Home | Community | Education | The University of Montana | Campus Life

Campus Life

Outside Magazine ranked UM “among the top nationally for combining academic quality and outdoor recognition.” Featuring a vibrant campus setting, lots of student activities, and close proximity to world-class outdoor recreation, life on the UM campus offers a little something for everyone.

Campus recreation includes intramural sports, fitness programs, outdoor programs, an Olympic-size pool, and an 18-hold golf course
The 9-chapter Greek Life community is over 260 members strong
Students and employees can ride the city’s Mountain Line buses for free by simply showing their Griz Card
University Dining Services wins consistent praise from students and staff alike for its campus food and beverage options
The Farm to College Program has been a national leader in the eat-local movement and helps give the Food Zoo’s cafeteria-style meals their surprisingly non-institutional flavor
Student Employment Services to help students find work study, non-work study, and volunteer work opportunities

Check out the UM’s interactive Campus Map:

"Most scenic campus in America."

- Rolling Stone Magazine

University of Montana Homecoming – September 20-25

The University of Montana Alumni Association today announced the 2021 H... more

Saint Mary’ Peak Trail

By CHAUNCEY LISTON-How did I get into this fix? It started with my pack... more

MacLay Flats Nature Trail

By MALLORY KERENSA WELLS - It was a quiet Thursday evening and after a ... more

Tower Street Trails: A Bold Dinner Date

By BRENDEN SPERR - I see trees. Trees and squirrels everywhere, squirrels that are so bold they get right next to me then turn and run as if they’re playing chicken.... more

Blue Mountain Folf Course: Too Much Fun to Hike Past

By DEVIN SLATER-It seems like if there is anything you want to do outdoors you can find it at Blue Mountain. But honestly, I wouldn’t know those trails. I never get past the folf course. ... more

The Clark Fork River Walk (VIDEO)

By CATHERINE ORFANOS: The Montana campus was quiet. The Oval, empty. Puddles formed across the sidewalk and my path through campus zigzagged between them. ... more

Rattlesnake Valley: Wood’s Gulch to Sheep Mountain

By REBECCA KEITH- I lean up against Jasmine; my red, secondhand mountain bike and stew in frustration. The 11-mile ride from Wood’s Gulch to the top of Sheep’s Mountain was kicking my butt. ... more

Kim Williams Trail: The Unexpected Wilderness in My Backyard

By MARTHA KREBILL- Walking the Kim Williams Trail that night had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, and I was captivated by the natural beauty of what I can describe literally as my backyard.... more

Rattlesnsake Recreation Area

By MEGAN FRANZ - I made it to the Main Rattlesnake Trailhead, locked up the bike, swung my beat up sack over my shoulder and started trekking along the old road that follows the creek. ... more

Greenough Park Trail: A Journey Into Art and Nature

By PARKER BRIXEY - I’m cruising into Greenough Park on my bike, entering the park at its southern end, closest to town. I’ve got my headphones in, and Wiz khalifa bumping loud. ... more

Randolph-Moon Homestead Trail: Pushing Back Against Doubt and Disease

By GARRETT SLADE - It wasn’t until I had topped the final crest in the North Hills that my anxiety about the day fled. From my vantage point over Missoula the stress of the past two weeks began to melt away.... more

Mount Jumbo – Daylight Turns to Dark, Marvel Fades to Fear

By By NICK MERTES- Our eyes locked. He reared back and then quickly struck the ground with his hooves, like he was revving his engine, looking to fight. He was ready to go, but was I?... more

North Hills – Making Peace With the Rural-Urban Medley

By BELLE GASH-GILDER - There are a number of different places to begin to explore the North Hills. I started at Mountain View Trail which literally literally starts in someone’s yard. ... more

Mount Jumbo – Rising Above a Rude Awakening

By HENRY CRIST- Sometimes, little adventures change your entire perspective, and you’re a different person because of them. My adventure wasn’t a heart racing one, but it was just what I needed.... more

Crazy Canyon – An Easy Climb in Nature’s Cathedral

CHARLES EARLY - I decided to hike Crazy Canyon with a friend in early Fall. Although this is a popular hike, we didn’t see another person, which only added to the beauty of the trail.... more

Ch-paa-qn Peak

By KIAN BERTIN - People from all over the world have summited this mountain. “Pride of Britain,” one of the rocks has written into it. Another one reads, “I hate this damn wind.”... more

Crazy Canyon

By LIONE CLARE - I was happy to be back in the woods about to climb a mountain, an activity much more accessible and frequent in my hometown of Sitka, Alaska.... more

Pengelly Ridge

By CARLY STINSON - I love hiking, but as I spun in circles running from class to class this semester, I just couldn’t find time for the Pengelly Ridge Trail hike.... more

Smokejumpers’ Trail

By COLIN BRUST - We trudged up the steep and rocky path, leaving the Kim Williams riverside trail below us. Even though there was a great view of the Missoula Valley behind us, I felt uneasy.... more

Life is One Big Adventure

By NADIA WHITE - This last fall, 21 first-semester freshmen joined me at UM's School of Journalism in a class about adventure writing. We defined adventure loosely, and they wrote stories that described who the... more

UM School of Theatre & Dance Presents: Dance Up Close 2014

Dance Up Close 2014: November 5, 7 and 9. The UM School of Theatre & Dance invites you into the Masquer Theatre to be seated in close proximity to the dancers.... more

