Missoula MT trip advice.

Hello Friends in Lead,

First off i need to ask forgiveness for being more or less gone from this fine site for about the last year. Its been a turbulent but generally positive set of changes. Between the need to be a good husband, a good father, and a good employee not much time was left over for this hobby that i enjoy so much.

At any rate the lovely Mrs. .455 Webley needs to attend a work conference in Missoula MT this July, and i am able to go with. Since she has class to attend every day, i need to find some worthwhile things to do. Can any locals help point me in the right direction?

I plan to visit the RMEF visitors center since i am a member of that org. I also know the Boone and Crockett has a center in town as well. As an industrial firefighter i might also take in the Smoker Jumpers school in town. Any other Must See things in town?

Not much of a Fisherman but it seems like i pretty much have to give it a try on this visit. Any good lakes or streams to hike into with my two day out of state license? Know a place i can get a 2nd hand rod as i wont pay the checked baggage fee to take a rod with me.

I plan on hiking some of the Mountains in the area. I would like to not get lost but still have some amazing views and not swim in tourists. Suggestions?

What are the good Gun Shops in town? Any matches or shoots in the area in Mid July?

I love craft beer ( Like all things, best in moderation.) any recommendations for local brews?

Also I will need to take my hard studying wife out to a couple of nice meals. Where should we go?

Ghost towns are an area of great interest for my bride and i hear that area has a few. What are the ones to go and see and what should be avoided?

If you are familiar with the area i would appreciate any advice that you have to offer. Thanks for your time, and any input you may have.

.455

Big Sky Brewing. The Moose Drool is good for it's style

Selway Armory. good business and good folks.

If you are headed out to the airport to see the Jump Base ( Smoke Jumper base ) , head over to the Museum of Mountain Flying - worth the trip alone. Head out to see Old Fort Missoula, The Museum of the US Forest Service. Gun shops - Axemen, Bob Wards, Cabelas. Deep Creek Range is a good place to shoot. Trail head to the Rattlesnake Wilderness area is just on the north edge of town and easy access for some beautiful hiking. For fishing, The Bitterroot River flows along the west edge of town - Better fished on the south end in the Bitteroot Valley. The Blackfoot River flows through town and is best fished to the east of town. East of Missoula is Rock Creek which is really a premier trout stream. You might want to drive up and see the Bison Range near St Ignatius - about 35 miles north and worth at least half a day. Don't really know the restaurants any more - But you will find no shortage of great places to eat. More than when we lived there - Left in 1999. My Wife grew up there. Hope you enjoy your trip

Head east to Zortman, you won't forget it.

Bison range out of Ravalli 40 minute drive is good. Take the long drive not the short one and get out on top and hike for a bit. Fish Rock Creek, or go up the Blackfoot-Seeley lake country. South of town, Axmen South, Hwy 93 So on the right hand side had a great gun shop with a lot of stuff other than black rifles. Lunch in the park Wednesdays at Caras Park downtown will show you what the rest of us in the State have to vote against. If you are there Saturday morning there might be some early Huckleberries at the Farmer Market. Drive 93 South to Darby for a great view of the Selway Bitterroot.
I spent from 87-05 there and we could eat at a different restaurant every week without ever duplicating them. They came and went that fast. Boone and Crockett was more an administrative center when we were there than a trophy showroom.
Gold Creek has some ghost towns, If you have the time for a 3 hour drive go to Bannock State Park. Feel free to PM me if you want some specifics.

Lolo steak house just south of town for fancy dining. The Missoula club is great for the pub type atmosphere. Big Sky Brewing has an awesome tasting room for about ten or more beers. They are really close to the RMEF. The C'Mon inn is a great hotel with pool and hot tub rooms and great breakfast. Head out to alberton (25 min west) for a great river hang out spot. Counsel Grove park is another great outdoor spot right near town, river and park are great for walking and exploring. And mt Jumbo is a terrific hike if you're hardy enough. A real mountain is lolo peak just on the south of town. Runs over 9k feet and the views are amazing....

