Missoula
University town combines fun in the outdoors with the culture of the big city.
Missoula is a laid-back Western town with a lot of history. It is in the Northern Rockies, surrounded by national forests and mountain ranges, and at the point where three rivers meet. There are many ways to enjoy the town’s diverse culture scene and the great outdoors.
Go back in time
People who come to Missoula can learn about the experiences of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, two famous explorers whose famous trip through the area in the early 1800s is marked by a number of landmarks. Visit the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, a historic house that was built as a military post in 1877. Take a walk of Montana’s best-preserved ghost town, Garnet, which is east of Missoula. In the late 1800s, gold miners and their families lived and worked there.
Make up your own fish story.
In the 1992 hit movie “A River Runs Through It,” Brad Pitt played the lead role. The story is set in Missoula and is centered around fly-fishing in the Blackfoot River. But this town is crossed by more than one river. The Bitterroot, Clark Fork, and Rock Creek all flow through it. There are a number of companies that give fishing tours and charters.
Guides show you the best places to fish and teach you how to throw a fly, which helps you catch trout, walleye, whitefish, and other fish. Flathead Lake, Frenchtown Pond State Park, Georgetown Lake, Placid Lake State Park, Seeley Lake, and Salmon Lake State Park are some other great places to fish close.
Wildlife and the Great Outdoors
In Lolo National Forest’s Rattlesnake National Recreation Area, you can find a beautiful trail that leads to a group of mountain lakes. Elsewhere in the forest, depending on the season, you can camp, ride horses, ride bikes, ski, or snowmobile on Lolo Peak. You can float down one of three rivers on a tube. Mount Jumbo or the switchback up to the big “M” on Mount Sentinel are great paths to take. Get a bucket and go pick huckleberries, but watch out for bears. Need more fun outside? You can ski at the Montana Snowbowl and mountain bike and zip line in the summer.
A center for culture in the area
The arts, culture, and literature scenes in this college town are very active. There are farm-to-table restaurants, local coffee shops and roasters, craft breweries and distilleries, art galleries, and bookstores in Missoula’s three shopping areas. Plan to see a play, dance, or opera. Take in a show or event at Caras Park, which is right in the middle of downtown on the Clark Fork River. Meet people from the area at the city’s busy farmers market every week. You can see Native American art, objects, and more at the Missoula Art Museum and the Montana Museum of Art & Culture.