A Guide to Missoula's Great Outdoors: Trails, Rivers, and Mountains Right in Town
Few small cities anywhere in the country have wilderness as close at hand as Missoula does. The most iconic example is the giant concrete "M" on the side of Mount Sentinel, visible from almost anywhere downtown. The trail up to it is short but steep, switchbacking up the hillside to a viewpoint that lays out the whole Missoula valley — the university, downtown, and the rivers threading through it all.
For longer outings, the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and Wilderness sits just north of downtown, offering more than 30 miles of trails through forested drainages that lead toward alpine lakes and, eventually, the Rattlesnake Wilderness boundary. It's popular with hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers alike, and its proximity to downtown means it's genuinely possible to be on a quiet forest trail within minutes of leaving a coffee shop on Higgins Avenue.
The Clark Fork River runs directly through the heart of the city, and the Kim Williams Trail follows its south bank, connecting downtown to the university and beyond along an old rail bed. In summer, it's common to see people floating the river on tubes or rafts, drifting past the same riverfront parks where others are having a picnic or letting a dog off leash at one of the city's river-adjacent dog parks.
To the west, Blue Mountain offers another set of trail options with sweeping views back over the valley, while the nearby Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers extend the options for fishing, floating, and hiking well beyond the city limits. Whatever the season, Missoula's layout — a city built into the folds of five valleys — makes it unusually easy to trade pavement for a trailhead in just a few minutes.