Western Montana Nature & Wildlife

The forests around Missoula, Montana remain as one of the few wilderness areas in the country to still champion the true idea of nature. On any given day you can witness the same diversity of wildlife that Lewis and Clark experienced when they wandered through in 1805.

The surrounding Lolo National Forest does not treat nature like a cheap approximation. Plants and animals abound along its 1,800 miles of trails. Great blue herons thrive in the marshes, along the ponds and rivers. Migratory songbirds, including yellow warblers, can be seen and heard chorusing in the cottonwoods along the streams. Osprey, nature's version of dive bombers, patrol the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Rivers for trout. And red-naped sapsuckers, wood ducks, American redstarts, red-winged blackbirds and saw-whet owls also crowd Missoula's airspace, making the area bird-spectacular.

Moose, elk, deer, antelope, mountain lions and black bear populate the forests. Grizzly bears also reside among the ponderosa pines and western larches, although they are more commonly seen about 40 miles northeast of Missoula in the Seeley Lake region off of Route 83. Bighorn Sheep roam the high country and can best be spotted during spring at the Rock Creek viewing area east of Missoula. And 36 miles north of town, along Route 93, lies the National Bison Range, one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the country. Here you can follow a dirt road through a sprawling meadow and witness up to 500 free-roaming bison.