Missoula & the Bitterroot Valley

Missoula, the university city where five valleys meet, and the Bitterroot Valley running south to Hamilton between the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountains.

Missoula, Montana's second-largest city, sits where the Clark Fork, Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers meet, which is why it calls itself the Hub of Five Valleys. It began in 1860 as the Hellgate Trading Post, named for the canyon French trappers called Porte de l'Enfer, and in 1893 it was chosen for the University of Montana, the state's first university. The city is also home to the US Forest Service's smokejumper base. The Clark Fork runs through downtown, with a riverside trail on both banks, and in summer people float and surf the river right in the city. Missoula Montana Airport is about five miles from downtown, and the city is a practical starting point for western Montana: Flathead Lake is just over an hour north, and Glacier National Park's west entrance about 140 miles away. South of Missoula, the Bitterroot Valley runs for about 90 miles along US 93 between the jagged Bitterroot Mountains on the Idaho border and the gentler Sapphire Mountains to the east. The bitterroot, a small pink flower whose roots the Salish people dug for food, is Montana's state flower. Hamilton, the Ravalli County seat, was founded by the Copper King Marcus Daly, whose summer home, the Daly Mansion, is open to visitors. The Ravalli County Museum occupies the town's old courthouse. The valley is a base for fishing on the Bitterroot River, hiking into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and soaking in the area's hot springs. Summer and early autumn are the best seasons; Missoula is busy during University of Montana football weekends.