WA to MT / National Bison Range

Canadian Rockies Road Trip, Days 21 & 22 | Driving from Newport, WA to Hamilton, MT | Kayaking on the Bull River | The National Bison Range | June 2023

After camping near the reservoir at Campbell Park, we got back on the road heading South. We met up with WA-20, which was the same route we took with my parents 2 years ago, and continued on to Newport. Here we stopped to pick up some groceries — mostly fresh produce that we couldn’t have crossed the border with — then entered into Idaho. We followed our route from 2021 until we came to Sandpoint, then began heading Southeast on 200 into Montana along the North side of Lake Pend Orielle. 

Once we crossed into Montana, we sought out a free boondocking site that Curtis had saved near another hyrdo-electric plant. However, when we came to the turn off, we decided the road looked a little too rough for our liking, so instead we backtracked a bit to the Bull River Campground in Kootenai National Forest. There was a small fee to camp here, but we figured it was worth it because we could also fill up on water.

The campground was pretty empty, at least in the loop we had chosen, so we enjoyed a quiet afternoon by the river getting some work done and relaxing. Eventually, we decided to get out the kayak and put in to the river right from our campsite. We paddled upstream on Bull Creek as far as we could until the water became too shallow, then turned around and headed in the opposite direction. We saw some pretty red ducks on our ride — a mama and her ducklings. We paddled down to the MT-200 bridge and where the creek meets the reservoir only to find the water much rougher, then turned back and finished up our ride. 

The next morning, we continued on MT-200, enjoying the quiet highway and getting a couple new counties. For today’s main activity, Curtis had seen that the National Bison Preserve was on our route and that it offered both a scenic drive and a hike to a peak that would count towards his peak bagging goal, so we diverted briefly from the highway to visit. After years of legal wrangling, the National Bison Preserve, which was created in the early 1900’s to preserve the last remnants of the once great bison herds, has officially been turned over from the Fish and Wildlife Service to the local tribes – a step in the right direction in our opinion. After paying the admission fee, we began on the 2 hour long scenic drive. The drive makes a big loop through the preserve, and goes up to near the top of the peak Curtis wanted to hike today, then goes down the other side. The road is gravel and mostly well maintained, though it gets pretty steep when going up and down the mountain, and the road is one way so there’s no turning back if you get scared.

We began driving up the hill, following long switchbacks up the side. It didn’t take too long for us to spot a herd of bison. They were just hanging out in the road, so we had to sit and wait for them to decide to move. A calf decided this was the best time to start nursing, right in the middle of the road. Eventually they all cleared and we continued on our way.

When we were at the top of the hill, we parked in the small trailhead and began making our way up to the summit. The trail was wide and the elevation gradual, so it was really just a pleasant stroll to the top. The views were great the whole way, as were the wildflowers along the trail. There were lots of signs talking about the glacial history of the area and how once the peak we were on was just an island in the middle of an enormous glacial lake (Lake Missoula) until one of the glacial walls collapsed and the lake drained out to the West. We made it to the summit and relaxed at the picnic table for a while before making our return trip seeing even more bison and a couple elk and pronghorn along the way.

After that, we continued on MT-200 South to Missoula, then continued heading South up the Bitterroot valley. For the first time on this trip, our first attempt at finding a campground for tonight was a bust, as the area only had 6 sites which were all taken, but we found a dispersed site further South along Lost Horse Road. We set up here and got Charlotte settled, then Curtis decided to attempt to hike to a nearby peak. We noted that the skies were turning grey, but the National Weather Service report on our radio said there would be a little time before the rain began.

Curtis: I didn’t really have a definitive goal in mind for my hike, except maybe to see if I could get cell reception further up the slope for a meeting I had the next day, so I more or less followed the path of least resistance up the slope. A bit of old 4×4 trails, a couple old road cuts, and when those petered out, just straight bushwhacking. It was hard work, and honestly a bit pointless. I eventually made it above the tree line, enough to get reception and a few views, and then I looked at the topo maps and confirmed that I was nowhere near any peaks. With the promised rain coming in, I made my way back down which is equally hard and probably doubly dangerous. But I made it down mostly dry, without any broken bones, and without scaring any bears.

Jess: Once Curtis returned, the rain began, and continued to rain off and on throughout the evening. We stayed safe and dry, and enjoyed our night in this isolated spot.