Missoula

Missoula is a medium size city in Western Montana with a population of about 73,000 (2020). The hub of five valleys in the northwest region of the state, or Glacier Country, the town boasts the University of Montana, the Rattlesnake Wilderness Area, and a multitude of recreational opportunities, along with an active and colorful downtown.

Understand
Though it's physically part of the Rocky Mountains region, culturally Missoula identifies closely with the Pacific Northwest. Home to the University of Montana and often considered by residents as the most liberal city in Montana, it's an interesting mix of ranchers, cowboys, hippies, yuppies, students, artists, athletes and recreationalists. Graduates from the University of Montana frequently remain in Missoula, creating a large over-qualified work force. A local barista or cook may have, at the very least, a Bachelor's degree.

By plane
The following airlines offer year-round service:
 * Alaska Airlines (Portland, Seattle, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco)
 * Envoy Air dba American Eagle (Dallas Ft Worth; Seasonally from Chicago O'Hare)
 * Allegiant (Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix/Mesa)
 * Delta and Skywest dba Delta Connection (Minneapolis-St Paul and Salt Lake City; Seasonally from Atlanta) and Los Angeles)
 * GoJet and Skywest dba United Express (Denver)

The following airlines come seasonally or part of the year:


 * Frontier (Denver)
 * Additional seasonal flights from Denver and from Chicago O'Hare on United Airlines and American Eagle.

There are taxis, rideshare and hotel shuttles to bring you into town locally. There are also car rentals available from the airport which is the preferred method for greater flexibility in getting around to the surrounding areas. See this Link for a list of taxi and shuttle providers. The #11 bus connects the airport with the downtown Lewis & Clark Transit Center.

By car
There are five exits from Interstate 90 (I-90), Airways Blvd (Exit #99); the Grant Creek Blvd exit (Exit #101); Orange St (Exit #104); Van Buren St (Exit #105);, and East Missoula (Exit #307). The Van Buren St exit is the closest exit to access downtown and the University of Montana campus while the Airways Blvd is the closest to the airport.

Missoula is west of Butte (Jct I-15 with I-90);  west of Bozeman;  east of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Spokane, WA another  west of Coeur d'Alene all along I-90.

By bus
The #11 bus and the #2 bus connect the bus station with the downtown Lewis & Clark Transit Center. Only the #11 (northbound on Broadway) goes up to the airport.

Get around


Visitors to Missoula often remark that the city is hard to get around in by car, a fact Missoulians famously owe to conflicting city engineers at the turn of the century. The confusing roadways make the Mountain Line city bus system a great way to get around -- but with a little orienting, the city can be much more easily navigated.


 * Higgins Avenue runs from downtown in the northern end of town through the outskirts of the tree-lined streets of the university district until it takes a sharp curve to the west in the south end of town, leading mainly to residential areas.
 * Broadway Street runs east to west, mostly along the Clark Fork river, from Van Buren, entrance to the Rattlesnake Recreation Area and the hippest place to live in town, through downtown before bisecting with Highway 93 and continuing on to the airport and I-90.
 * Orange Street runs through downtown and another treed residential area before intersecting with Brooks Street.
 * Brooks Street begins as Highway 93 from Lolo to the south of Missoula before turning into Brooks Street, a major shopping area populated with strip malls, fast food restaurants and the like, before dead ending into Higgins in a particularly confusing no-right-turn intersection.
 * Russell Street runs north - south from Broadway to 39th, through residential, industrial and business districts, but is a main roadway for motorists.
 * Reserve Street runs from I-90 to 39th from the north - south, crossing Broadway, 3rd Street, South Avenue and Brooks Street before dead ending. Major box stores, such as Target and Wal-Mart, as well as movie theaters, restaurants and other businesses line the thoroughfare.

See
Geographically, Missoula is dominated by the scenic Clark Fork river that flows through downtown and the mountains ringing the city. The Kim Williams Trail, which follows the waterfront, is an easy way to appreciate the former. Tubing, rafting, and canoe/kayaking are also good options in the summer.

Mt. Sentinel, on the east side of town, offers a scenic trail system. A trail starting at the University of Montana leads 700 feet up the mountainside to the "M," which offers great views of the city. More adventurous hikers may continue another 1400 feet to the peak of Mount Sentinel, which offers great views of the city, the Rattlesnake Wilderness to the north, and Mount Jumbo to the north. Those with binoculars may perceive the ancient shoreline of Lake Missoula on Mount Jumbo, marking the edge of an enormous ice-age lake. One can also take the trail off the backside of Mt. Sentinel, which zig-zags down crossing the parasailing jeep road a few times to a sign which shows the lovely trail down thru forest on Sentinel's north side that ends at the old railroad tracks, now the Kim Williams hike/bike trail, and then back to the parking lot at the "M" trails base. Doing the loop in reverse is also very pleasant.

