Missoula

History Missoula grew from the Hellgate Trading Post, founded in 1860. The name came from the canyon east of town, which French trappers called the "Porte de l'Enfer". The settlement sat at the junction of several river valleys, and that position made it a trading and later a railroad and timber town. In 1893 the state chose Missoula for the University of Montana, which still shapes the city's calendar and population. The US Forest Service also based its smokejumper programme here, and Missoula remains the headquarters of that service.

What to See A Carousel for Missoula stands in Caras Park beside the Clark Fork. Cabinet maker Chuck Kaparich started the project in the late 1980s, taught volunteers to carve, and the carousel opened on May 27, 1995, after roughly 100,000 hours of volunteer work. Its frame dates from 1918. The Smokejumper Visitor Center, next to the airport, offers free guided tours of the working base. Its hours shrink after Labor Day and it has closed in midwinter, so call 406-329-4934 before going outside summer. Downtown and the university campus are close enough to walk between, with the river trail running along both banks of the Clark Fork.

Outdoors The M Trail starts on the University of Montana campus near Washington-Grizzly Stadium and climbs about 620 feet in roughly three-quarters of a mile, on 11 switchbacks, to the concrete "M". Hikers who continue gain about another 1,300 feet to the top of Mount Sentinel, at about 5,158 feet. Dogs are allowed on a leash. In winter, Montana Snowbowl lies about 12 miles northwest of town with a vertical drop of about 2,600 feet. About an hour north, the CSKT Bison Range at Moiese has been managed by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes since 2022. It covers about 18,524 acres with about 350 adult bison, and its Red Sleep Mountain Drive is open only in summer, roughly May to October.

Getting There Missoula Montana Airport (MSO) is about 5 miles by road from downtown. It passed one million passengers in 2024 and set a monthly record of 142,399 passengers in July 2026. Interstate 90 runs through the city. Hamilton is about 51 miles south up the Bitterroot Valley on US-93, and Glacier National Park's west entrance is about 137 miles north by road. Interstate speed limits in Montana are 80 mph outside urban areas and 65 mph inside them.

When to Go June to September is the season for hiking, river floating and day trips to Flathead Lake and the Bison Range's summer drive. Winter brings skiing at Snowbowl and quieter streets, but some attractions, including the Smokejumper Visitor Center, cut back their hours. Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road usually opens fully in late June and stays open until about the third Monday of October, weather permitting, which sets the season for anyone using Missoula as a base for the park.