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

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.

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.

Took the family out for a day trip, caught fish, had a good lunch, amazing views. Good times had by…read moreall! Montana is amazing. CGA Outfitters rocks.

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.

Great group of people and a cool little fly shop. Our two guides put us on fish all day long even…read morewith low flows! Would definitely use them again.

Casual. Accommodating. (I use the shop for fly tying…read morematerials. If you run into George K., he's a wealth of knowledge and fun to talk to.)

Thresa Goldberg, on or about May 11, 2014, resigned from Misty Blu Trail Rides LLC, after her…read moreinteraction by telephone with Mary P. on May 10, 2014. On behalf of Misty Blu Trail Rides LLC, management would like to express their profound apology to Mary P. for any inconvenience brought about by Thresa Goldberg's interaction with her by telephone. This is not typical behavior that is tolerated or acceptable within the company. Thank you.

Ok, big fat red flag here....I called to get information on horseback riding and spoke with Theresa…read moreand this was what she said "How did you get my number?" And "I am not associated with that business." She was angry and accusatory and very strange and all I wanted to do was arrange for some horseback riding. This web site says "No credit cards - cash only" this is just another heads up because I don't think you'll ever receive either a horseback ride or get your money back. This placed is closed and I feel like its a scam - don't risk your dollars!

Wanted to make my hubbys 50th birthday gift a memorable one. What would be better for the avid…read morefisherman than a guided trip?!? Thank you Russell for earning me some massive points, this trip was perfect! My husband had an amazing time and immediately wished we were in town longer to book again! I honestly thought I was just going along for the ride.. I'm VERY new to fly fishing so was just gonna go for a float ride on the water ( which was great! So don't hesitate to go even if you don't want to fish!). However, Russell set me up and put me in a fish almost immediately! Sooo cool! As for my husband, he caught some really nice fish and we both learned a lot as well! Russell knows his stuff and was just such an easy going, fun guy to hang out with! Felt like fishing with a good buddy! Easy conversations all day, beautiful scenery, great instruction etc. Could not ask for a better experience! Oh and he showed up early and ready to go, had a yummy lunch and drinks for us and communicated well prior to the trip (put up with our multiple calls and many questions!). Thank you Russell, we will be back soon!

At 5,806 feet above sea level, the summit of University Mountain looms almost half a vertical mile…read moreabove the University of Montana campus, with plunging views into nearby Hellgate and Pattee Canyons. Despite such prominence, it is far less visited than Mount Sentinel (elevation 5,158 ft.), marked halfway up its steep slope by the letter "M," which acts like a magnet for students and trail runners alike who switchback up and down on a regular basis. Even joggers and hikers who use other trails in Pattee Canyon rarely make a stop here, preferring instead to drop down to the Clark Fork and the Kim Williams Trail (via Crazy Canyon Road and the Hellgate Canyon Trail). That's too bad. Because University Mountain is a key stopping point on what I consider to be the best short hike that you can do from the university district: a four summit loop that visits, in sequence, the summits of South Sentinel, University, Radio Tower Peak (elevation 5,543 ft.) and North Sentinel before dropping down back into town. The loop begins and ends at the Evans Ave trailhead. It's around 7-8 miles long with 3,000-3,500 feet of elevation gain/loss, depending on which trail connections you choose. Parts are fairly steep (more than 1,000 feet gain over less than 1 mile of distance), but the views are incredibly rewarding. From the exposed ridgelines, you can gaze in various directions at other prominent peaks outside of Missoula - Lolo, St. Mary's, Stuart, Cha-paa-qn, Sheep, etc. It's a convenient way to orient yourself in three-dimensional space, gazing across miles of open sky in all four compass directions. When the snow falls, as it did earlier this week (October 3), then this hike is particularly lovely, although you may need snowshoes if the accumulation is heavy. The feeling of isolation is very strong, despite the proximity of Missoula down below. But 2500 ft. is a *lot* of empty space, and one of the pleasures of this loop is the chance to gaze down into Hellgate Canyon below your feet, or back South towards the Bitterrroot Range, or West towards the airport where tiny-looking planes are landing, or North into the Rattlesnake, or East at the Sapphire Range. The smells of fresh pine, the feel of rushing wind, the crunch of frozen snow, the sound of your beating heart, it all flows and fixates in your imagination. Three or four hours later, as you walk the residential streets on your way home, you gaze up at the steep slopes of Sentinel and remember what it was like to be perched atop its twin peaks, to disappear into the tree-filled saddle between them, to struggle step-by-step up the exposed ridges, and to reach the cluster of radio towers at the halfway point of the hike. This is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's close enough to become a part of your seasonal routine. Each season the loop feels and looks different, and it's doable 12 months out of the year. As much as I love the university down below, the best classroom is higher up, at the summit of University Mountain. You'll learn more there than you can in any seminar, about nature, about time, about space, about the untapped reservoirs of strength in your body, and about where you fit, in a metaphysical sense, in it all. Standing alone on the summit, where the terrestrial colors of land melt into the blue infinity of sky, you perch on unsteady feet, pause to let your pulse subside, and discover in a lightning flash of unexpected insight just what a great thing it is, to be able to breathe. Then, when your eyes have adjusted to the immensities of distance, you blink, swallow, and smile. Time to move on. The next summit awaits.