A Gateway to the Great Outdoors

You don’t have to venture far from town to find big adventures. Just minutes from Missoula, the Rattlesnake Wilderness, Pattee Canyon and Blue Mountain offer kilometers of trails with easy access to hiking, mountain biking, Nordic skiing and horseback riding. For a bite-sized adventure, hike to the “M” on Mount Sentinel and float a tube through town on the Clark Fork River. In winter, skiers of all skill levels can hit the slopes atMontana Snowbowl, then savor aprés ski menus featuring wood-fired pizza and local-favorite bloody marys. In summer, ride the lift up for zip-lining and mountain biking. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife – and maybe a patch of huckleberries along the way.

Montana Arts and Culture

Missoula’s cultural roots run deep, anchored by the University of Montana in the heart of town. The city is known for its local food and craft beverage scene, independent bookstores, boutiques, art galleries and a busy calendar of concerts, festivals and theater performances. Stroll through downtown and you’ll find locally roasted coffee, community events at Caras Park plus handmade goods and local produce at the Saturday farmers markets. Institutions like the Missoula Art Museum and the Montana Museum of Art & Culture showcase centuries of artwork, including many by regional Indigenous artists. Live performances ranging from ballets to bluegrass concerts fill venues year-round.

Where the Rivers Run

Perhaps best known as the setting for the 1992 film “A River Runs Through It,” Missoula is a fly-fishing haven with easy access to legendary waters. Local guides lead excursions on the Blackfoot, Bitterroot and Clark Fork rivers, as well as Rock Creek, to reel in prized trout. Beginners learning the basics and seasoned anglers alike will find plenty to love on these waters. Nearby lakes like Seeley, Salmon, Placid and Flathead – Montana’s largest freshwater lake – offer even more fishing opportunities, by boat or from shore.

Walk Through History

The past is alive at Fort Missoula, a former military outpost built during conflict between the U.S. Military and the Nez Perce tribe in 1877. Today, you can explore over 20 preserved structures on the fort’s nearly 13-hectare campus at the foot of Blue Mountain. Learn about the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps – an all-Black military unit in the 1890s that biked from Missoula to St. Louis, Missouri – then see exhibits on the site’s history as an internment camp during World War II. Nearby, the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History shares stories and artifacts dating from frontier times to today. For a look into the city’s lesser-known past, take an Unseen Missoula walking tour through tunnels, speakeasies and back alleys that shaped the area’s history.

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Author Norman Maclean channeled his experience of growing up in Missoula to write his novella “A River Runs Through It and Other Stories,” which was later adapted into a film starring Brad Pitt.

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Some 14,000 years ago, Missoula, which sits in a valley, was completely covered by glacial Lake Missoula.

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