American Prairie Reserve, Nature reserve in Montana, United States

American Prairie is a prairie-based nature reserve in Central Montana, on shortgrass prairie with migration corridors and native wildlife. As of 2025 its habitat base covers 603,657 acres, including 167,070 deeded acres and 436,587 leased acres of public land. Within large fenced areas the reserve is developing a bison herd with attention to heritage genetics and minimal cattle introgression.

The American Prairie Foundation began buying land in 2004 to assemble the reserve. The land had been shaped by the 1862 Homestead Act, which granted parcels to settlers who built homes and ranches, and by the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, which regulated grazing on federal rangeland. Crested wheatgrass was introduced in the 1930s as cattle forage.

The reserve sits on the traditional lands of the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains, who hunted bison and pronghorn here. Visitors can see wildlife-friendly fencing that lets pronghorn move naturally, and prairie dog towns among the native vegetation. The reserve invites neighbouring ranchers to follow wildlife-friendly standards on their own parcels.

Buffalo Camp provides 13 camping spots with tent platforms, basic facilities, and space for small groups. Bring water and supplies with you, as the nearest stores are far away and weather on the open prairie can change rapidly throughout the day.

In 2023, a grizzly bear was photographed on the reserve, a rare sign that large predators are returning to this grassland region. This sighting shows that restoring wild areas allows big animals to come back to places they had abandoned long ago.