Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Covering 12,383 acres (19 square miles), Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located on the western edge of the northern Great Plains, 50 miles east of the Rocky Mountains and 12 miles north of Great Falls, Montana. Despite its name, Benton Lake is actually a 5,000-acre shallow wetland created by the last continental glacier thousands of years ago.

To get to the Refuge, follow Highway 87 (Havre Highway) north out of Great Falls for about a mile and turn left onto Bootlegger Trail. Go about 9 miles to the well-marked Refuge entrance on the left.