The folks living near this 42 acre park are lucky. A oasis in Missoula with lots of trees and a…read morecreek called the Rattlesnake Creek running through it. When I was there it seemed that many locals had walked to the park with their dogs. They are supposed keep their dogs on a lease per local ordinance though three people were letting the dogs run around of the lease. This is a problem especially when the dogs are not well trained and jump up on strangers. I was not to happy about a wet dog jumping on me. There is a small free parking area near Spruce Street with boards put up by the local Audubon Society to educate visitors to what type of birds like the park. Most of the park was donated by The Greenough Family in 1902.

Greenough Park is many things to many people. While it definitely is one of Missoula's oldest…read moreparks, with all the amenities that one would expect to find in a Montana park of this type: hiking trails, picnic areas, and plenty of open & wooded areas to enjoy, there is much more. It's a Central turning-point to a ying-yang gear, A Zen way-station for transitioning to and from. It's a source of inspiration and a place to forget. A location to vanish into the ether, returning only when you choose. A point to recharge. Without a doubt, Greenough Park is one of my most favorite and cherished places on the planet, and is the soul of the Missoula community. Given as a gift to the city of Missoula by Thomas and Tennessee Greenough in 1902 so that the residents of Missoula would always have a place "during the heated days of summer, the beautiful days of autumn and the balmy days of spring find a comfortable, romantic and poetic retreat." (With one catch: attempt to develop it and the ownership would immediately revert to the Greenough heirs) the park's one-hundred plus history has seen its share of change and alteration, but for the most part has remained untouched by the areas encroaching development. And while Missoula doesn't have near the stress & tension found in a megapolis, it's still great asset to have that give you an opportunity to have a picnic in the woods, meditate or read a book by the creek, or get "lost" for an hour or an afternoon on one of the many trails. The park and space mean different things to different people. So much so, that if you were to ask ten different people what Greenough means to them, you would probably get ten very unique answers. So, the best thing one could do is to visit. Sit by the flowing waters of the Rattlesnake, or explore the many trails and come away with your own perspective. It's definitely time well-spent

4.20.25: We made the 3ish hour drive from Idaho to attend Missoula's 6th Annual 420 Block Party put…read moreon by Montana State Hemp & Cannabis Festival. It was a FREE all day, all ages, event with food trucks galore offering a variety of dishes and cuisines, a ton of vendor booths selling arts, crafts, homemade goods, unique gifts, and gourmet candies/snacks, etc., and best of all LIVE MUSIC performed by 3 different bands and a live DJ set. The vibe was awesome and it was good to see so many smiling faces gathering in one place. Also, it was nice not to see a majority of overly intoxicated people stumbling around but instead seeing positive people bringing nothing but good vibes, great dancing, and in high spirits celebrating 420. Weather wasn't too kind that day but you can't really be mad at mother nature lol. I would definitely come back to Caras Park to attend this annual event. Big thank you to all who helped make this block party happen!

This place has great events during the summer. Every Wednesday they have out to lunch event from…read more11-2. Live music with plenty of food trucks. Nice play ground and carousel for the children. The river is nice to see and easy to access with some good shoes. The parking area is not free, unfortunately I did not realize that until a parking ticket was waiting for me as I was heading out.

What a cute little park with a stunning view! We were visiting and needed a place for a bunch of…read morekids to blow off some energy and this place came up on the map. It has a neat playground with swings and a long dock to the water. The kids all loved trying to skip rocks and walking the shoreline.

Lovely, seldom crowded lakefront park near center of Polson has fantastic amenities for the whole…read morefamily. Tucked in between the Polson Bay golf course and Flathead Lake's southern tip, this never-crowded grassy park has everything you need for a fun family outing including: No fee: city park Restrooms Long dock: perfect for swimming in the chilly waters Playground: for the kiddos Swings & Benches: the better to lounge around with Parking: plenty Watersports: on-site kayak rentals Minus one point due to all the goose turds littering the grass, so best bring a blanket. So go on, have a dipper or a paddle about!

Spring hiking in the Northern Rockies is an adventure. Even a relatively mild trek to a popular…read morewaterfall that in summer would be a simple matter is considerably more interesting. That is why it's worth the extra effort, because places change with the seasons. And the more special that place is, the more dramatic the changes. I've never been to Morrell Falls, a well-known day trip outside of Seeley Lake, during tourist season. I imagine that it's fun, but you'll share the trail with others. In early May, when snow alternates with bright sun and spring meltwater causes the falls to roar and gush down from the heights, you'll find only a few hardy souls out and about. The trailhead was not accessible yet, as snow banks covered parts of the road still, so I parked and walked about a mile in. From there, it was 2.5 additional miles through a mix of snow and dirt to the falls. The trail is easy to follow. Even the short 1/4 mile ascent to the upper falls was relatively straightforward. The roar of falling water makes a fantastic motivator to see the upper section, where the plunging cascade pools into a small basin before continuing the journey down to the lower portion, which is all most visitors usually see. Are the upper and lower falls worth it? They aren't easy to describe in words without diminishing their magnetic appeal. We all get this: falling water is astonishing each time you see it. And at Morrell, you can't take your eyes away, and you wish that time would just stand still so that you can savor it all. It's such a pristine and private place that there is nothing whatsoever to improve. It's simply perfect. Over a course of 200 feet, Morrell Creek drops down from its headwaters high above in the Swan Range and spreads out into a crystal clear flow of fresh, cold, shallow water. It passes through a tight rocky squeeze to get there, creating impressive torrents of falling water. No matter how many you see, each waterfall is special. Morrell is definitely no different. Even though this hike is popular (in summer), it's still not exactly easy to access. You need to drive miles on forest service roads and head deep into thick pine forest before the falls appear. Plodding through wet snow to reach them may not be your idea of a good Cinco de Mayo celebration (which is when I visited). But for me, it was a fiesta of sights and sounds that will resonate for many months to come. Morrell joins my mental scrapbook of the world's many wonderful waterfalls. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning, indeed.

Perfect day hike. Around 7 Miles round trip of mostly flat or slight grades to impressive water…read morefalls and alpine ponds. Fire damage evident but should show quick regrowth. Great for kids.

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.

Idyllic little spot with beautiful trees and large spaces for pups to roam. Our dog had a great…read moretime exploring by the river and there were nice benches that were under trees. Will definitely be back.

We walked around Jacob's Island and the University of Montana's nearby parks. This felt like the…read moreoriginal old part of the city, because of its proximity to hiking trails and the river. The river winds through Missoula, at times too rough for tubers and canoes, but perfect for experienced kayakers and rafters during springtime melt. The area around Jacob's Island was full of college students on summer break, jumping into the water from the bridge, swimming, and tubing down a calm section. It was so hot the day we were there that I considered jumping in myself, but when you don't have a towel or a change of clothes, it's not possible. I'm not sure if river water smell ever gets out of cloth seats. The Clark Fork River outside of Missoula is quite impressive and begs all comers to throw in a line or drop in a canoe. In town, the river is a place to cool off, but it doesn't maintain the magical feeling of a Montana wilderness river. It may have had the feeling at one point, but the town is too built up now to still be there.

This is a small park right by the hotel that I stayed at. I stopped here a few times on my trip to…read moresome steps in and also enjoy the spectacular views. There is a nice trail that goes through the park if you want to get a real walk/run in. My favorite part of the trip was one evening when I sat on the embankment and enjoyed some quiet time looking at the river and taking in the views of the mountains.

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.