Introduction to Bitterroot Valley

Extends 89 miles S of Missoula to the Idaho border

Although in part a bedroom community for Missoula, the Bitterroot Valley has become a second home and retirement paradise for folks who have fallen in love with the Missoula-area mountains, but not with the Missoula-area traffic. Though not as well-known as other areas of the state, the fly-fishing in the Bitterroot River is excellent, making it a preferred destination for anglers in the know.

The Bitterroot has the reputation as Montana's banana belt because the microclimate in the valley offers a long growing season. A lot of Missoula-area golf fanatics head to Hamilton in February because the golf course there greens up for play much earlier than the ones even a few miles farther north.