The first Tour de Montana is right around the corner, and we are getting so excited to welcome riders from all over to Missoula, MT, one of the greatest spots on earth. If you’re going to get to spend a little extra time in Missoula, here are some Cycling House approved ways to spend an hour (or ten.)
1. Drinking Beer
Missoula may be a small town, but we love our microbreweries. At last count there were five downtown, and that was just at last count. A few more have probably popped up since then. Kettlehouse is the perennial favorite (try their Coldsmoke), but Bayern is delicious German-style beer and Draught Works usually has live music and the best porch.
http://www.missouladowntown.com/dine/breweries-wine/
2. Ride on a Merry-Go-Round
But it’s not just any Merry-Go-Round. Missoula’s hand-carved carousel took over 100,000 hours of volunteer time and is the only hand-carved carousel west of the Mississippi. It’s located right next to the Clark Fork so it’s a great place for a picnic as well.
3. Hike the famous “M” trail
You’ll see it as soon as you get into Missoula, the large M towering on Mount Sentinal. The hike to the huge M is less than a mile long but it’s a Missoula standard, and you can get a great view of the campus from the top.
http://www.missoulian.com/app/hikebike/MS-mtrail.html
Here are a few links to other Missoula guides:
http://www.designsponge.com/2013/04/missoula-mt-city-guide.html
We can’t wait to see you in Montana!
photo by Tom Robertson