Wild About Mars Vista
An easy gateway into the wild.
What is Mars Vista?
Mars Vista is our built-for-anyone, do-it-all property. No matter your skill level, Mars Vista provides opportunities for anyone to get a taste of the prairie. Mars Vista is home to our Antelope Creek Campground, many bird species, prairie dogs, an interpretive trail, and some of the most impressive night skies you’ve ever seen.
Antelope Creek Campground sits just off Highway 191 between mile markers 96 and 97. It’s our most accessible property. You can get here in a sedan, walk a two-mile interpretive trail, and watch prairie dogs from your lawn chair.
This is one of the best stargazing locations in Montana. Minimal light pollution and wide horizons mean the Milky Way is visible on clear nights. Meteor showers out here will take your breath away.
Prairie dogs are permanent residents— you’ll hear them before you see them. The Antelope Creek Wilderness Study Area is accessible through a pedestrian gate just west of the walk-in tent sites, offering coulees, ponderosa pines, and solitude in any direction you walk.
Mars Vista sits near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The towns of Hays and Lodgepole are nearby, as is Mission Canyon in the Little Rocky Mountains. Malta, 60 miles north on 191, has everything you forgot to bring.
Mars Vista Quick Facts
Access
Paved highway. No special vehicle required.
Stay
Cabins, RV sites, tent camping, tipi rental
Best for
First-timers, families, birders, stargazers
Cell Service
Limited — treat it as minimal
Facilities
Full bathhouse, camp host on site
From Lewistown
72 miles north on 191 — about 1 hour
Where We Are
Your on-ramp to the prairie, Mars Vista is located about 9 miles north of the James Kipp Recreation Area. Once you cross the Missouri, and come up out of the bottom, keep your eyes peeled on your left for the signs. When you see the tipi you’ll know you are close.
Click the button below to learn more, hear from other visitors, and book your stay.
Stay Options
Temperature-Controlled Cabins
Air-conditioned in summer, heated in shoulder seasons. A great base camp for multi-day visitors. Book early, they fill up fast.
RV Sites
Hookups available. Open views. Easy access.
Tent Camping
Walk-in and drive-up sites. Bathhouse access. Prairie right outside your tent door.
Tipi Rental — Aaniiih Consulting, LLC
Tipis are available to book through our partnership with Aaniiih Consulting, Hospitality, and Outdoor Adventure, LLC, from the nearby Fort Belknap Indian Community. Experience the Great Plains’ most historic lodging, and consider booking an Indigenous guide to learn more.
Things to Do
Interpretive trail
A 2-mile loop introduces the prairie’s ecology, plants, and wildlife. Good for a first morning in camp.
Antelope Creek WSA
Walk through the pedestrian gate and lose yourself in the coulees, pines, and quiet. Have your field guide handy to check new bird species off your list.
CMR auto-tour
Drive 12 miles into the Charles M. Russell NWR on their all-weather auto-tour route. Learn more about the region at the numerous interpretive signs along the route and view elk along the Missouri in the fall.
Fort Belknap cultural connection
Book a half-day with Aaniiih Nakoda Tours. The prairie has a longer and richer history than any conservation project. Hear it told by the people who’ve lived it.
Missouri River/Fort Peck
This is big water that supports big fish. Paddlefish are a popular species in the spring, or try your luck for channel catfish, smallmouth bass, walleye, and pike.
Fort Belknap Yellowstone Bison herd
Drive north on Hwy 66 for a look at a different bison story — the tribal herd on the Fort Belknap Reservation.
Sample Itinerary
Day
1
Morning
Stop at the Discovery Center in Lewistown and grab a map before heading north. Meet Bandit the black-footed ferret. Snag lunch at L-Town Pizza two doors down.
Day
1
Afternoon + Evening
7 miles south of the campground, pull off at James Kipp Recreation Area to see the Missouri up close. If it’s spring, watch for paddlefish anglers. If it’s fall, watch for elk.
Check in at Antelope Creek Campground. Set up camp or drop bags in your cabin. Walk the interpretive trail before dinner. Eat outside while the prairie dogs serenade you.
Day
2
Up early
Coffee on the prairie. Complementary wake up call courtesy of the prairie dogs; they’re early risers.
Walk through the gate into Antelope Creek WSA. Follow any two-track as long as you want. No destination required.
Bikers or hikers can head 8 miles north to our new trails accessible from Power Plant Ferry Road. Ask the campground hosts for a map.
Day
2
After Lunch
Pack food and drive to Sun Prairie for the afternoon. It’s a 1.5-hour gravel drive from Mars Vista. Walk Box Elder Crossing. Look for bison. Drive back for sunset over the campground.