About Missoula

Missoula and The University of Montana offer a truly a unique setting for a professional meeting. This small western city, with a population of 51,000, lies in the heart of the largest contiguous expanse of wilderness in the United States. It is bordered on the south by the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and on the north by the Rattlesnake National Recreation and Wilderness Area and Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. Both Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park are within a ½ day’s drive and the entire western portion of the state surrounding the city is predominantly public National Forest land. A wealth of scenic opportunities is available within minutes to an hour's drive of campus.

   

Most notable among these are the convergence of three major rivers, the Clark Fork (named for Clark of Lewis & Clark fame), Blackfoot (of Norman MacLean's "The River Runs Through It" fame), and Bitterroot rivers which wind through town, the National Bison Range to the north and home to the nation's oldest bison herd (and many easily observed pronghorn), Ninepipes National Wildlife Refuge, a premier waterfowl refuge, and Flathead Lake, the largest natural and most pristine freshwater lake in the western United States. The national headquarters for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Boone and Crockett Club (the oldest conservation organization in the U.S.), and the U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper base are in Missoula. Even standing on campus one can view mountains in every direction and hiking trails into many of the wilderness areas are only minutes away.

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