My family spent this Easter visiting my brother who lives in Missoula. I used to live there too, when I was in college and then for a few years afterwards. I absolutely loved it; in fact, I still get a little homesick sometimes.
Happily, it is only an hour drive from Polson to Missoula. And between visiting my brother and a few other people we know and running errands to places like Costco or Home Depot (Polson just has a Walmart and an Ace Hardware), we make it down quite often.
Some Facts About Missoula:
First: With 75,000+ people, Missoula is the 2nd largest city in Montana (after Billings). For Montana, that’s downright metropolitan. While it may not seem like much compared to Seattle or New York, it is still a popular destination for people from rural Montana seeking things like night life, concerts, or ethnic restaurants.
Second: Missoula is Montana’s stronghold of liberalism: the granola-eating, Chaco-wearing capital of an otherwise generally conservative state. Here you will not only find a strong support for Democratic candidates, but also environmental activism, a plethora of natural food stores, and a growing LGTB community.
Third: the city prides itself on its quirky, eclectic, and artsy culture. The town is full of random artwork, street performers, and unique displays of personality making it entirely deserving of its popular bumper sticker” “Keep Missoula Weird.”
Fourth: Missoula is the home of the University of Montana, a liberal arts school known for its forestry, conservation, and biomedical programs (it also has thriving schools of business, education, law journalism, and visual and performing arts). UM’s Grizzlies are the main rival of the Bobcats at Bozeman’s Montana State. Having attended UM myself for degrees in history and English, I say “Go Griz!”
Fifth: Missoula is built on the shores of the Clark Fork River near where it is joined by the Blackfoot and Bitterroot Rivers. (Fun fact: the name “Missoula” comes for the local Salish name for the Clark Fork). The city is nestled in between the Sapphire, Garnet, and Bitterroot Mountains and is right in the middle of Lolo National Forest. Basically, it is ideally situated for outdoor enthusiasts with a wide range of interests–from fishing and floating to hunting and hiking.
Sixth: Missoula is one of the primary settings in both the novella and the film A River Runs Through It, both of which I heartily recommend. The film captures some of the amazing beauty of Montana (although most of the fishing scenes are filmed over by Bozeman, a sore spot for most Missoulians). And the book contains amazingly beautiful language, perfectly capturing the feelings of family love and the struggles of understanding each other. And of course, the story will appeal to anyone at all interested in fly fishing.
Finally: the town was built around the logging industry and thrived due to its position as a major trade route. It is also home to the historic Fort Missoula, which played an active role in the town’s early history (a number of Italian nationals were interred there during WWII), and the Missoula Smokejumper Base, where some of the Forest Service’s most elite firefighters train and work. Today, the town also enjoys large numbers of thriving small businesses, such as my personal favorite: Big Dipper Ice Cream!
Obviously, there is plenty to do in Missoula, and it will be a place we return to often, but for the sake of this introduction, we will focus on our two Easter afternoon activities that capture both Missoula’s beautiful setting and its rich personality.
1–A Visit to Blue Mountain Recreation Area
The great thing about having dogs is that their need to exercise provides us with opportunities to go to all kinds of beautiful places. Missoula’s equivalent of Helena’s South Hills Trail System, Blue Mountain is a popular destination for the city’s many dog walkers, especially on one of the first days of genuinely nice weather. The sun was shining, the hills were green, and spring was definitely in the air!
Although it is technically part of Lolo National Forest, I still consider it to be quasi-wilderness, because the heavy foot traffic means you are never really very far from other people. While that may not be ideal for those of us who love heading off into remote wilderness, it is a perfect place to let your dogs practice their social skills and off leash command responses.
There are a number of trails to choose from, and your hike can be as short or long as you would like. Be prepared for some uphill–it is on a mountain, after all–but your efforts will be well rewarded by excellent views of town and of the Bitterroot river as it wends its way north to join the Clark Fork.
Dog owners be warned: despite the high foot traffic, there are still deer here. Rocky saw one and immediately forgot how to come when he is called, earning him a short stint on a leash. Dug, on the other hand, just found the dirtiest mud puddle on the entire hill to wallow around in. No wonder our back seat is never clean.
2–A Few Beers at Bayern Brewery
Once the boys were good and tuckered out from their run on Blue Mountain, we decided to go grab a beer (or two). When I was in school, there were only three breweries in Missoula–Big Sky, Kettlehouse, and Bayern. Now, as microbreweries are becoming popular everywhere, there are tons, including branches of Flathead and Tamarack Breweries, as well as Highlander, Draughtworks, Conflux, Imagine Nation, and the Great Burn.
Despite the great abundance of choices, I still have a soft spot in my heart for Bayern Brewing. Perhaps it is my own German heritage that draws me here (Bayern is German for Bavaria). Perhaps it is the fact that the bar is themed after a medieval tavern. Or perhaps it is because Bayern makes some incredibly tasty beers.
All of my favorite beers from Bayern are seasonal. The Killarney Red (available around St. Patrick’s Day) is excellent, as is their Oktoberfest (available in the fall). But my very favorite is their Face Plant, a hearty, malty Doppelweizen, available in the winter and early spring. Moderation is key with this one though, with its 7.5% alcohol content. I can personally attest that having a few too many of these will cause it to live up to its name.
Sadly, none of these were in season on Easter, and the nice sunny weather was probably the cause of them running out of the Dumptruck (their very serviceable extra pale summer bock). So our favorites of the day were the Maibock (which is also quite strong) and the Dragon’s Breath, a dark wheat Hefeweizen.
While he did enjoy our beers, this brewery will never be Pete’s favorite, because they don’t make any stouts or porters, which are the bread and butter of his beer drinking life. They do have darker beers, but they are usually darker versions of a lighter variety (such as the dark Hefe mentioned above). Stouts and porters are more traditionally associated with the British Isles, not Bavaria.
Still, even Pete loves Face Plant, so even if you are a stalwart dark beer drinker, this brewery is still worth a stop. It is located on Montana St. just off of Russell, and despite being in a fairly industrial part of town has a very pleasant outdoor courtyard (complete with a fire pit and a giant chess set).
The upstairs of Bayern is also the home of Edelweiss Bistro, where you can order traditional German food to go with your traditional German beer (to check out their menu, click here). Sadly, they were already closed by the time we got there this time, but I have enjoyed pretzels and cheese there in the past.
In Conclusion
Even in just one short afternoon, we had a very good time in Missoula, so if you are ever in Western Montana, it is definitely worth swinging through to check out this town. Missoula is full of history, culture, and quirky fun in its own right, and is an excellent (and comfortable) jumping off point for all make and manner of outdoor adventures in the beautiful surrounding area.
What are some of your favorite things about Missoula?