Missoula County: Trails, Wilderness and Museums

Missoula County offers a wide range of starting points for planning your trip: paths along the river, trails with elevation gain, and museums covering art, natural history and the region’s past. Missoula County Parks and Trails currently manages 91 parks and more than 40 miles of shared-use paths and trails. These inventory figures may change over time.

Parks, Trails and Expansive Landscapes

Fort Missoula Regional Park is a 156-acre park and sports complex. Marshall Mountain Park covers 480 acres and has more than 12 miles of trails. It offers mountain biking trails, access to backcountry skiing, children’s camps and hiking opportunities. The range of activities and acreage figures provide a specific overview of what this park offers.

The Riverfront Trail is flat and paved, running along the south side of the Clark Fork River. It is suitable for walking, running, cycling and skating, and runs for about 1.5 miles between Orange Street and Washington Grizzly Stadium. The M Trail on Mount Sentinel offers a different focus: it leads for three-quarters of a mile to the white “M,” then continues another mile to the summit. The trail has 11 switchbacks and an elevation gain of 620 feet. The surfaces and routes make the two trails quite distinct: one is a flat, paved river route, the other a climb with switchbacks.

North of Missoula lies the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area and Wilderness, a 60,000-acre wilderness complex with opportunities for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and cycling. Blue Mountain Recreation Area covers 4,900 acres and offers off-road trails for hikers, horseback riders, cyclists, wheelchair users and ATV riders.

Natural History and Outdoor Culture

Travelers’ Rest is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark. The visitor center and museum at Travelers’ Rest State Park features replicas of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Salish culture, Native American community crafts, and a historic pioneer-era Main Street. More than 115 bird species have been recorded within the park boundaries; historical exhibits and birdwatching offer two different perspectives on the park.

The RMEF Visitor Center has a scenic outdoor walking trail. At the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Conservation Education Center, interactive exhibits explore elk ecology and natural history, as well as conservation. The Montana Natural History Center museum covers the flora, fauna and natural history of western Montana. Its exhibit on Glacial Lake Missoula also includes a driving-tour map to several Glacial Lake Missoula landmarks.

The Nature Adventure Garden beside the river trail is a largely unstructured play area with boulders, hills and shrubs. It includes an accessible crushed-granite path and a sensory garden. The Fort Missoula Native Plant Garden is another outdoor learning space: small paths wind past native plants, pollinators and birds.

Museums, Art and Regional History

At the Montana Museum of Art & Culture, you can visit one of Montana’s three state museums. It holds nearly 12,000 objects spanning several thousand years of art history; admission and tours are free. The Missoula Art Museum puts its own emphasis on contemporary art: it is housed in a former Carnegie Library and has eight galleries. Its permanent collection includes more than 2,300 objects, among them the Contemporary American Indian Art Collection. Admission is free; check the latest visitor information before your visit.

For science, spectrUM offers an interactive science center in Missoula. At the Discovery Bench, free interactive science activities are available Tuesday through Saturday from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Temporary closures may occur while exhibits are being installed, so check the schedule before planning your visit.

The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula interprets the history of Missoula County, Fort Missoula and the forest products industry in western Montana. The 32-acre site has 13 historic structures. The National Museum of Forest Service History focuses on conservation, wildfires, multiple use, wilderness and recreation; its 31-acre site includes the Forest Discovery Trail. Aviation and fire-suppression history also have dedicated places to visit: the Museum of Mountain Flying preserves the legacy of the pilots and other pioneers who brought the American West of the Rocky Mountains into the age of aviation. The Smokejumper Visitor Center includes the smokejumper loft, the ready room and the National Smokejumper Memorial. Its museum contains a fire lookout tower originally built in 1938.

In downtown Missoula, A Carousel for Missoula is located in Caras Park. It is one of the first fully hand-carved carousels built in the United States since the Great Depression. Missoula’s farmers markets offer local food, crafts, plants and art. The city’s cideries press locally grown apples into a variety of ciders.

Getting Around During Your Stay

In the Missoula Valley, Interstate 90 runs east to west, while Montana Highway 93 runs north to south. Mountain Line, the public transit system, operates daily on twelve different bus routes; routes may change. If bus service is important to your plans, check the relevant route in advance.

Discover more destinations: Seeley Lake, Clinton, Missoula, Lolo, Custer County, Mineral County, Sanders, Cascade.

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