Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge, Marion, MT
Marion, MT
A hidden valley of wetlands and grass tucked into the Salish Mountains, set aside for the animals and for a night sky so dark the Milky Way spills from edge to edge.
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge is a hidden valley of wetlands, grassland, and forest folded into the Salish Mountains of northwestern Montana. It was set aside for wildlife, and it feels like it. Waterfowl paddle the marshes, sandhill cranes nest in the grass, and deer, elk, and moose move through at dawn and dusk. There are no crowds here, no shops, no bright lights. Just a quiet green bowl of a valley with the mountains standing guard around it.
That absence of light is exactly why the refuge became a certified Dark Sky Sanctuary, one of the darkest places in Montana. Stargazers rate how dark a sky is on a scale from 1 to 9, called the Bortle scale, where a bright city is a 9 and the wildest skies are a 1 or 2. Out here, with no town glow for miles, the stars come out by the thousands and the Milky Way, the glowing band of our own galaxy, stretches clear across the sky. The same darkness that helps the animals also gives visitors one of the finest night skies in the state.
What Guests Love
- A truly dark sky where the Milky Way arches overhead on clear nights
- Wide wetlands and prairie alive with waterfowl, sandhill cranes, and grazing deer and elk
- The deep quiet of a place set aside for animals, far from any town
- The ring of the Salish Mountains rising around a hidden green valley
Worth Knowing
- This is a working wildlife refuge, open during daylight hours, with few facilities and no services
- The last several miles in are gravel road that can turn to mud in spring and snow in winter
- It is remote; bring water, a full tank of gas, and everything you need for the day
- Give the wildlife plenty of room, and note that grizzly and other bears live in this country
Details
Marion, MT
Learn about Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge
From cattle ranch to wildlife refuge
Long before it was a refuge, this was ranch country. Settlers reached Pleasant Valley in the late 1800s and ran cattle here for more than a hundred years, and for a time the property was known as Lost Trail Ranch. The valley's wetlands and open grass, so good for wildlife, once fed herds of cows.
The land became a refuge in 1999. Much of it was set aside to make up for wetland habitat lost elsewhere in the region, part of a wider effort to protect the marshes and grasslands that waterfowl and other animals depend on. Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages it not as a park to develop but as a home for wildlife, which is why it stays so wild and so quiet.
A valley of wetlands and grass
Pleasant Valley is a broad green basin crossed by Pleasant Valley Creek and cradled by the Salish Mountains, whose forested ridges rise a few thousand feet above the valley floor. The refuge holds a patchwork of wetlands, native prairie, and stands of pine, larch, and fir, the kind of mix that supports a lot of different animals in a small space.
At the heart of it is Dahl Lake, a shallow lake left behind by glaciers long ago. It was drained down to a fraction of its old size in the middle of the last century, and restoring its wetlands is part of the refuge's ongoing work. Water is the reason so much life gathers here, and bringing it back is the reason the refuge exists.
The animals of Lost Trail
This valley is rich with wildlife. White-tailed and mule deer, elk, moose, and black bear all live here, and the surrounding country is home to grizzly bears and gray wolves as well. Smaller, shyer animals move through the forest too, including fisher, marten, bobcat, and the rare Canada lynx and wolverine.
The wetlands draw birds in great numbers. More than a dozen kinds of ducks and geese use the marshes, along with grebes, herons, and sandhill cranes that nest and raise their young here. The refuge is a special place after dark as well, with many kinds of owls and bats that come alive at night, a fitting match for its dark and starry sky.
Flathead country all around
Lost Trail sits in the wider Flathead Valley, one of the loveliest corners of Montana. To the east lies Kalispell, the valley's hub and the nearest full-service town, a good base for gas, food, and a bed. Beyond it the country opens onto big water and big mountains.
Flathead Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, spreads across the valley to the southeast, and the resort town of Whitefish sits to the northeast at the foot of its ski mountain. Farther on lies the great wall of Glacier National Park. The refuge is the quiet, hidden heart of a region full of famous places, and its dark sky is one of the best reasons to seek it out.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Marion
Kalispell
About 40 miles east
The hub of the Flathead Valley and the nearest full-service town, a good base for supplies, lodging, and the drive on toward Glacier country.
Flathead Lake
About 45 miles southeast
The largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States, ringed by cherry orchards and small towns, popular for boating and lakeside drives.
Whitefish
About 50 miles northeast
A lively resort town on Whitefish Lake with a walkable downtown and a ski mountain rising just above it.