Travel To Montana

Montana is overloaded with amazing places to witness the beauty of nature and it’s wildlife. With so many mountains, rivers, lakes and forests that seem to have no end, it’s not surprising that Montana has a greater variety of wildlife compared to any other state in the lower 48. The whole state is a natural animal preserve.

Montana currently is home to 51 different wildlife parks and refuges! Visiting a refuge you have the opportunity to visit animals in their natural environment, unlike visiting a zoo which sometimes can be depressing. Refuges usually offer many opportunities for stunning photography, educational opportunities or tours (great for kids!), outdoor activities and sometimes even camping!

Here is a list of The Top 10 Wildlife Parks that you definitely will want to visit in Montana!

10. Freezeout Lake in Fairfield

Freezeout Lake is Montana’s primary snow goose staging area, a place where as many as 300,000 snow geese and 10,000 tundra swans gather and rest before flying onward. In Spring, the snow geese head for Alberta and central Saskatchewan in Canada. There they mass with hundreds of thousands of other snow geese from Texas and other Gulf Coast States. In a series of shorter flights, the geese then make their way to nesting grounds on the wind swept, extreme northwest Arctic coast of Canada. The Snow Geese usually reach Freezeout in early March, where they rest up from a nearly 1,000 mile flight from California. Best viewing of the birds is from sunrise to 10:00am and from 4:30pm until sunset.

9. Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area in Anaconda

Visitors can see elk, white-tailed and mule deer, moose, antelope, and upland birds from roadsides. Black bears are occasionally observed. Nongame and bird-watching opportunities occur yearround. This Wildlife Management Area is home to a variety of songbirds, raptors, waterfowl, and shorebirds. Furbearers, such as beaver, muskrat, and mink, are active along lakes and streams. Martens are common in forests and visitors can see coyotes in all habitats.

8. Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Fort Peck

Those seeking wild game in its natural habitat will be rewarded at the third largest refuge in the continental U.S., Missouri River Country’s Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. It’s 1,100,000 acres! Bugling elk, herds of mule deer, red fox and coyotes call this place home. That doesn’t mean the bird watchers will feel left out! Songbirds, like the mountain bluebird and blackcapped chickadee, are here in abundance. The easiest access to the area is through the Pines Recreation Area, located 30 miles southwest of Fort Peck, Montana. Here, ponderosa pines lend their branches to plentiful avian dwellers, and osprey, spotted sandpipers and white pelicans can be found along the reservoir’s boundaries. Sage grouse may be spotted here, and the rare lucky visitor is privy to their springtime mating ritual.

7. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge in Stevensville

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge is by the Bitterroot River in the scenic and historic Bitterroot Valley of western Montana. Surrounded by the picturesque Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountain Ranges, the Refuge offers spectacular viewing opportunities of the landscape and wildlife. Designated in 1963, the Refuge was created to provide habitats for migratory birds. Its 2,800 acres of lush riparian and wetland habitats attract a variety of wildlife. There are 238 species of birds, 37 species of mammals, and 17 species of reptiles and amphibians that can be found on the Refuge.

6. Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Medicine Lake

Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located on the heavily glaciated rolling plains of northeastern Montana, between the Missouri River and the Canadian Border. The Refuge consists of two tracts - the 31,660 acre north tract, which includes the 8,213 acre Medicine Lake proper, five smaller lakes, and numerous potholes and the smaller 3,264 acre south tract, which contains the 1,280 acre Homestead Lake. Thousands of migrating waterfowl make their summer home at Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Great blue herons, white pelicans, sandhill cranes, grebes and 12 different species of ducks share the prairie lake ecosystem.

5. National Bison Range in Moiese

The National Bison Range is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It was established in 1908 and is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the nation. It recently celebrated it’s 100th birthday on May 23! The 18,500 acre range was established to support a population of American bison. It is home to about 350-500 of these animals. Other large wildlife found on the Range include elk, white-tail and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, black bear, coyote and ground squirrels who share the area with 350 to 500 bison. Over 200 species of birds also call this home including eagles, hawks, meadowlarks, bluebirds, ducks, and geese. Because of its open grasslands, the Bison Range is a place for the public to enjoy some excellent wildlife observation and photography.

4. Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone

Open all year the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center appeals to visitors of all ages. Children have the opportunity to help staff hide food for the bears and learn proper food storage while in bear country. Graphics and up-to-date wildlife information is available for the curious visitor. Early morning and evening visitors may witness the active wolf pack as they howl majestically. Live bird-of-prey and other presentations by a Karelian Bear Dog and staff fill the visitor with the awe that Yellowstone wildlife is so popular for.

3. Wolf Keep Wildlife Sanctuary in Missoula

The Wolf Keep Wildlife Sanctuary is a nonprofit facility located in Montana near the famous Blackfoot River (of ‘A River Runs Through It’ fame). Beginning in 1996 with Carl Bock’s purchase of twelve wooded acres, it has evolved into a scenic and secure home for a pack of gray and arctic wolves. The enclosures cover ten acres. The main enclosure where the pack spends most of their time is a large, forested six-acre hillside.

2. Beartooth Nature Center in Red Lodge

The Beartooth Nature Center is a nonprofit, educational center with over 70 native wild animals that cannot be returned to the wild. This is the only facility of its kind in the state. View native wild and domestic animals. Elk, deer, pronghorns, bear, mountain lions, wolves, bobcat, fox and more.

1. Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone contains more than 2.2 million acres of steaming geysers, thundering waterfalls, crystalline lakes, and panoramic vistas. The world’s most extensive area of geyser activity, harboring more than 10,000 thermal features. Yellowstone is the greatest wildlife sanctuary in the United States, encompassing 3,472 square miles of wondrous beauty. In Yellowstone, you’ll find wildlife species as diverse as trumpeter swans, grizzly bear, elk, bison, wolves and many others!