One of our spring traditions is going to the National Bison Range near Moiese, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, where there are always plenty of wildflowers and wild things to see.
Recently, my mom was visiting us and got to see her first Montana bear!
We've always gone as early as possible in the day, in hopes of catching the animals before heat sets in, but this time decided to try early evening. After a short stop at the visitor center and turtle pond, we began the scenic 19-mile Red Sleep Mountain Drive.
At the start, we took a short detour around the West Loop, and caught sight of a pronghorn antelope backed by the majestic Mission Mountains.
The main drive travels counterclockwise, roughly south, east, north then west. After a short climb, the road drops into the Pauline Creek drainage and continues uphill past the prairie and into the trees near the top. Here, there's the short Bitterroot Trail, which you can walk out to a small, rocky point where the state flower blooms in abundance.
On the way back to our vehicle, I stopped to take a picture of a flower. After a few minutes of trying to get it right, I heard a low rumble and the faint shout of my name. When I turned, I saw a black bear cub scrambling down the hill past me and through a fenceline. Startled, I turned back looking for Jen, who shouted my name, but first saw the cub's mother uphill a short distance and looking at me. I slowly backtracked on the trail as the bear watched - switching my camera lenses while doing so - until I found Jen and Mom. The bear came in our direction, keeping its distance, but soon lost interest and began turning over rocks in search of a bite to eat. We photographed it as it circled and eventually made its way down into the trees.
Back in our SUV, we continue to the top of the drive, where there's an expansive view of the Mission Valley and surrounding mountains. Another short trail leaves from here, but we continued on after a few photos.
As we drove back down the mountain, we saw some bison in the distance, but never up close. Once at the bottom, we crossed the prairie to Mission Creek, where we found a small gang of elk resting and eating. Our last sighting on the way back was a pronghorn doe and fawn, the young one being a rare sight.
Between the animals of the Bison Range and a few short wildflower hikes earlier during her visit, Mom boarded the plane the next day having had a full Montana experience!
See more pictures of the National Bison Range.
Distance: The Red Sleep Mountain Drive is 19 miles. Near the top are the short Bitterroot and High Point trails.
Location: From Missoula, drive 35 miles north on U.S. Highway 93 to Ravalli, then turn west on Highway 200. After about 6 miles, turn north on Highway 212 and drive about 4 1/2 miles to the entrance at Moiese.
