The Western Fair in Missoula, Montana.

Our Impressions of Missoula, Darby and Hamilton, MT

Geographically Missoula is in southwestern Montana off I-90. Hamilton, MT is about 30 minutes south of Missoula. Darby, MT is about 30 miles south of Hamilton. The first thing you see and feel about Montana is the outdoors. The mountains, the trees, the fresh air and the clear water in the lakes and rivers. Locals call Missoula “the Zoo”, partly because it is a shortened form of Missoula (“mis-zoo-la”) and partly because of the partying nature of the University of Montana!

Missoula is an average size town, with lots of public places to be outside. Hiking, fishing, hunting, skiing all abound here. Two of the other things that abound in Missoula are casinos and dispensaries.

Darby’s claim to fame is the Chief Joseph Ranch where the Taylor Sheridan TV show Yellowstone is filmed. It is a very small community of 828 people. There are a few shops and stores including the candy shop/restaurant/antiques and Double H Custom Hats.

Hamilton seems to be the hub for a lot of little towns surrounding it. There is a lot of public access to the Bitterroot River. There is also a wonderful downtown filled with thriving stores and restaurants.

Attractions

A Carousel for Missoula was all built by volunteers donating 100,000 hours of volunteer time into making this merry-go-round. It was completed in 1995. Plus, it includes the largest band organ in the United States.

Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby. We are Yellowstone fans. While we were not able to go onto the ranch itself, there is a relatively clear view of the big white barn with the Y on it and a few more buildings. While we were there, there were probably 1 dozen other cars that pulled over and took pictures just as we did!

Montana Trout Outfitters in Missoula. This was an exceptional experience! We hired Montana Trout Outfitters to take us on a float boat down the Blackfoot River to learn fly-fishing!! We learned some very basic fly-fishing skills and caught a few fish on the river. All the dozen or so fish we caught were released back into the river. Scott was a phenomenal instructor. It was a trip of a lifetime. How many people can say they have been fly-fishing in Montana?

Smokejumper Center in Missoula. Missoula is home to the largest smokejumper facility in the country. There are eight others scattered throughout the northwest. Smokejumpers are the brave men and women who parachute out of planes into remote areas to fight wildfires. Tours offered every day during the summer. It is well worth the visit!

The Western Montana Fair in Missoula occurs the second weekend in August. Admission is FREE!!!! You only pay for your carnival rides and food. This allows everyone to be able to go and support 4-Hers raising goats and sheep. You can look at all the flower arrangements and award winning produce. Lots to see and do. Dozens of food trucks!

Food and Drink

Nap’s Bar and Grill in Hamilton is a casual restaurant and bar in downtown Hamilton. The food was very good and the portions were HUGE! The hamburgers were ¾ lb. of meat! I have never seen such a large salad and certainly couldn’t eat it all!

The Notorious P.I.G. BBQ in Missoula is a casual restaurant in downtown Missoula. We ate out on the patio. Mostly the menu was brisket, with a large selection of sides. My favorite side was the “fire and ice pickles”, dill pickles with Cajun spice! They had a nice kick to them!

Paul’s Pancake Parlor is a casual breakfast restaurant. Good breakfast place!

Home Base: The Campground

For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!

We stayed on site B6 at Jim and Mary’s RV Park in Missoula, Montana.  30 and 50 amp service were available, but not at all sites.  We were in a site with only 30 amp.  The campground was clean and well maintained.  It had a lot of flowers and flower beds.  Someone has a green thumb! Our full hook up (water-sewer-electric) site was on mostly level packed gravel.  The roads were paved.  Our back in site was long enough to have both vehicles off the road.  There was good cell phone coverage (Verizon) and a good open southern sky for our satellite though this would not be true for most sites! 

Easy off and on I-90/93.  Some road noise, some trains, but not all the time.

This is a difficult park to obtain reservations.  I booked 6 months in advance and was only able to book a 30 amp back in site.  Our understanding is people return to this campground year after year and reservations are made 4 and 5 years out.

We would stay here again if there was a 50 amp site available.    

Fun Facts

• The Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode, near Missoula, was home to what prospectors said was the biggest gold nugget ever found. It sold for $19,000 near the end of the 19th century.
• Missoula was home to the first woman ever elected to Congress. Jeannette Rankin became the first woman in Congress in 1916.
• A River Runs Through It was set in Missoula. Written by Norman Maclean, the novel A River Runs Through It was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1993, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Robert Redford.

	Missoula	Darby	Hamilton
Population	74,822	828	4,905
Founded	1866	1889	1894
Elevation	3,209 ft.	3,885 ft.	3,570 ft.
Average income	$26,516	$15,579	$21,130
Average cost of a house	$665,000	$696,000	$637,500
Average age	33	41	50

 Website:
https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/
https://www.darbymt.net/a/
https://www.visitmt.com/places-to-go/cities-and-towns/hamilton

Summary

Missoula and the surrounding area had some highs (fly fishing on the Blackfoot River, Chief Joseph Ranch, Smokejumper Center, Western Montana Fair), but we were surprised by the number of casinos and dispensaries. It is a unique area, and we are glad we visited.

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn, Dave and Lucky
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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