We left Lolo and drove 40 minutes south to Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge.
I suggest you start at the visitor center for trail maps and also to view birds and mammals commonly seen in the refuge.
Lee Metcalf
2019 Price: Free
There are two main areas for wildlife walks:
Kenai Nature Trail
Kenai is a 1.25-mile trail that starts behind the visitor center. There is a paved loop nearest the center and then a narrower dirt path leading away from the center.
A pond is located directly behind the visitor center, and it had several ducks when we arrived.
You are treated to delightful views of the Bitterroot Mountains along the Bitterroot River.
Two wooden bridges also dot the trail over riverbeds. There are two photo blinds just off the trail, closer to the ponds.
The path switches from dry meadows to lush wetlands with cattails and then back again.
I spotted a feather in the meadow with just the right light on it and couldn’t resist a photo.
We saw ducks, geese, goldfinches, robins, black-billed magpies, and cedar waxwings. Just as we made the turnaround to head back to the visitor center, two sandhills cranes landed behind us.
There were dozens of grasshoppers, bees, dragonflies, damselflies, and pine white butterflies.
Thistle and berries were scattered along the path.
Wildlife Viewing Area
The main wildlife viewing area can be accessed via Wildfowl Lane off the Eastside Highway. This country road loops through the refuge. The viewing area has its own large gravel parking lot.
There are multiple trails in the viewing area, totaling 2.5 miles. A half-mile paved path is just off the parking lot. The rest of the trails are soil or gravel. These wander through the forest and along the riverfront.
We hiked the Metcalf, Slough, and Ponderosa trails. Ponderosa is the longest and is located closest to the parking lot.
We saw robins and black-capped chickadees, squirrels, and grasshoppers.
We preferred the Kenai Trail – it was a more active path, both in terms of the walk and wildlife we saw.
From Lee Metcalf we headed to nearby Stevensville, Montana off Highway 93 and ate lunch at Frontier Café. The café had downhome cooking and an open table setup. I had a Southwest Chicken Wrap which was tasty. A pair of gentlemen sat at the table next to us, looked at our food, and ordered the same thing.
We then headed to Missoula to our new hotel.
Days Inn by Wyndham Missoula
2019 Price: $105 for one night
I’d love to explore Montana, it’s nice to get some ideas on where to go while I am there. Thanks!!