fiogf49gjkf0d Blue-collar and academic cultures converge in
MISSOULA
, framed by the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountains, to produce one of the most vibrant and friendly small towns in the country. It's a town of contrasting faces - truck sales yards and bookstores, continental cafes and gun shops - where nearly everyone seems to be connected to either the city's huge sawmills or the 10,000-student University of Montana.
The
visitor center
, across the river from the campus, at 825 E Front St (tel 406/543-6623), can provide details on
trails
such as the grueling one leading from its office up
Mount Sentinel
, embellished by a huge concrete letter "M." The top gives a great view of the area, especially the rugged Hellgate River Canyon. Other worthwhile trails traverse the
Rattlesnake Wilderness
, which, despite its name, is serpent-free. The most developed of the city's two small
ski
areas is
Montana Snowbowl
, twelve miles northwest, which has a good range of slopes for all abilities and boasts a summer
chairlift
(Fri, Sat & Sun noon-5pm; tel 406/549-9777; $6, $2 for bikes).
Marshall Mountain
, 7 miles east of Missoula (tel 406/258-6000), is geared toward the novice.
Tours of the Forest Service
Smokejumper Center
, ten miles out of town on US-93, look at the methods used to train smokejumpers, highly skilled firefighters who parachute into forested areas to stop the spread of wildfires. A small visitor center explains their work (Memorial Day-Labor Day 10am-5pm; free; tel 406/329-4934).
Missoula is home to a number of
authors
, among them Norman
A River Runs Through It
MacLean, crime writers James Lee Burke and James Crumley, and several good bookstores, including Fact & Fiction, 220 N Higgins St (tel 406/721-2881).
Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections):
|