CSKT Bison Range

The CSKT Bison Range is a nature reserve of nearly 19,000 acres of bunchgrass prairie, forest and creek bottom near Moiese, at the center of the Flathead Indian Reservation, owned and managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Its herd numbers about 350 bison, and the range also holds elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule and white-tailed deer, black bears, coyotes and more than 200 bird species. Visitors see it from scenic drives: Red Sleep Drive climbs over Red Sleep Mountain, and with the lower Prairie Drive it makes a loop of about 19 miles that takes around two hours.

The story starts with the tribes. Tribal accounts tell of a Pend d'Oreille man named Latati who brought a few orphaned bison calves west to the reservation; they became the core of the Pablo-Allard herd, which grew to around 300 animals. In 1896 half of it was sold to Charles Conrad of Kalispell. The National Bison Range was established in 1908 out of reservation land, without the tribes' consent, and in 1909 the American Bison Society stocked it with 34 bison bought from the Conrad herd. Congress restored the land to the tribes in December 2020, the Bureau of Indian Affairs took it into trust in 2021, and since 2022 the tribes' Natural Resources Department has fully run it. New visitor center exhibits were written with tribal cultural committees.

In summer (May to October) the range is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; the last car may start Red Sleep Drive at 6 p.m. In winter (November to April) it is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Red Sleep Drive is closed and Prairie Drive stays open as weather allows. For 2026 the range expects Red Sleep Drive to close for the winter on Monday, November 2, unless snow arrives earlier. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Federal passes have not been accepted since 2021. A day pass for a personal vehicle is $20, an annual pass is $60, and CSKT members enter free. Vehicles over 30 feet, trailers, motorcycles and bicycles are not allowed on the drives. Stay in or next to your vehicle except on designated trails and picnic areas, keep at least 25 yards from bison and 100 yards from bears, keep pets leashed, and do not fly drones.

Practical tip: call 406-644-2211 or check the range's Facebook page an hour before you set out, since snow or other conditions can close the drives without notice.