How to see the most Bison in North America

Are you wondering How to see the most Bison in North America? The Bison Range located in Charlo Montana, is the one place on earth you are guaranteed to see 200+ Bison. The Bison Range is run by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The range is 18,766-acres and has some excellent views of the surrounding valley. You could easily spend a couple hours to a full day here, depending on your timeline.

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The Bison Range Recent History

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes took over running the Bison Range in 2020. This was restoring the land and the bison back to the Tribes after over 100 years of the Federal Government taking the land within the Flathead reservation.

Driving the Range

The Bison Range has 1 road through the range, there is a paved road Prairie Drive, with a turn back area, or there is a longer Red Sleep Mountain Drive, gravel loop. The gravel loop is a 45 minute drive, only open to residential vehicles, from mid-May to early-December. You cannot drive an RV on the road and there is no shuttle to take you around the park. It is for personal vehicles only. We took a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but never once had to put it in 4-wheel drive. It is a narrow and steep road, but if you feel fairly confident in your driving you can make it up the hill.

The Red Sleep Mountain Drive, is a gravel loop is best in the early morning or early evening for critters, and there are plenty of them to spot. The white-tailed deer, mule deer, red fox, coyote, elk and of course bison. The road has switch-backs and an elevation climb up to 4,885 feet. The road is narrow and a one-way road. It is only open when the weather is good, and 4-wheel drive will help the endeavor.

The Weather

The Bison Range only gets 13 inches of precipitation per year, and the grasslands growing here have adapted to survive in this area. There is a beautiful stream Pauline Creek that runs through the range, has berries growing by it in summer and can be a great place to spot bears.

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All about the views

The High Point has some beautiful forest areas, and there are a couple short hikes you can do if the weather is permitting. Keep in mind that during the day it can get very warm especially during the summer. So even though we would normally want to get out and enjoy the scenery, it feel a little too warm to make it worth it.

Once you come down from the high point, you will really start to see the bison. There are literally so many bison! When the heat kicks up the bison like to roll in the wet clay, to cool off and keep the bugs off.

Safety First

Always stay in your vehicle and keep at least 25 yards away from the bison at all times. It was easy to do, because once we got to the area with all the bison we stayed in our car. The bison are such majestic creatures, and even though this is off the beaten path it is well worth the trip.

The restrooms are back at the visitors center, where you pay your entrance fee for the range.

So many places, so little time! You probably are ready for your next adventure!