Remnants of the native grasslands that once covered the Great Plains now occur mainly in broad arid, low elevation basins. Bluebunch wheatgrass, fescues and needlegrasses dominate these areas. Although primarily found on the park's east side, they move quickly into areas soon after a forest fire, as at Polebridge where the Red Bench fire decimated the forest in 1988. Wildflowers thrive in these grasslands, the blossoming peaking in May and June in the lower elevations. Common species are yarrow, fleabane, potentilla, cinquefoil, spirea, locoweed and lupine.
Wild geranium is a major food item for elk and white-tailed deer.
This is also the habitat for badger, coyote, savannah sparrow and chipping sparrows, northern harrier, and prairie falcon. Two Dog Flat provides a splendid grassland wildflower display peaking in June, with pasque flower, lupine, Indian paintbrush, gaillardia, asters and shooting stars in abundance. Exotic weed species have infested many of these prairies especially east of the divide where forage grasses have been extensively planted for livestock grazing. Sagebrush, symbol of the romantic Western movie set, also grows in this environment and is common east of the divide, and found in a few spots west of the divide at Round Prairie and other areas along the Inside North Fork Road. Glacier Country heavily depends on this wealth of natural treasures to support its economic activities including farming, ranching, timber harvesting, tourism, and outdoor recreation.