Last weekend for long drive at Bison Range

 This weekend  provides the final opportunity this year for the public to take the 19-mile Red Sleep Mountain Drive at the National Bison Range.

Starting Tuesday, Oct. 11, it will be closed for the winter.

Red Sleep Mountain Drive is a one-way gravel road that gains 2,000 feet and provides access to the high country of the National Bison Range.

Wildlife viewing abounds the entire length, with mule deer in the brushy areas of Pauline Creek, pronghorn antelope in the open grasslands and whitetail deer along Mission Creek. Elk can also be seen throughout the refuge.

Visitors are reminded to stay at their vehicles along the drive, but there are two short walks to take near the top. The Bitterroot Trail is a half-mile round-trip and fairly level, and the 1-mile round-trip High Point Trail consists of the service road to the very highest elevation of the range. Besides great views of the Mission Valley, you may catch a glimpse of bighorn sheep along the way.

The main gate opens at 7 a.m. but you need to start Red Sleep by 6 p.m. to be able to finish before the gate closes at dark.

After Red Sleep closes, the Winter Drive opens for the rest of the year.

The Bison Range closes to all public use at night.  

The Visitor Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the holiday weekend. Fees are charged when Red Sleep Mountain Drive is open. Visitors should stop at the Visitor Center to pay. If you arrive early, before the Center is open for the day, feel free to go on the drives but pay the fee at the Visitor Center on your way out. Fees are $5 per vehicle per day and there is a Bison Range Season Pass available for $15.

After Red Sleep closes, the Winter Drive opens for the rest of the year.

During the winter, the Visitor Center will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. but will be closed weekends and holidays. Fees are not charged for the Winter Drive.