You Can 'Land Snorkel' at This Secret Prairie Paradise-and It's One of the Most Peaceful Places in the U.S.

"Between the marquee peaks of Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks lies a stretch of prairie where the land rolls wide and unbroken, and the only crowds are herds of bison. It is a landscape that's bookended by national parks that are inundated with visitors, but it couldn't be more different. In the great American Prairie, visitor centers and vending machines are replaced with solitude and silence-and the occasional pronghorn sighting."

"The American Prairie stretches across central and northeastern Montana. Eventually, it will become one of the largest nature reserves in the U.S., protecting around 3.2 million acres of shortgrass prairie. For some, the prairie is thought to be a flat, "boring" swath of land-but those who know know it is a complex, endangered ecosystem with a long human history involving both homesteaders and Indigenous peoples."

"The National Discovery Center is a good place to start your time in the American Prairie. There, you can talk to the experts and map out your day. The prairie is known for its wide open space, which includes a national monument and wildlife refuges that house herds of elk and pronghorn. Birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons, circle overhead, while bison gather to compete for mates (around August) or to calve (which usually takes place in April)."

The American Prairie stretches across central and northeastern Montana and is slated to protect about 3.2 million acres of shortgrass prairie. The landscape offers wide, rolling grasslands where bison roam alongside elk, pronghorn, and numerous birds of prey. Seasonal behaviors include bison mating in August and calving in April. The National Discovery Center provides information and trip planning. Visitors are encouraged to wander off trail and practice "land snorkeling," a slow, exploratory wandering to savor unnoticed aspects of nature. The reserve supports gravel biking opportunities and preserves a complex, endangered ecosystem with a deep human history involving homesteaders and Indigenous peoples.

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