$1 Million Gift Highlights Academic Center Groundbreaking

By JOEL CARLSON-Ground was broken Wednesday on the UM campus for a new athletics academic center, and a $1 million gift gift was announced that will go toward additional facility improvements.... more

UM Dining Wins NACUFS Grand Prize for Sustainability

UM Dining’s commitment to limiting our impact on the environment earned national recognition at the 2014 National Association of College and University Food Services Conference.... more

Love at First Listen with the Avett Brothers

Every once in a while in life, you stumble upon something that grabs you, shakes you, and is "love at first listen". UM Productions presents the Avett Brothers at the Adams Center, Oct. 20, 2013. ... more

Avett Brothers Headline at the Adams Center Oct 20

Fresh off recent appearances on the Tonight Show and Late Nite with Jimmy Falon, The Avett Brothers Headline in Missoula on Oct 20, 2013 at the Adams Center.... more

Griz Started Preparing for the 2013 Season Several Months Ago

By DAVE GUFFEY - When you watch the 2013 UM football players and coaches go through the tedious and regimented routine of fall camp drills, you can sense the focus, determination, and excitement.... more

Johnson Leads the Way in First Griz Scrimmage of 2013 Fall Camp

Quarterback Jordan Johnson played in three series and the result was three touchdowns at UM's first scrimmage of fall camp Sun. (Aug. 11) evening in front of approximately 1,000 fans.... more

Griz Name 2013 Football Team Captains

The University of Montana football team voted for their captains for the 2013 season, and head coach Mike Delaney told the rest of the team today (Friday, April 19) in a team meeting who those players are.... more

UM Students Team Up with St. Jude Hospital for Up ‘Til Dawn Fundraiser

Up ‘til Dawn is a nationwide college letter-writing fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Hospital. The Feb. 28 event will be held at the University Center on campus.... more

Preparations Begin for Revamped University of Montana Foresters’ Ball [AUDIO]

By PETER CHRISTIAN - Chainsaws were roaring Saturday for the traditional pole run, as UM students began preparations for the 96th annual Foresters’ Ball, scheduled for March 22 and March 23 in 2013.... more

Folk Musician Chris Bathgate Plays at the UM FLAT

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER - Last Monday, my band The Trees had the privilege of opening for Michigander folk musician Chris Bathgate and his band. I must say, I'm still giddy from the show. ... more

Playing in a Missoula Band Called “The Trees”

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. So I'm in a band now. We're called The Trees. I know what you're thinking: “The Trees? Really?” Yes. We're The Trees. ... more

We Are Family: Griz Family Weekend

By MARGARET DEWILLIAM HORTON - On a Wednesday several weeks ago, I sat poised by the computer, waiting for the stroke of 10 AM Mountain Time (which I had to remember translated to 9 AM Pacific Time). I was hopi... more

Thomas the Tarantula

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. I spent the summer volunteering for Missoula's Summer Arts and Leadership Camp, a free camp for 68 homeless and at risk of being homeless kids in Missoula. There I met Thomas the Tarantula.... more

Power Shift

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. A Day in the Life of a UM student: traveling to Washington D.C. for a national youth conference on climate change. The conference was called Power Shift, and about 10,000 young people from ... more

Migratory Notions and Desert Solidarity

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. A Day in the Life a UM student--backpacking in the desert of Utah. If there's one thing I've learned from my backpacking journeys, it's that things rarely go exactly according to plan. Tha... more

Bear Wrestling and Farm Work

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. As I sit typing this, according to my fancy computer thermometer, it is 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I'm quite positive this measurement isn't accounting the windchill factor from the hur... more

Zen and the Art of Stacking Wood

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. So, I've been living at home in Helena with my parents for the last few weeks for winter break, which basically means I get to live there free of rent for my devoted and uncomplaining slave... more

The Year of Missoula

By CLAY SPRINMEYER. Happy holidays and blessings of the new year, dear reader. As we flow forward in the river of time into 2011, I've been reflecting on some of the adventures that 2010 brought me.... more

When Aliens (and Cryptosporidium) Attack

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A UM STUDENT. Blog by Clay Springmeyer. I have aliens chewing on my intestines. Ever seen that cult classic, Alien? Remember that part where the alien baby bursts out of the guy's stomach ... more

Zoo Town Night Life

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A UM STUDENT. Blog by Clay Springmeyer. Goodbye Day Light Savings! Don't you love getting to sleep in an extra hour? Well, readers, so much has happened in the last week that I don't eve... more

A Day in the Life…

A DAY IN THE LIFE A UM STUDENT. Blog by Clay Springmeyer. I play Dungeons and Dragons in a basement on Sundays. On Sunday nights I'm Terran Crane Fist, a half-orc monk that kills zombies and skeletons with my h... more

Pleasing Your Palate in Missoula

Hungry? You'll be able to satisfy just about any craving in Missoula! Whether it's a casual meal for the family, a fine dining experience, or dessert after a concert or play, Missoula offers a wealth of opt... 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

Cycling City

If you spend any time in Missoula, you'll notice lots of bikes on road. Cycling is a way of life for many residents of the city. Missoula’s biking heritage can be traced back to 1976 when a group of 4 Ohio... more

The University of Montana Pages

Campus Life