Attending school at the University of Montana has given me great opportunities to further academic accomplishments. But I must admit, those academic goals were not even close to the main reason I chose to go to the University of Montana in the first place. I chose the school because of all the outdoor opportunities living in the great state of Montana offers. Looking back on the past four years, it’s been pretty amazing to be able to call this state my home and to have so many amazing outdoor resources available at my fingertips. This blog post will take you through an average year of what it’s like to be an outdoor fanatic attending school at the University of Montana.
- Winter (Late January-Early March)
Winter as a student living in Missoula is pretty sweet. Unlike many northern states, the days in the valley are often mild enough to fly fish, hike, bike, or do many other outdoor activities. And for those of you who love the snow and cold, there are four great ski resorts within an hour and a half drive from Missoula. Lost Trail Powder Mountain is my favorite – they boast upwards of 300″ of snow every year. One of the great things about Montana is that it provides a great home base for road trips around the Northwest. This past February, trips to the Olympic Pennisula, WA and Fernie, British Columbia were taken.
2. Spring (Mid March-Late May)
Spring is a great time to spend time outdoors in Montana. You will find seemingly everyone in Missoula coming out of their winter hibernation to enjoy the beauty of Montana in the spring time. Personally, this is my favorite time of year to fly fish. Most rivers in western and southwestern Montana boast great fly fishing for wild trout this time of year.
-Winter can always rear its ugly head during the Spring!
-And the next day it’s sunny and 70 degrees.
-Turkey hunting is also on the menu in the spring!
-Springtime sunset from the “M”
3. Summer (Early June-Late August)
Summer in Montana is in my opinion like nowhere else. Because of the lack of humidity, I don’t know where you can find more comfortable summertime weather than in Montana. For me, this season is dominated by guiding fly fisherman, hiking the mountains scouting for elk, and just enjoying the great weather.
4. Fall (Early September-late December)
All I can say is Fall is by far my favorite season in Montana. It is the time to stock the freezers with wild game for the winter ahead, and to enjoy the vibrant changes of the seasons. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let these photos do the talking.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos illustrating what it’s like to live in Montana throughout the year. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to go to school here at the University of Montana and have all of this out my back door.
-Trevor Anderson
Great summary and pix. That being said, your intro sentence isn’t giving U of MT a very good name. Maybe you should have your father help you with verb tense usage.
Great photos. I hate reading too. Your blog kind of made me feel guilty for watching all that Netflix over the years!
Good work with this blog my friend. I really enjoy seeing your use of the outdoors here in Montana. Keep up up the good work.
Trevor,
I am jealous of you and Jared. Next time we go out to visit Jared in Bozeman we are going to have to swing up to visit you.
Dan
you are so lucky to have been able to spend 4 years in Montana. I have been to Missoula a few times on the way to elk hunt in Idaho.
I also agree that I have not been to a better place than Missoula or Montana. Jon Garrettsville Oh
Fantastic photos!!!….Montana is sooooo much better than here in Florida where I live!….Is the black lab Del?
Wow proof positive school is more than just a place to attend class. Pictures look a lot like how I imagine heaven would look.