Montana's Smallest Wilderness

Within the boundaries of Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Montana lies the Medicine Lake Wilderness Area.

The refuge was established in 1935 to provide breeding and stop-over habitat for birds.

“The refuge was established for migratory birds,” refuge manager Michelle Chappell said.

More than four decades later, a portion of the refuge was designated as a wilderness area by a bill passed in Congress in 1976.

Medicine Lake Wilderness is Montana’s smallest wilderness area, covering 11,366 acres.

The wilderness area is divided into two units: the main waterbody of the lake and the Sandhills Unit.

Most of Medicine Lake itself is included in wilderness boundary. A small portion of the lake, west of Highway 16, is not included in the wilderness boundary. The wilderness also includes the natural islands in the lake.

The Sandhills Unit, located southeast of the lake, is made up of rolling hills and large sand deposits. Sand dunes in the area range between 20 and 40 feet in height, according to Wilderness.net.

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