Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge is an 8,834-acre (3,575 ha) National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in Montana. Established in 1999, it is one of the newest National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The refuge was originally a sprawling horse and cattle ranch dating back to the late 19th century and was known as the Lost Trail Ranch. The refuge consists of prairie and wetlands, and has a wide diversity of plant and animal species, including over 100 species of birds such as canada geese, sandhill crane, wood duck, green-winged teals and herons. Several species of grouse also inhabit the refuge. Predatory bird species such as the great horned owl and red-tailed hawk are also found here.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Wildlife Refuge |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Montana |
| Size | 8,907 acres |
| FWS region | Region 6 |
| Center point | 48.18° N, 114.89° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Most refuges do not allow overnight camping. The campgrounds listed are outside the refuge.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedTl Tiny Timber Landing Piles Rx
23 mi from the center point
- PrescribedTl Blessed Be Landing Piles Rx
26 mi from the center point
- PrescribedStw New Acquisition Rx
30 mi from the center point
- PrescribedRx Pln Rocky Swamp
47 mi from the center point · 10 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Guidebooks for Montana
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- Best Backpacking Trips in Montana, Wyoming, and ColoradoMike White and Douglas Lorain, 2019Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge?
8,907 acres.
Source: How acreage is computed
Who manages Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
What state is Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge in?
Montana.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge?
The refuge page says whether camping is allowed here. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge?
A point inside the boundary is at 48.179° N, 114.892° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Is there a fire near Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Tl Tiny Timber Landing Piles Rx at 23 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Sources
- Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
- States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
- Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
- Photograph: the image Wikidata records for this refuge (Q6684275), the item linked to its Wikipedia article. Author and license come from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
- Description: Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.