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

Posts Tagged ‘outdoor recreation’

5 Ways to Maximize Your Golfing Experience

Here are 5 ways to maximize the whole golfing experience. ... more

Want to Try Kayak Fishing? Here’s How to Prepare

Kayak fishing is one of the best ways to spend a relaxing day on the water. If you're a beginner, here are some ways to prepare for your first day on the water. ... more

6 Reasons Why Fishing is Good for You

There are many reasons why you should look to adopt fishing into your lifestyle. From physical benefits to mental benefits, here are several reasons why fishing is good for you.... more

Useful Items You’ll Need When You Go Outdoors For A Hike

Here are some of the things you should bring with you on a hike.... more

How to Pick the Perfect Surfboard

How comfortable and confident you will feel on the waves is determined by the kind of surfboard you have. So be sure to pick a good one.... more

Great Outdoor Activities For Your Family To Try This Summer

To make summertime even more eventful, make a bucket list of activities for your family and check them off as you go. Here are some outdoor activities to try out.... more

How to Use Modern Optics to Boost Your Hunting

In the long run, using optics will not only make you a better hunter but also improve your understanding of wildlife.... more

5 Perfect Accessories for Your AR-10

Whether you are a competitive or hobby hunter, an enhanced AR-10 rifle is paramount to your success and ease of shooting. ... more

Great Activities for Students in Missoula

Planning to visit Missoula but don't know how to have fun? The city has many interesting locations. Here are great activities for students in Missoula.... more

How to Make Your Outdoor Activities Extra Special

Keep reading to know more about guides and a common question for your exciting venture.... more

Camp Cooking: What You Need to Know

If you are preparing for your next camping trip right now, read on below to find everything you need to know about camp cooking. ... more

Tourism and Innovation. How Montana is Trying to Get Ahead

One of the most northerly of the U.S states, Montana is widely appreciated for its numerous outdoor opportunities, tourist attractions and local culture. ... more

Fall Into Fun With Parks and Recreation

Join Missoula Parks and Recreation for these exciting recreation and aquatics programs. Call 721-PARK to register or stop by Currents Aquatics Center in McCormick Park. ... more

Winter Survival is For the Birds

By BRUCE AUCHLY -At this time of year, If we humans go outside we dress for the weather.Birds that do not migrate, have evolved some ingenious ways to dress for the weather, to stay alive.... more

That Thing Called Elk Hunting

By BRUCE AUCHLY- To those who don’t hunt, it can be hard to understand the strength and depth of the passion known as Elk Hunting.... more

Tales and Trails: Love in the Time of Cold

By BRUCE AUCHLY - One day it’s warm and sunny, the next day cold and snowy. Welcome to that time on the calendar between winter and spring. ... more

Snow or No Snow: Parks and Rec Hosts Winter Carnival at Marshall Mountain

Snow or no snow, Parks and Rec is hosting the first annual Marshall Mountain Winter Carnival on Sun., Feb. 22 at Marshall Mountain, from 10-4 pm.... more

Winter Carnival and Snow Races at Marshall Mountain

Join Missoula Parks & Rec for the first annual Marshall Mountain Winter Carnival and Snowshoe/Ski Races on Sat., Feb. 22 at Marshall Mountain, from 10-4 p.m.... more

Register Now for All-Abilities Playmakers Sports League

Parks and Recreation invites children aged five and up to sign for the new All-Abilities Playmakers sports program for children with and without disabilities.... more

A Wild Idea: Celebrating 50 Years of the Wilderness Act

By TRISTAN SCOTT-Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, advocates look toward the future... more

Hunters: Make Fire Safety a Top Priority This Season

By JOLEEN TADEJ - About 5,000 Montana archery hunters can head afield beginning Aug. 15, and ALL early season hunters need to make wildfire prevention a top priority.... more

Volunteers Needed to Help Install All-Abilities Playground

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Due to some last-minute changes in the construction schedule, volunteers are needed to help install the new All Abilities Playground later this week.... more

Becoming an Outdoors Woman Summer Workshop August 1-3

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' popular Becoming an Outdoors-Woman summer workshop is set for August 1-3 at Boulder Hot Springs near Boulder.... more

Cabela’s Prepares for Grand Opening of Missoula Store

Cabela’s Incorporated, the World’s Foremost Outfitter® of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, will celebrate the grand opening of its Missoula Cabela’s Outpost store Thurs., June 12.... more

The UM Track and Field Teams Open Outdoor Season This Weekend

By JOEL CARLSON - The Montana track and field teams will open their outdoor season this weekend when the Grizzlies host the annual Al Manuel Invitational at Dornblaser Field.... more

Hamilton Native Tony Neaves Shares His Paralympic Experience

By MARK VOSBURGH - When Nancy Stevens moved to Summit County, Colo., 21 years ago, her guide dog kept bringing her to the door of the same shop. Blind since birth, Stevens, 52, finally went inside. ... more

Fish and Wildlife Commission Adopts New Hunting Regulations

Montana's fish and wildlife commissioners recently adopted a number of new regulations that will be in effect for the next two hunting seasons.... more

Dodging Deer

By ROB BREEDING - Judging by the deer carcasses that line roadways in the Northern Rockies pretty much year round, I’m convinced they rarely look before they cross the road.... more

Is Roller Skiing For The Rest of Us?

