The Story Behind the "M"

The "M" is 620 feet above the Missoula Valley floor. It is 125' feet long and 100' feet wide. University of Montana forestry students cut the switchbacks into the side of the hill in the early 1900's. The first "M" was assembled out of whitewashed rocks in 1909, and given a fresh coat of paint by freshmen every year, until 1968, when all those rocks were cemented together with concrete.

Photo by Nelson Kenter, kenterphotography.com

Archive for the ‘Attractions’ Category

Kayaking and Creating Community at Brennan’s Wave

By JASON SHREDER - Thanks to lots of hard work, Caras Park and Brennan’s Wave have become a place where the community can gather and enjoy the sport of kayaking.... more

Photo Gallery: Montana Whitewater Championship Finals

By AUSTIN SMITH - The final round of the Montana Whitewater Championships were held at Brennan’s Wave in Missoula’s Caras Park on Wednesday.... more

Photo Gallery: Montana Whitewater Championship Pre-Comp

By AUSTIN SMITH - The Montana Whitewater Championships will culminate in the final round of competition at Brennan’s Wave in Missoula’s Caras Park on Wednesday.... more

Kayaking is FUN!

By JASON SHREDER - Whether you paddle casually or attack the biggest rapids in the world, just make sure you're kayaking for the right reason: To have fun.... more

A Sunday Afternoon Yard Sale on the Lochsa River

By JASON SHREDER - It’s that time of year where flocks of Missoulians head over Lolo Pass to run the Lochsa River. Just remember: Don't cheer 'til both feet are dry.... more

Spring River Buzz: Early Season Kayaking Tips

By JASON SHREDER - Spring is just around the corner and the river community is buzzing with joy, eagerness, and excitement. Here are a few tips to get you geared up.... more

Photo Gallery: Backcountry Skiing at Downing Mountain Lodge

By TRAVIS GOODKIND - Downing Mountain Lodge near Hamilton has everything for the perfect ski trip: Deep snow, great accommodations, and killer backcountry skiing.... more

Photo Gallery: Missoula St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By ABBY REDFERN & AUSTIN SMITH - Crowds lined Higgins Avenue for the 32nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade amidst snow, rain, and green bouncy balls Saturday afternoon.... more

St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Events in Missoula

By AUSTIN SMITH - Missoula will come alive this weekend with a St. Patrick's Day parade and events to rival even the world-renowned Butte celebration.... more

Photo Gallery | Gratitude as Mount Jumbo’s South Zone Reopens

By PAUL QUENEAU - Today, Mount Jumbo's south zone reopens to people after its winter hibernation so that the elk and mule deer could range in peace. ... more

Whitewater Kayaking Essentials: The Roll, Part 2

By JASON SHREDER - The roll significantly affects your safety, skill progression (both mentally and physically), and the amount of fun you can have on the water.... more

Whitewater Kayaking Essentials: The Roll, Part 1

By JASON SHREDER - One of the things I love about whitewater kayaking is that’s its constantly challenging. One of the biggest challenges beginners face is learning how to roll (AKA: The Combat Roll).... more

Holiday Gift Ideas for River Rats (aka Kayakers)

By JASON SHREDER - Just in time for Christmas, here are my top 11 gift ideas that are sure to please that river runner in your family and guaranteed to get some use!... more

Elk Hunting in Montana: A Bit of History

By BRUCE AUCHLY - Thanks to conservation efforts, there are now roughly 150,000 elk ranging in Montana. Whether or not you got your elk, these are the good old days of elk hunting.... more

MissouLOVE: Things That Make Missoula Home

By JEN SLAYDEN - From the rivers to the mountains and all things in between, here are my 10 fave things about Missoula. What do you MissouLOVE?... more

Get Out of the Kitchen Next Week: My Favorite Missoula Restaurants

By MARGARET HORTON - Thanksgiving is next week and it’s got me thinking: I’ll provide place to stay and the home-cooked meals for my guests, but it’s also fun get everybody out for a meal.... more

Winter Kayaking Motivation: Don’t Hesitate, Just Go!

By JASON SHREDER - The ultimate winter day is going to Snowbowl in the morning and surfing Brennan’s Wave in the afternoon. How many places can you do that?... more

Photo Gallery: The Beginnings of Winter in Missoula

By PAUL QUENEAU - Could the mountains above Missoula see 40 inches by this weekend? The snow might not have stuck much to the valley floor, but the mountains are eating it up.... more

Storm Bears Down – Prelude to a 2011 Monster Montana Winter?

By PAUL QUENEAU - [Photo Gallery] - Late tonight, a powerful cold front will sweep across western Montana. Could we be in for a repeat of last year's epic winter weather?... more

‘Tis the Season for Cold Weather Running

By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG - Kickstart the holiday season with the Turkey Day 8K and 3K Family Fun Run on Thanksgiving Day. The event will be on Thursday, November 24 at 9:30 a.m. Races start near Toole Park on the Ri... more

Paul Queneau Showcases Missoula’s Stunning Fall Foliage

Paul Queneau sent us so many gorgeous fall color photos for his post, Missoula's Fall Colors: The Best Ever?, that we couldn't resist putting them all in one big gallery for you to enjoy.... more

Missoula’s Fall Color: The Best Ever?

By PAUL QUENEAU - I’m just going to say it: This might be the best fall color the Missoula Valley has ever seen. A bold statement, I know, but so are the colors.... more

Kayaking’s Best: The Rider of the Year and Whitewater Grand Prix

By JASON SHREDER - There are many different platforms to showcase the sport of whitewater kayaking. Whether it's big wave surfing in remote places or whitewater parks nestled in the heart of town, they all cont... more

Looking for a Missoula Pumpkin Patch or Corn Maze?

