from New York, we took her!!! This is a great way to spend all or part of the day. There is no physical activity per se so anyone can enjoy this. The trails/roads are hard enough that just about any vehicle can navigate them. There are no restrooms along the trails so make sure you utilize the ones in the visitor center. As you might have guessed, if I were to be back in that area of Montana, I would definitely come back here again.
National Bison Range Official Website
Check Out My Video On The National Bison Range On YouTube
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