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.

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.)

Thank you Wayne and Gia,…read more Absolutely fantastic trip. Every detail was organized perfectly. Particularly enjoyed both the quality and quantity of food. Tremendous lasagna and then a pork tenderloin. Staff are amazing. Also the attitude of we're out in the wild let's do some fun stuff. Absolutely amazing. Thank you very much

We did the Clark Fork afternoon trip. Jack was our guide. We had a 7-year-old and a 10-year-old in…read moreour group. We all loved it. The photos were worth it, especially since the price was so cheap, but the experience was incredible. Jack was perfect! We loved this and would do it again!

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.

The museum is small but informational. Their kid programs every other Saturday is where their…read moreprogramming shines. I love the rustic and semi natural state of the park. The park employees are helpful, knowledgeable and kind. They have also managed to help preserve a Lewis and Clark historical cite. Worth the trip.

As noted by others, Travelers Rest State Park contains the only physically verified campsite of the…read moreLewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. The Park is well worth a visit if you are nearby. There is a ver nice interpretive center, walking trails and access to Lolo creek. I particularly enjoyed the Creek access. Lewis and Clark camped here twice. Once on the first leg of their journey traveling west and then on their return east. On their return the expedition temporarily split up to explore independently. This was the place they split so this is indeed a historical spot. I visited with my children and grandchildren. The kids particularly enjoyed wading in Lolo Creek as did our Labrador Retriever Gigi who retrieved lots of sticks. I am very glad we took the time to visit and highly recommend Travelers Rest Park.

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.

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.

The trailhead is located 3.1 miles up Pattee Canyon Road. The parking area is on the left and is…read morewell marked by a brown sign on the right hand side of the road. There is ample parking and a restroom at the trailhead, but no water source. Here are the stats: Distance: 6.5-7 miles r/t depending on which route you take for the final ascent up to Mt. Sentinel Elevation gain: ~1,500 feet Intensity: Mostly easy-moderate, with the last half mile being more strenuous Trail: Fire access road for most of the trip, well maintained, rocky in spots Three miles into the hike you will reach a point where the crazy canyon trail and the Hellgate canyon trail meet. At this point, you can either take the easier path to the right, which ascends via switchbacks, or you can continue straight up the road in front of you. The later is very strenuous, and a bit rocky, so I only recommend it if you are prepared for the challenge. At the top you will find a 360 degree view of Missoula, the Rattlesnake Wilderness, Pattee Canyon, Lolo Peak and East Missoula. Even though the trail gets a fair amount of traffic, you will usually find you have the top to yourself, something you never find when hiking in California.

3 fast slides. Friendly staff. Clean water and all facilities. Insanely low price! This place was…read moreperfect. Bring your own towel.

The four grandkids, and all of us had a blast! There is a little something for everyone there the…read morevery little ones as well as the older ones.