A jointly managed viewing area is just off US Highway 93 on the east side of the reservoir, about 0.75 mile south of the junction with Secondary Route 212 (the road to the Bison Range). An access road and paved trail provide for waterfowl and shorebird viewing; the trail is barrier-free.

Ninepipe is a prime nesting habitat for numerous bird species such as the Grebe, Canada Geese, Bittern, Great Blue Heron and various species of ducks. Nesting platforms for Ospreys at one end of the lake provide added habitat for this predatory species. Muskrat Badgers and Porcupines live within the refuge and Grizzly bears have been known to venture out of the Mission Range mountains onto the refuge.