Manmade scenic attractions include the Missoula carousel in Caras Park, the historic courthouse with eight original murals by E.S. Paxson, and several fine art galleries. Lastly, if you enjoy history, both of Missoula's historic railroad stations still stand, preserved, and in use. One, built by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad is used by the Boone & Crockett Club and the other built by the Northern Pacific Railway is used as office space by local businesses and home of the Missoula Farmer's Market during the summer months.



Do
Missoulians enjoy a range of outdoor activities including hiking, rafting, "tubing", rock climbing, skiing, fishing, golfing, and just about any other activity that can be done outside. It's no wonder—in Missoula you can take a city bus to within walking distance of federally designated wilderness area. After hiking and returning to town, you can visit the historic downtown and enjoy some fantastic local food and drink.

Summer cultural events include: the International Choral Festival, the River Roots Music Festival, Farmer's markets (three) every Saturday morning. Music and food festivals at Caras Park (off Higgins on the banks of the Clark Fork) Wednesday lunches and Thursday evenings and the Western Montana Fair in August.

Snowbowl, at, is a great place to ski that is very affordable.

Year-round 'First Friday' finds art galleries open to strolling passersby with music and food offered for free.

The public library on Main Street has special talks and presentations, about Montanan history, for example. There is also a movie 'Cheap date' night with popcorn and a drop-in Scrabble Club Monday evenings.



Buy
Thanks largely to the city's vibrant arts community, the downtown offers a wide variety of unique shops. Visit on a Saturday between May to October if possible, when there is a street and farmer's market stretching across downtown Higgins Ave.

The best stores feature local goods from Montana artisans.







Eat




Microbreweries
Missoula has a large selection of microbreweries. Most have limited hours and can only serve 3 pints due to tasting room regulations in Montana.

Wine
Missoula wineries include:

Go next
Missoula's immediate surroundings offer a wide array of activities for all seasons, including the outdoor recreation afforded by vast tracts of public lands, the Old West flavor of several nearby ghost towns, several ski slopes, and a range of unique Montana businesses.

Hot Springs

 * About 40 minutes' drive southwest of Missoula, the Lolo Hot Springs offer two pools fed by geothermal springs: an outdoor swimming pool and a hotter (110-116 °F) indoor soaking pool. The springs are clothing-optional after 9PM on Wednesday and Sunday nights.
 * More adventurous soakers may prefer to hike out to some natural hot springs just across the Idaho border (about an hour from Missoula). Driving from Montana, the Jerry Johnson hot springs' trailhead will be the first.  The trailhead is clearly marked--watch for a suspension bridge crossing the river to your left.  The springs themselves are less than a mile hike in, and are large enough to accommodate a couple of dozen people.  These springs are also clothing optional.  If the springs are packed, as they often are, try hiking a quarter-mile further down the trail to two smaller hot springs.
 * Weir Hot Spring is a smaller hot spring about five miles further down the road from Montana. It is about a mile in on a narrow and hilly trail, which can be treacherously icy in the winter and spring.  Although the drive is longer and the hike harder, visitors to Weir are compensated by smaller crowds than at Jerry Johnson.  In addition, the Forest Service allows camping at Weir, unlike at Jerry Johnson.

Skiing

 * The Montana Snowbowl, just north of Missoula, sports 950 lift-served acres.

Pattee Canyon has Nordic ski trails groomed regularly when there's enough snow by the missoulanordic.org club, for skating and classic techniques with mostly easy flat terrain, though its often icey.

Lolo Pass, 45 miles southwest of Missoula, has good Nordic Ski trails groomed Saturday/Sunday early mornings by the Clearwater National Forest contractor, which offer excellent classic and skating tracks. Theres also a warming hut and a staffed lodge at the pass.

Other sites

 * Garnet Ghost Town, about an hour's drive east on MT-200, is the closest significant ghost town to Missoula. Maintained by the Bureau of Land Management in a state of suspended decay, the small mining camp of Garnet is an open-air museum of gold rush life on the frontier.  It is only accessible by car during the summer and early fall, but two cabins in the town are rented through the winter to adventurous skiers or snowmobilers.
 * Glacier National Park is three hours' drive north on US-93.