Take a hike The gas-free guide to getting out in Missoula by Chad Harder o you’re wanting, in the worst way, to explore Montana’s beautiful places, but $4 gas prices are keeping the car parked. What do hike-hungry locals do? Before you go dumping dollars into your tank just to drive past mountains in search of other mountains, consider charging up one of the many trails in Missoula’s front, back and side yards. For instance, the trail starting at the University of Montana and leading up, up, up Mount Sentinel can be completed (roundtrip) in a little over an hour, even by couch slugs, and once you’re atop this landmark, options abound. If you head left you’ll find a switchbacked trail known as the Hellgate Canyon Trail, leading down to the Clark Fork River (and eventually the Kim Williams Trail, see next page). If you continue up the ridge, you’ll climb a steep, un-maintained singletrack to University Mountain, also known as the “true” summit of Mount Sentinel. And if you take a right, you’ll find yourself in the well-maintained net-
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Photo by Chad Harder