By MARK VOSBURGH -Elite Nordic racers and Olympic hopefuls train on roller skis during the off season, but are roller skis for us mere mortals and recreational skiers?... more

Dean Cummings’ “Chugach” Film Screening & Steep Life Protocols

Legendary ski mountaineer Dean Cummings' presents his Steep Life Protocols--a sensible approach to mitigating risk in the mountain environment and avoiding avalanches.... more

Opening of Big Game Season Slightly Below Average on Rocky Mountain Front

By BRUCE AUCHLY - Hunters hit the Rocky Mountain Front for the opening weekend of Montana’s general big game season and took home slightly fewer elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer compared to the past three... more

Avoid These 10 Common Hunting Mistakes

By BRUCE AUCHLEY - Here are 10 problem areas, courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens, that hunters seem to stumble over year after year:... more

Diseased Deer Prompt Immediate Changes to Region 4 Deer Hunting

By BRUCE AUCHLY - The Fish and Wildlife commission has taken additional action to address the effects of disease on white-tailed deer in north central Montana.... more

Agencies Advise Limited Consumption of Some Fish Species Below Mill Site on Clark Fork River

F.Y.I. - Three state agencies today issued fish consumption advisories for northern pike and rainbow trout on a 105-mile stretch of the Clark Fork River in western Montana.... more

Parks and Rec Hosts Old-Fashioned Fall Family Fest on Oct 19

It’s fall—time for hayrides, apple cider and old-fashioned harvest celebrations at Missoula Parks & Rec's Fall Family Fest on Oct 19, at McCormick Park, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.... more

Missoula Premier of Sherpas Cinema’s “Into the Mind” Oct 10th

By TRAVIS GOODKIND - Ski movie season is in full swing and Sherpas Cinema's "Into the Mind" is easily the most anticipated ski film of the season.... more

Turning the Corner

By ROB BREEDING - The signs of change are in the air. Yesterday I wore fleece to work. And the other night when my students had to work late in the lab, I fixed them a pot of soup. ... more

Hunters Beware: Two Grizzlies Spotted on Sun River near Simms, Fort Shaw

By BRUCE AUCHLY - Two separate grizzly bear sightings since Sunday near the Sun River west of Great Falls have prompted state wildlife officials to alert homeowners and hunters in the area.... more

Local Physicians Prescribe a Walk in the Park to Their Patients

Missoula Parks and Recreation and Community Medical Center (CMC) have partnered with Montana State Parks to create a Prescription Trail on Fort Missoula’s walking paths.... more

Fall is Here in Montana

By BRUCE AUCHLY - Fall is a welcome assault on the senses. We see it, hear it and smell it. For those who hunt, or wait for cooler water to fish again, there's not other season like it.... more

Over 100 Volunteers Expected for National Public Lands Day

Missoula Parks and Recreation will host a volunteer work day, a “Prescription For Fun” Walk, a historical tour and picnic lunch at Fort Missoula Regional Park on Sept 28 as part of national program.... more

Enjoying the Great Outdoors in and Around Missoula

By LINDA McCARTHY- One of the best things about living in Missoula, Montana is the access you have to the wild open spaces and recreation places throughout the region. ... more

Missoula Businesses Tell Dogs to ‘Take a Hike’

By ALLISON BYE - Alpine Canine and Quicks Paws are two local businesses that have come up with a unique way for dogs to get their daily dose of exercise and fun.... more

Snowbowl Expansion Delayed as U.S. Forest Service Investigates

By KARL SCHNEIDER - Nearly a decade ago, Montana Snowbowl announced a plan to nearly double the size of the ski hill. The permit process and economics of the plan have been slow to materialize, but that may be ... more

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough for Montana Adventurer Conrad Anker

By DILLON TABISH - For 30 years, Bozeman resident Conrad Anker has explored the world, including Mt. Everest, as one of its most renowned climbers and mountaineers.... more

Exploring the Teller National Wildlife Refuge

By BRIAN D'AMBROSIO - Teller National Wildlife Refuge, with its 1,200 acres of tranquil beauty in the Bitterroot Valley near Corvallis, is Montana’s only private refuge. ... more

Multimedia: The Sights of Spring in Missoula

By JEN SLAYDEN - I get a little weary during spring, wanting Mother Nature to hurry up and let the sun shine. While we wait, here are a few early Missoula spring sights.... 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

Skiers worship “epic” powder Sunday on Lolo Pass, Whitefish Mountain

By PAUL QUENEAU - Lolo Pass, Whitefish Mountain and several other locations are busy marking one of the great powder days of recent times.... more

Missoula and Surrounding Valleys Anticipate a New Storm

By PAUL QUENEAU - A winter storm is expected to hit the Missoula, Bitterroot, Mission, and Flathead valleys with high winds and heavy mountain snow on Wednesday.... more