Rattlesnake Trail

“The Rattlesnake” is in a lot of ways Missoula’s backyard – it’s both a social spot and a kind of city park. You can find walkers, bikers, horse riders, toddlers in prams, scientists, skiers, and the mayor here on any given day. Rattlesnake Canyon is the main entrance into the Rattlesnake Mountains, a compact clumping of alpine peaks, high lakes, and burbling streams. While the lower part of Rattlesnake Canyon has a complex of trails, the majority of visitors stick to the wide, gentle Main Rattlesnake, a former road that led past scattered homes. While the lower part of the trail can be crowded, once you get about two miles in the crowds thin to nothing.