Hey everyone,

We just got back from our first trip of the summer—to Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge—and wow, what a hidden gem! It's one of those places you don’t hear much about, but once we mentioned we’d been, everyone who had been lit up like, “Oh, that place is amazing!”

Like our visit to Tule Lake NWR, the main draw here is wildlife watching—especially waterfowl. Red Rock Lakes was established back in the 1930s to protect trumpeter swan habitat, nestled in Montana’s remote and stunning Centennial Valley. You’re surrounded by the Madison, Henry’s Lake, and Centennial mountains—it’s beautiful.

We rolled into the Upper Lake campground in the afternoon and found it mostly empty. We snagged a spot, set up camp, and went for a drive to get the lay of the land. The roads are dirt but in decent shape—though some of the less-traveled routes get down to two-track. We rarely encountered another vehicle, which really made it feel like we had the place to ourselves.

On our way out to Lower Lake, we spotted pronghorn, kestrels, and long-billed curlews.

Pronghorn and Henry's Lake MountainsNPS / Jacob W. Frank Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) seaching for food in aNPS / Jacob W. Frank American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and preyNPS / Jacob W. Frank

At the end of the road, there’s a dam, so we parked and wandered along the creek. There were hundreds of birds out in the distance—pelicans, swans, ibis—all just hanging out. We swung by the other campground, too. Great views, but it’s totally exposed and has no water. Probably better suited for an RV or camper setup.

American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and Antone PNPS / Jacob W. Frank Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) reflectionsNPS / Jacob W. Frank American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) and GarfieldNPS / Jacob W. Frank Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)NPS / Jacob W. Frank White-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) at RiverNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Hunger eventually dragged us back to camp, where we made dinner and called it a night. We took the dogs out for a walk and Willy found us a western toad near the edge of the water!

Camp site at Upper Lake CampgroundNPS / Jacob W. Frank Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas)NPS / Jacob W. Frank

The next morning, we slept in a bit and woke up to a full-on bird symphony—robins, swallows, warblers, sparrows, geese, swans, gulls—you name it, it was singing.

Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) perched on a snagNPS / Jacob W. Frank Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Western kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) perched on a wireNPS / Jacob W. Frank Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) singingNPS / Jacob W. Frank Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) perched on a wireNPS / Jacob W. Frank Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)NPS / Jacob W. Frank

After breakfast, we explored the eastern side of the refuge. First cool sighting: a bald eagle chilling near Red Rock Creek. From far away it looked like a stump…until the stump had a white head. Not long after that, we spotted our first short-eared owl of the trip perched on a fence. Lighting was terrible, so we only got ID photos, but still—solid find.

Bald eagle perched along Red Rock CreekNPS / Jacob W. Frank Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) male and femaleNPS / Jacob W. Frank

We stopped at Widgeon Pond for a quick walk and saw some more waterfowl, then continued to Culver Pond. The Centennial Mountains made for an epic backdrop, and along the way—bonus!—we spotted a badger. Unfortunately, it saw us too, and ran off before we could get a good shot. Classic badger move.

American Coot (Fulica americana)NPS / Jacob W. Frank Culver Pond and Mt. JeffersonNPS / Jacob W. Frank Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) takes flightNPS / Jacob W. Frank Elk Creek and the Centennial MountainsNPS / Jacob W. Frank Big sky in Centennial ValleyNPS / Jacob W. Frank

As the day warmed up, we retreated to camp for lunch and naps (we’re experts in the art of field relaxation). Later that evening, we strolled with the dogs out to Sparrow Pond—awesome views, not a ton of wildlife. So, back out to the dam we went for sunset.

View from the Sparrow Pond TrailheadNPS / Jacob W. Frank Sparrow Slough and Lobo MesaNPS / Jacob W. Frank Sparrow Pond Trail and Madison RangeNPS / Jacob W. Frank

On the way there, we noticed a bunch of raptor-sized birds flying low across the fields—very harrier-esque. Once we got close, we saw the flat face and realized: more short-eared owls! Too far for photos again, but good intel for the next morning.

White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) flockNPS / Jacob W. Frank Alpenglow on the Madison RangeNPS / Jacob W. Frank Pronghorn and alpenglow on the Madison RangeNPS / Jacob W. Frank

On the drive back to camp, elk started emerging from the trees like they were clocking in for their night shift.

Sunset over Lower Red Rock LakeNPS / Jacob W. Frank Elk group silhouetted at sunsetNPS / Jacob W. Frank

The next morning, we were up at sunrise on a mission to see a moose—and technically we did, but it was a brief, moose-shaped blur. On our way back to the dam, we finally got a close look at another short-eared owl and finally snapped a decent photo. 

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) perched on a poleNPS / Jacob W. Frank

From there, we headed to the end of the road where we were treated to one of the best swan sightings we've ever had—55 of them on the creek, with more flying in. Steam rose from the water, and the jagged peaks of the Henry’s Mountains glowed in the morning light. It was pure magic.

Trumpeter swans and other waterfolw congregate on Red Rock CreekNPS / Jacob W. Frank Trumpeter swans in flight over Lower Red Rock lakeNPS / Jacob W. Frank Amiercan white pelican flys over Red Rock CreekNPS / Jacob W. Frank Mountain view from Red Rock Creek damNPS / Jacob W. Frank

After soaking it all in, we returned to camp for breakfast and started packing up.

Overall, it was a fantastic recon trip and a super relaxing weekend. The refuge and the surrounding forest seem to have a ton of potential for future adventure. And a bonus: no bugs. We must’ve lucked out and arrived just before the hatch.

If you’re ever in the area, Red Rock Lakes is absolutely worth the detour. We’re already thinking about a return trip.

Red Rock Lakes NWR SignNPS / Jacob W. Frank

Hope you’re all doing well!
 

-Jake