Get info on corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and more Halloween family fun in Missoula, Montana.... more

Chchchchanges: Autumn Comes to the Other Side of the Mountain

By JENNIFER SLAYDEN. Just as we can predict that there will be changes in the weather in Missoula each fall, we can also know that life on the other side of the mountain will be in cycles of change for years t... more

Black Bear Hit on I-90 Leaves Orphaned Cubs

By PAUL QUENEAU. Driving my sons to school Monday morning along I-90, a driver in front of me suddenly pulled off on the shoulder between East Missoula and the Van Buren exit. Then I saw the reason: A good siz... more

Missoula’s Bucks are Ready to Rumble

By PAUL QUENEAU A tension is mounting around Missoula. Look any direction from town and you may likely see gangs of mule and whitetail deer bucks growing increasingly at odds. Turbulent. Agitated. A month... more

20+ Things to Do for Kids Visiting Missoula

By PAUL WHEATON. Paul has family coming to visit. He could go on and on about how great Missoula is, and this post lists some of his top attractions!... more

The National Bison Range at Moiese

By MARGIE EWING. The gray rainy Missoula skies makes one wonder if spring will ever get here. Fortunately for zoo town residents the National Bison Range is the perfect place to find spring in all its glory a... more

Go with the Flow and Get in the Know

By JASON SHREDER. Water is powerful and is many times underestimated by people. The river is constantly changing and sometimes is unforgiving and demanding. Please remember to be prepared this season. Get ... more

12th Annual Best in the West Freestyle Kayak Competition

MAKE IT MISSOULA MOMENT: 12th Annual Best in the West Freestyle Kayak Competition--a fundraiser for the MAX WAVE.... more

Kayakers – One Big Family

By JASON SHREDER. No matter where you’re from, what you’ve been through, who you’re with, or how good you are, the river is a common ground. We all kayak for different reasons and that’s ok. ... more

The Selway River: A Preseason Kayaking Treat

By JASON SHREDER. The Selway is an epic river trip. It’s a wild and scenic river and is considered by many to be one of the premier wilderness floats in the lower 48. It’s a tough river to get a permit fo... more

Youth Kayaking

By JASON SHREDER. The future of whitewater kayaking, and most other sports lies in the hands of the youth. The younger generation of kayakers keep pushing the limits of kayaking and are discovering what is pos... more

Old Dawgs, New Tricks

By JASON SHREDER. Last weekend I drove over to the Lochsa River, one of my all time favorites. It was a classic Lochsa weekend, rainy, snowy, with an occasional beam of sunshine. The crowd, mostly from Misso... more

Kayaking Essentials

By JASON SHREDER. I remember when I first started I had an old paddle, a spray skirt with a hole in it, a nerdy looking Pro-Tec helmet, nose plugs so tight I could barely talk, and some other pieces of gear t... more

MoBASH Skate Park

Named one of the country’s top 5 skate parks by Thrasher Magazine... more

Are You Drawn or Driven?

By JASON SHREDER. I have been kayaking for 10 years now. In those 10 years I have spent a lot of time on the water. 8 out of those 10 years I have spent over 200 plus days each year on the river. To say the ... more

Anywhere But Missoula, MT

11/09 Blog by Elke Govertson. If you had asked me in college where I would live when I “settled down” (is that what has happened? I have settled? Like a flat cake? Like an upset stomach? Yikes.) I would hav... more

How to Get in Hunting Shape

10/26 Blog by 'Captain Catchem' Mark Ward. You have no idea how fast a herd of elk can explode in the opposite direction when they get a whiff of my liniment on the second day of the hunting season. As to askin... more

2011 Hunting Checklist

10/17 Blog by "Captain Catchem" Mark Ward. The opening day for the 2010 Montana deer and elk general rifle season is fast approaching on Saturday, October 23. Antelope season already started on October 9. If yo... more

Ten Spoon Winery

Blog by Andy Sponseller and Connie Poten. Soon after we planted our first grape vines, launching the dream of a green vineyard and winery in Montana’s Rockies, excellent friend and author Deirdre McNamer g... more

No Place Like Missoula in the Fall

Blog by "Captain Catchem" Mark Ward. When someone from out-of-state thinks about Montana’s unique scenery,... more

Missoula Wins Playful City USA Award

In 2009 KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization, confirmed what many Missoulians already knew to be true – Missoula is one of the most Playful Cities in the nation. Playful City USA is a KaBOOM! progra... more

Missoula’s Markets

Saturday mornings aren’t just for cartoons or sleeping in. In Missoula, Saturday mornings are for shopping Missoula’s outdoor markets – at least when the weather is warm. When market season hits, three... more

Missoula History

The first inhabitants of the Missoula area were Native Americans from the Salish tribe.  They called the area “Nemissoolatakoo,” which translates roughly to “river of ambush," and eventually gave rise to... more

Out to Lunch

Feeling hungry? With over 20 different food vendors and live music every week in Caras Park in Downtown Missoula, Out to Lunch has you covered. For over 20 years, Out to Lunch has been providing Missoulians ... more

Montana Natural History Center

The Montana Natural History Center helps cultivate the understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of nature through education. With a variety of programs for all ages, the Center helps both children a... more

Living with Wildlife

Residing in Western Montana means learning to live with wildlife. In Missoula, that often includes sharing your yard with birds, raccoons, skunks, deer, black bears, and even mountain lions. The Montana Depa... more

Take a Hike

The seemingly endless hiking and backpacking opportunities in and around Missoula offer thousands of miles of trails in wilderness areas, Forest Service lands, and BLM lands. Information on hiking in the bac... more