Missoula is only 30 miles from Montana. Since you will be so close, you should visit the state! Missoula is Berkley North.
Quite a bit to see in the area. Phillipsburg is a nice side trip, and the nearby Granite ghost town. Garnet ghost town isn't too far away, and is the best preserved in the state. Others are Virginia City, and a mile away, Nevada City. Worthwhile side trip. Also Bannock, as was mentioned before.
If you go to the bison range, check out the mountains of St. Ignatius, and if you enjoy native stuff, Four Winds Trading Post north of town about 4 miles is a cool stop. If you are really into the native arts, talk to the owner, he may show you his massive private collection.

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Originally Posted by adcoch1

A real mountain is lolo peak just on the south of town. Runs over 9k feet and the views are amazing....

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I believe you are thinking of Trappers Peak.

If you are going to go over to Phillipsburg ( P-Burg as know locally )- Go down to Hamilton and drive the Skalkaho Pass road over to P-Burg. It was one of our favorite rides in Montana - It's dirt which made it all the more enjoyable.

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Originally Posted by waksupi

I believe you are thinking of Trappers Peak.

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You are correct, I mis typed...

Well, late to the party, as usual. .455Web if you have a more precise date I could give a more precise answer. There are 3 major shooting ranges in the Missoula area and they usually have some type of match going on. Sometimes all 3 ranges at the same time. The Deep Creek range often has more than one event going on at it. However, these matches are USUALLY on the weekend. Are you planning on being here over the weekend? On Thursday morning we have a grumpy old man's shoot at the Riverside range. It starts off as a "shoot what you brung" thing and then, of late, we usually finish up with a little friendly pistol completion, shooting our balls. Hey, not what you're thinking. I'm talking about those 5" plastic target balls. Anyway. Is your wife going to be in class all day? If so, it might be difficult to get to some of the attractions outside of Waksupi's "30 mile" range. Garnet Ghost town is about an hours drive from Missoula and in July it will stay light long enough to see it after class. I am not much of a beer drinker, but I hear from reliable sources that there are plenty of places to drink as much as you want. I don't eat out much at night, so don't know all the hot spots but I'm sure you won't starve. I'm also not much of a fisherman. If I have time to fish I have time to hunt or go shooting so.... sometimes my wife or the grandkids drag me into. I do have all the gear though. You're welcome to borrow all of it you want. I would offer to guide you around but I am going to be having a total knee replace at the end of this month and don't know how mobile I will be in July. I do feel confident that I would be able to meet with you in the morning for coffee and maybe give you a little more detailed info. 406-531-2026 or oldvic38@yahoo.com

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice for this upcoming trip. We hope to sit down this week end to compare some lists of must see, must do, and must eats for our journey. An extra special thank you for local members who have offered loans of equipment and range invites. This is a special community inhabited by special people and i am grateful to be a part of it. For those who have wondered we will be in town from the 13th to the 20th of July.

A hearty thanks once again to everyone.
.455

Missoula is NOT Montana! It is an enclave of California and has been for many years. This enclave extends from Darby to Kalispell. Other areas of Montana have been infected with the Cali disease as well. In fact most of Montana has suffered from it and the contagion has spread to Idaho, Wyoming, Washington etc. Montana is not what it was 30 years ago and the cattle no longer outnumber the people. The Duck Boys foretold the future!

Another though, Traveler's Rest is just down the road at Lolo. That is one of the few documented campsites of the Lewis and Clark expedition. There are ongoing historical demonstrations through the summer. Look up the website to see what is scheduled.

http://www.travelersrest.org/events---education.html

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Originally Posted by waksupi

Missoula is only 30 miles from Montana. Since you will be so close, you should visit the state! Missoula is Berkley North.
Quite a bit to see in the area. Phillipsburg is a nice side trip, and the nearby Granite ghost town. Garnet ghost town isn't too far away, and is the best preserved in the state. Others are Virginia City, and a mile away, Nevada City. Worthwhile side trip. Also Bannock, as was mentioned before.
If you go to the bison range, check out the mountains of St. Ignatius, and if you enjoy native stuff, Four Winds Trading Post north of town about 4 miles is a cool stop. If you are really into the native arts, talk to the owner, he may show you his massive private collection.

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Sadly true. Was great in the 80's and early 90's. Saw my first grizzly there in 1992...I was farting around in the mountains above Reserve street and stumbled across him on a trail about 10 yards away and we just stared at each other...He had big fangs and claws and I had a H&R 949 22LR revolver...I'm glad he walked away...