This is our go-to place for hiking. Known simply as "The Rattlesnake" to locals, here you can find…read morea variety of hiking trails for people of all ages. This area is gorgeous and full of natural beauty. Regardless of which hiking trail you decide to explore, you will be taken back by the beautiful Montana scenery. My family and I have been coming here for 13 years now, and it still remains our favorite spot to soak up some nature. If you are just traveling through the area and came to this review, I promise you won't be disappointed. Here's a little secret: during huckleberry season, you will find there are plenty of huckleberry bushes scattered throughout the different trails. I would suggest grabbing a handful to snack on while you are hiking. If you aren't sure what they look like, Google "huckleberry bushes." The second you taste the sweetness of one, you will know. Be sure to bring some water with you if this is your first time. Also, don't forget to take lots of pictures!

Wonderful hiking area with abundant wildlife! Fortunately we did not come across any bears!read more

I LOVE the M trails in Montana! I've never seen anything like it in other states but they're so…read morecute and always great little hikes. I live in Bozeman so I was very excited to compare M trails. The parking here was a little stressful as there are only 3 visitor spots and the rest you need a campus tag. It's nice for the students that it's so close by (that's not the case in Bozeman) but hard if you're not a student. There is only one way up to the M while there are several ways up to the Bozeman one. I loved the Strava map that showed all the crazy looking switch backs but in reality it was an easy hike with amazing views. The wildflowers were so vibrant and I loved that you can touch and sit on the M. The bathrooms are also fantastic! The hike is 1.8 miles with a little more than 500ft elevation so it's very fun and doable for most people.

Great path up to the M, wonderful views of Missoula. There were benches along the way if you need a…read morebreak or just to enjoy the view. Restrooms at trail head parking.

Missoula really likes their big letters: right across the "M" Trail is the Mount Jumbo trail that…read morehas the big "L" on it. I'm surprised I don't see the rest of the alphabet! To get here type in "Mount Jumbo Trailhead" on Google Maps. It'll take you to a residential area with a couple parking spots which is basically neighborhood street parking; you'll see the trail head with a sign as you pull up. There are a lot fewer people here than the "M" but there are also fewer parking spots, so come early if you can. Similar to the "M" Trail there's a bit of an incline to the "L" Trail. I think the initial incline for the "M" is slightly harder but this is still a decent incline hike. When you get to the "L" on the mountain there's a set of stairs on the left of it to continue going. Not long after some narrow walkways you'll end up on this wide-open area with tons of wavy hilltops which is just beautiful. There are mountains and trees all around and is very peaceful and quiet. If you go 2 miles you'll reach the highest point of the trail but that's technically not the end. There's a slight decline after the highest point for another mile until you get to the saddle. It's called that because it's in between the two hilltops. Unfortunately it was very cloudy from all the smoke in the area so the view wasn't what I was hoping for and I didn't go all the way to the saddle and but it was still a nice hike and still decent views of the city and surrounding areas.

I don't want a medium sized mountain. Not even a large one. Nope. I want a Jumbo Mount. Well, here…read moreyou have it. Mount Jumbo. This is also known as Mount Loyola for some reason, but nobody is "loyala" to that name. It's iconic and it is beautiful and it truly towers over Missoula in the western part of Montana. The locals called it "the thing in the way" which is a pretty awesome name for a mountain. It's definitely one of the most beautiful mountains in the country and they spent about eight million trying to make sure this mountain would always be protected, which is good so well done to the locals for doing that. Honestly other Republican states would have exploited the sh** out of their rural monstrosities, but not this town... which is a very very liberal town. It's absolutely stunning. And I will always like this town for being a tiny pocket of blue in a sea of red as they say.

This center is great! The bathrooms are pretty nice, and there are informational signs around if…read moreyou want to read about the area and its wildlife. There's a trail behind the center that is well-maintained. Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed when I stopped by, but there was still plenty to do in the area. Peeking in the windows, it looks well stocked with things to buy and exhibits. I'll hopefully stop by when they're open next time!

If those bathroom are open 24 seven. Why where they closed Thursday Oct 16 2025. There was alot of…read morepeople wondering why. And your add said that store was opened. And each time I come it's closed.

Spending the day with a resident expert in her field was so extra special i can't even say enough!…read moreWenFei answered our myriad of questions perfectly and made our trip out to Bison National Park memorable! In addition to knowing all things (and i do mean all) about the local birds, including their sounds and habitats, she could also share information perfectly about the bison, the antelopes (that we saw that day) and the native grizzlies. The local donuts were amazing as well as our lunch out with some local Montana fare. All in all a superb day, chock full of information that will have your feeling like an expert too! Don't miss this opportunity!

