Pack your weekend adventure with the best eats, sleeps, and trails that Zootown has to offer.
Missoula geography 101: This vibrant university city sits at the confluence of five valleys and three rivers, with elevations ranging from 3,200 feet downtown to 9,000-plus in the mountains ringing the city.
Translation: Excellent hiking in every direction, much of it just minutes from wherever you are. The sheer number of options can be dizzying, but we’ve got you covered. From top trails to the best breakfasts and aprés-hike hangouts, here’s your plan for the perfect three-day weekend in Missoula, Montana.
Friday Itinerary: From Jumbo to Chorizo
10 a.m.: Kick off your trip with a local classic: the 4,768-foot Mt. Jumbo. One of the two peaks guarding the east side of town (the other is Mt. Sentinel), Jumbo grants hikers an iconic vantage point over Missoula and all you’re about to explore.
Start from the Cherry Street trailhead and start climbing immediately, reaching the giant white “L” on the hillside in 0.7 mile. Keep going, tracing wide switchbacks on the mountain’s western flank; the arrowleaf balsamroot display is impressive up here in May. You’ll top out on a false summit before reaching the true prize: Wide views stretching from the Rattlesnake Wilderness to the Bitterroot Valley. See that dominant peak to the southwest? That’s tomorrow’s destination, Lolo Peak. Retrace your steps for a 4.3-mile round trip.
12:30 p.m: Grab a patio seat at FINN at DoubleTree Hotel for Missoula’s best riverside dining. You’ll be perfectly positioned to watch ant-sized hikers crawling up the M Trail on Mt. Sentinel.
2 p.m.: The Rattlesnake National Recreation Area is under 5 miles from downtown, contains more than 70 miles of trails, and abuts the even more beautiful Rattlesnake Wilderness. Don’t miss it.
The Rattlesnake Main Trail can get crowded, so try this sneak route: Park at the end of Duncan Drive, then cross Rattlesnake Creek and follow the waterway north under a shady canopy. You’ll pass the site of an old dam that was removed in 2020, starting a new era of ecological restoration. Hike as long as time and energy allow, then turn around. The trail meets up with the Rattlesnake Main Trail in about 2 miles.
4-5 p.m.: Check in to your room at LOGE Missoula, a new-in-2024 hotel aimed squarely at outdoor travelers. To wit: in-room hammocks, “gear walls” for storing equipment in every room, and a gear library for guests.
6 p.m.: Gaze out over the trails you’ve just sampled from the 7R Bar, a seventh-floor rooftop watering hole at the AC Hotel. You won’t get better views around here without hoofing it up a mountain yourself.
7 p.m.: Chef/owner Walker Hunter of Brasserie Port Rouge nabbed a James Beard Award nomination in 2024 for his creative, unpretentious French cooking. The menu spans items like trout with harissa butter, steak frites, and quail with chorizo, plus an oyster bar.
Saturday Itinerary: Lofty Hiking Ambitions
7 a.m.: At 9,096 feet, Lolo Peak lords over the rest of Missoula’s skyline. The hike to the top is grueling—13 miles round trip, 3,300 feet of elevation gain, and steep scrambling for short spurts—but always worth it. From the lofty summit, you’ll be able to look down on Missoula, the Bitterroot Valley, the Mission Mountains, and Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.
Pick up Lolo Peak Trail at the end of Forest Road 612/Mormon Peak Rd and follow its wide swoops up to Carlton Ridge. A 2017 wildfire torched much of this section, but the forest’s recovery is visible with every step. (A protective sun shirt is a great idea up here, as there’s little cover.) Drop down to Carlton Lake, then pick your own line up the steep slope on the lake’s southwest. That’ll get you up to the final ridge leading to Lolo’s summit. There’s no official trail, but the route is clear and non-technical. When you’ve drunk in your fill of the scenery, make your way back down the mountain the way you came.
6:30 p.m.: If there’s ever a day you’d want to inhale an entire pizza in one sitting, it’ll be today. Head for Biga Pizza, for your post-hike meal. The Meatball Verde (beef meatballs and broccoli rabe with cilantro-jalapeño sauce) or the spicy Vesuvio (Italian salami, cherry peppers, and kalamata olives) should go a long way toward replenishing lost calories.
8 p.m.: Mosey down the block to Tamarack Brewing for a nightcap. The Lakeside, Montana-based brewery’s Switchback Stout, a nitro oatmeal stout, is a fitting order after your day.
Sunday Itinerary: Sample Missoula’s Newest Trails
9 a.m.: Make a beeline for the upstairs patio at Cambie Taphouse + Coffee in the University District. Grab an espresso, breakfast poutine (fries smothered in gravy, eggs, and cheese, natch), and churro fry bread to fuel up.
10 a.m.: Wrap up your hiking weekend with a jaunt up one of Missoula’s newest trail systems, a network crisscrossing Mt. Dean Stone on the south side of town. Top dayhike: the 3-mile Barmeyer Loop.
From the Pattee Canyon trailhead, follow gentle switchbacks through a lodgepole pine forest until the trail splits. Take the lefthand branch (the hiker-only trail) to swing around the loop’s eastern side. Here, you climb through a meadowy forest where arrowleaf balsamroot and paintbrush bloom in spring and summer. Pop out on an open outcrop and take the short spur to a fantastic viewpoint over Missoula. Then, switchback down the other side of the loop, soaking in views of the Rattlesnake Wilderness and 7,996-foot Ch-paa-qn Peak as you go.
12: You’ve been getting to know Missoula with your feet, but let’s know it with your tastebuds. Scotty’s Tableserves up local produce, burgers, and grains, and it serves a killer brunch on weekends. Pancakes or chili verde pork shoulder, it’s your call.
1:30 p.m.: A river does indeed run through it, and you’ve earned a mellow float. The Clark Fork River meanders right through downtown, and come August, is usually low enough for safe tubing. Put in at the Sha-Ron River Access Point in East Missoula and bob along through Hellgate Canyon to Caras Park, a two- to two-and-a-half-hour trip. There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. Tip: Snag a tube rental and shuttle at Love Boat Paddle Company.
4 p.m.: Toast your trip with a cone from Big Dipper, Missoula’s ice cream institution. Regular flavors range from Salvadorean Coffee to Cardamom to Bubblegum, and the daily specials are always worth a sample, too.
