Mount Sentinel and the M Trail

Hike from the university campus to the hillside M with views over the Missoula valley

Mount Sentinel rises directly above the University of Montana campus, and the trail to the "M" — a large white letter on the hillside — starts from the south end of the university grounds. The trail is steep, gaining about 300 metres in under 2 kilometres, but it is Missoula's most popular hike for good reason: the views from the M over the Clark Fork valley and the surrounding mountains are excellent, and you can be up there and back in under an hour.

The trail continues above the M to the summit ridge, adding another 30 to 40 minutes. From the ridge, you can see the Rattlesnake Wilderness to the north, the Bitterroot Valley to the south, and the city spread below. In autumn, the larch forests on the ridge turn a distinctive gold.

The trailhead is just south of the university's Adams Center. Dogs are welcome on the trail. The lower portion of the trail can be slippery in wet or icy conditions; traction devices are useful in winter.

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A story
The white concrete "M" on the face of Mount Sentinel was first built in 1908 by University of Montana freshmen as part of an initiation tradition. Originally made of whitewashed stones, it has been rebuilt in concrete and repainted repeatedly. The tradition of hiking to the M on the first Friday of the school year, in groups, still holds. The switchback trail is steep enough that most people rest at the M before continuing to the ridge — but the view from the ridge, looking across the Clark Fork valley with the Bitterroot mountains to the south, is worth the extra 30 minutes.