Lamar Valley

Welcome to the sweeping expanse of the Lamar Valley. As you look out across this vast, glacially carved landscape, you are witnessing what many ecologists and wildlife biologists refer to with deep reverence as the American…

As we move further into the valley, we arrive at a site of immense historical significance: the Lamar Buffalo Ranch. To understand the weight of this specific location, we must step back in time to the turn of the twentieth…

We now direct our attention toward the area known as Slough Creek, a pristine tributary that meanders down into the Lamar Valley. Slough Creek is not only a popular campground for wilderness seekers, but it is also the historic…

To truly appreciate the Lamar Valley, one must look beyond the individual species and understand the complex web of interactions that bind them together. When we look at the grazing elk and the wandering coyotes, we are observing…

For those who choose to leave the safety of the paved roads and venture onto the backcountry paths like the Lamar River Trail, the valley reveals an entirely different, intensely visceral personality. Hiking here is unlike hiking…

It is practically impossible to travel through the Lamar Valley without encountering its most abundant and imposing residents: the American bison. You will frequently find yourself caught in what locals affectionately call a…

For a slight deviation from the expansive, arid grasslands of the main valley floor, we turn our attention to the Trout Lake trail, situated near the northeastern edge of the Lamar Valley. This particular hike offers a…

As our time exploring the magnificent Lamar Valley draws to a close, it is important to reflect on the immense, hidden forces that make all of this possible. We have spoken of the herds of bison, the cunning of the coyotes, the…