Missoula: Why It’s Our Favorite City
We first drove into Missoula in our rented camper-van the morning of 4th of July. Our plan was to grab some coffee, explore the town, and end with a firework show. We left the next day with something we didn’t plan for: a love for a city that’s beautiful, genuine, and adventurous.
While a trip to experience Missoula for yourself is better than a million words, we still wanted to portray why Missoula has a place in our hearts.
There’s a feeling…
We were sitting at Caras Park in Missoula, Montana on a warm, summer day, listening to the 4th of July day concert featuring local artists. We were soaking in the sun and enjoying the liveliness downtown Missoula had to offer. As we people watched and interacted with the locals, we loved the strong community vibe. We could tell that the people of Missoula cherished the outdoors and the mountains surrounding their city. We felt right being in Missoula.
Hiking one of the many trails in Missoula, looking down at the city that lay between mountains.
The local food and shops were refreshing
We were researching where we could find good beer and a good patio. We had already tried out Tamarak (we recommend ordering the nachos if you go - and definitely start with the half order… trust us!), and so our next recommended spot was GILD. Boy, did they beat our expectations!
GILD is a fancy brewpub. They have a wide selection of beers and a mix of tacos, burritos, and appetizers. Our first time in (yes, we ended up going no less than 4 times), we each ordered a flight and shared chips and salsa. The beer was great and the chips and salsa were DELICIOUS. We weren’t hungry enough for an actual meal, which resulted in us coming back a couple different times to try out some of their main dishes and continue to soak in the vibe.
There are so many other experiences we had like this one. From a local swimsuit shop, to a winery, to coffee shops, to the weekly farmers market; Missoula has a ton of local businesses to check out. We can’t wait to continue exploring!
The perfect place if you love the outdoors
We definitely got our outdoor fix while in Missoula.
One of the many reasons we fell in love with Missoula was because of how many trails and spots to explore there were. We could hop on our bike and 10 minutes be at the start of a trail. There were trails on each mountain surrounding the city, and Glacier National Park was only a couple hours away.
We also soon learned that the locals were just as outdoorsy. From bikers, trail runners, and snowboarders - there is bound to be a group to join if you want people to run and explore with.
Speaking of biking… Missoula is very biker friendly
We biked EVERYWHERE. Our second time to Missoula, we worked remotely for 2 weeks. Each morning we would walk downstairs with our bags and bikes, buckle up our helmets, and make our .8 mile ride over to C3 Worklounge.
The bike ride was always a breeze. It took us no time to hop on a trail, hop off, and park our bikes. Even though it was right in the middle of July, it was always perfect cool weather in the morning so you weren’t sweating by the time you got to work.
One afternoon we also tested out biking to a couple breweries, to REI, and the grocery store. Again, it was easy and there was no stress.
We realized what makes Missoula so bike commuter friendly is:
Having designated biker lanes. Almost every road we biked on had a wide bike lane.
Convenient biking trails. There was sure to be a bike trail to take us where we needed. It never took long to hop on one of the trails, hop off, and park our bikes.
Biker-aware and patient drivers. This was SO IMPORTANT. Almost every intersection we crossed, drivers would wave for us to cross. We were never honked at and never felt unsafe while biking on the side of a busy road.
The most important part… it’s someplace where we felt like we fit in. We felt at home
Even just after one day in Missoula, we knew this was a special place. While we’ve only visited in the summer, we also have plans to check out Missoula in the winter to get the true feel of what it would be like living there. We can’t wait for many more adventures in our favorite city!