Wenfei organized a full day trip for us to the Flathead Wilderness Area. We went driving on bumpy…read moremountain roads, hiking up the side of a mountain alongside a picturesque babbling brook and picnicked next to a sparkling lake with a view of the mountains. Our focus was photography, and our route did not disappoint on that score. We also stopped for fresh baked goods and coffee on our way out of Missoula which made the ride that much more pleasant. We are generally outdoor people but we chose to use a tour company because we were traveling with a baby and didn't know how to find routes that would be child friendly and not overly demanding. We would definitely recommend Wenfei's guiding services and have referred several friends to her Big Sky Safaris for Montana travel. In particular her being a biologist makes an outstanding enhancement to hiking - we are not very knowledgeable about birds and animal droppings, and Wenfei pointed out all sorts of interesting things for us as well as small details worth photographing that we wouldn't have noticed on our own. Wenfei made us very comfortable, gave us excellent gear advice, and spared us many hours of poring over maps to identify good areas to visit. She also was really knowledgeable about the local plants and birds during our early autumn MT trip. This was a great splurge during our MT trip and one we'd do again in a heart beat.

endless trails for puppy tails…read more.. Love Blue Mountain...I take my dogs there on a regular basis to run, hike, and retrieve their favorite ball. We love going here because there is a new, undiscovered (by us) trail around every bend. You can go on a short, quick hike or make it an all-day affair. Awesome place just minutes from downtown Missoula.

Welcome Creek may not strike you as a very welcoming place, at least not at first glance. It's not…read moreunwelcoming, exactly, but it makes an impression - an intimidating impression. It's steep, rocky, rugged, and wild. Once you cross the swaying suspension bridge from the trail head parking to the other side of Rock Creek, you're really entering another world, in which humans rarely tread. As far as wilderness areas go, this one is tiny at just over 28,000 acres, but it doesn't feel tiny when you are there. It's a single watershed, a clear mountain creek whose headwaters are high above in the Sapphire Range, where snows linger into late spring and early summer. A rough hewn trail follows the creek all the way to the top of the dividing ridgeline. To the East is picturesque Rock Creek, brimming with trout fishermen. To the West over the ridge is the Bitterroot Valley. In between are wilderness, deep canyons, steep mountains, dense forests, and diverse wildlife. It's not a place that many people explore, and recent wildfires have rendered the landscape even less inviting. It looks and feels frightening. But these feelings are initial ones only. They will fade away, and what remains is an appreciation for the protected wildness that is Welcome Creek. You really are the leave-no-trace visitor here, and you'll know it. Whether you are clambering over fallen trees, negotiating a rocky talus field, or scrambling atop boulders to get a better view, the wilderness value of this place is abundantly evident. If you linger long enough, you'll detect the small things that reveal a healthy forest in the process of healing itself, hiding the traces of its gold mining past, and slowly replacing the burnt trees and scorched hillsides with new growth and green foliage. The sounds are minimal, but majestic. The wilderness can be a welcoming place, if you open your eyes, calm your mind, and respect the limits of man in a place that is not his alone to possess. The plants and animals can have Welcome Creek as a sanctuary. I'll play the role as guest, any day.

It's a moderate 4.5 miles in and out trail. Make sure you have a 4WD since the road to the…read moretrailhead is unpaved and narrow. Also bring bug repellant! I thought my bug days are over when I left Florida but the horse flies were huge and they bit me through my leggings.

There are some places I know that I would prefer to keep secret. And then there are those that are…read moresimply too beautiful not to share with others. Knowing the difference between these two types of places is important. The Bear Creek overlook, nestled in a slightly hidden but basically very accessible location, is definitely a "share with others" kind of place: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bear-creek-overlook-victor?select=UjA3dqSObaa9wFLG3-emJA#UjA3dqSObaa9wFLG3-emJA There is a trail there, for one. And it's fairly short, for another. And the payoff is immense. As Bitterroot Mountain guidebook authors have pointed out, it's like a summit-view without the summit effort: a sweeping panorama of granite, larch, and pine and thousands upon thousands of feet of vertical nothingness a hop, skip, and a jump away. Well, really only a hop would do it if you get close enough to the overlook's brink. But that's kind of the point: you don't need to be a daredevil or a hiking fanatic to get here. No crampons or climbing ropes needed. Even a backpack would be optional. It's like Yosemite without the crowds. Note: the drive to the trailhead is on a dirt forest service road and is a little rutted but you don't need 4x4 or high clearance to get here. It snows out by November and melts only in June, but in those months in-between, the overlook is pure Montana gold, and that's worth sharing with others.

What a beautiful hike and way to spend some time enjoying nature!…read more For the overlook trail, you are mostly going up hill the whole time so be prepared for a bit of an incline. The trail has a lot of trees so a good portion of it is shaded, but parts are still in the sun. Depending on the time you come, this trail gets pretty busy so be prepared for that. There is a nice opening spot up top so you can hangout and enjoy the views. I recommend packing a lunch or little picnic to enjoy up there before heading back down.

Really cool hike with a gradual elevation that's surrounded by tall trees, wooded shrubs, flowers…read moreand rock, both below, around and above. After about a mile and a half you're rewarded with a crystal clear spring fed pond with a mountain backdrop.