10 Things to do OUTSIDE on Black Friday!

Avoid the frenzy of holiday shopping on Black Friday and head outside with your loved ones to create connections with each other, and with nature. Here is a list of 10 fabulous places in and around the Missoula area to explore with your friends and family, compiled by the staff at the Montana Natural History Center!

1. Kelly Island—Montana Birding and Nature Trail 

Kelly Island is accessible for almost any age to explore. The expanse of river rocks along the river provides great rock hounding opportunities. In addition to belt rocks of many colors, you can find jasper, agate, animal teeth, and other fun treasures. The river and cottonwood gallery contain birding opportunities from chattering flickers to Peregrine Falcons chasing Mallards. 
-Christine Morris, Community Programs Coordinator

2. North Hills Open Space—Mountainview Trail
Take a hike up along the “switchback” trails above the PEAS Farm. There is a trailhead on the corner of Mountain View and Duncan Drive. The trail takes you up some steeper switchbacks before reaching the ridgeline where views of Missoula and the surrounding mountains are abundant. Often, you can watch hawks catch thermals or view the bluebirds along the fence lines. The hillsides feature rare communities of cushion plants, including the Missoula phlox and our state flower, the bitterroot. We’ve also seen coyotes, foxes and lots of deer. You can make the hike as long or as short as you’d like based on the loop nature and openness of the trail system. And if you’re lucky, you may even find a geo cache at the top of the switchbacks under the highest pine tree. The neighborhood kids make a special effort to keep it stocked with goodies so be prepared to leave a treasure if you take one!
-Sarah Millar, Development and Marketing Coordinator

3. Pearl Lake
 One of the places I love is Pearl Lake, outside of Superior. The drive from Missoula takes about 1.5 hours and the hike in is about 4 miles. Pearl Lake sits right below the Stateline Trail dividing Montana and Idaho, so sitting by the lake puts you in the middle of a big bowl surrounded by ridgelines. There are a few great campsites to keep in mind for the warmer months, but during the fall it makes a great day hike or even a snowshoe trip. I often spot a herd of mountain goats on the lake shore and I've heard pika there as well. It's a gorgeous, secluded spot to explore the northern Bitterroots!
-Drew Lefebvre, Teaching Naturalist

4. Larch Camp Road in Pattee Canyon
Need a pint-sized adventure? Our family loves to walk the trails off of Larch Camp Road in Pattee Canyon. There are so many small trail loops, with climbing hills, sliding hills, and even a few places with grand views. If you are really observant, you might find one of the small treasures that people have left, tucked into holes in the trees (is Santa Claus still there?).
-Lisa Bickell, Education Director

5. Rock Creek
 Rock Creek is one of my very favorite streams in Montana. Part of my affection for this lovely, small river is the fishing, which is definitely some of the best fishing in the Missoula area. On colder days, throw on a bacon-and-egg combo (a San Juan worm and a salmon egg patterns). If the weather is warm, stay on top of the water with dry flies and watch for the sipping heads of brown trout or the explosive, acrobatic take of rainbows.

But the fishing is only part of the equation. The area is rich with wildlife, too. I've seen rubber boas, bighorn sheep, whitetail deer, and American Dippers! The flora is spectacular as well as dogwoods and willows nestle the shores along with black cottonwoods, aspens, and plenty of Douglas-fir.

If you're going to head up Rock Creek for some fall fishing, I recommend staying lower on the stream. Any of the access points at Valley of the Moon and upstream a few miles should provide excellent opportunities to catch a nice brown!
-Thurston Elfstrom, Executive Director

6. MoZ Hidden Treasure Trail on Mt. Sentinel
I like to head right out my front door on Pattee Creek Drive, head up Pattee Canyon Road and hit the Gas Line Trail that connects you with the MoZ Trail. You can run, hike or mountain bike up this trail. Lately, I’ve been enjoying running or hiking the lower half of the MoZ Trail. It offers a beautiful view of the Missoula valley, Lolo Peak, and Sleeping Woman Peak. You can daydream about making turns in the winter at Snowbowl as you look to the north. In the spring and summer the wildflowers are abundant and in the fall it offers a welcome way to get out and possibly above the Missoula inversion and into the sunshine. Might be perfect for November 25th!
-Ramey Kodadek, Development Director

7. Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge
Wintertime is a great time to visit Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge near Stevensville. Open to the public year-round, Lee Metcalf NWR offers great opportunities for hiking as well as seeing wildlife from the car. The wildlife viewing area trail meanders through sloughs and ponderosa pine stands before ending up at a stunning view of the Bitterroot River and Mountains. On the ponds near the visitor center, watch for muskrats and waterfowl including Green-Winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, and Common Goldeneye. On land, look for herds of deer, flocks of wild turkeys, and overwintering eagles and raptors such as Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks.
-Stephanie Potts, Youth Programs Coordinator

8. Woods Gulch Trail in the Rattlesnake Recreation Area
Woods Gulch in the Rattlesnake has a nice 6-mile loop, along with several longer and shorter options depending on your time frame and energy level. The lovely fall larches turn golden as the sun shines through the ponderosa pines. There's a wealth of wildflowers in the spring, from trillium to fairy slipper orchids. The trail climbs, providing a nice view of the Missoula valley at one point. Look for deer, juncos, chickadees, and ravens.
-Christine Morris, Community Programs Coordinator

9. Sledding at Lolo Pass

Nothing says the holidays like some good, old-fashioned family fun! Our family loves to find places to sled, and sometimes we have to go up to higher elevations in search of snow. One of our favorite spots is the sledding hill just behind the Visitor’s Center at Lolo Pass. It can be epic fun for older kids and adults, and can be tailored to smaller rides for younger kiddos. Bring a picnic lunch and hot cocoa and gather inside their warming hut to thaw frozen toes and fingers before heading back out for belly laughs and screams down the hill. If your crew is feeling more adventurous, pack the cross country skis and snowshoes and head out on their groomed trails!
-Sarah Millar, Development & Marketing Coordinator

10. Christmas Tree Hunting
Are you going to decorate for Christmas? Take this day to go on a Christmas Tree Hunting Expedition. Visit your local National Forest office for a tree permit (just $5 per tree!) and information on where to go. Pack up some warm clothes and snacks and head out for an adventure. Will you choose a Douglas-fir, or maybe an Engelmann spruce? Or perhaps you'll find the perfect grand fir or subalpine fir to grace your living room this season. Take lots of photos and maybe make this an annual tradition!
-Lisa Bickell, Education Director
 

Under the Microscope: The Spring Equinox

This time of year, as the last snow melts from yards and mountainsides, I always find myself getting excited for the spring equinox, which happens to be this Thursday, the 20th.  Although picnics and gardening may be weeks or even months off yet, the spring, or vernal, equinox marks the point in the year that daylight hours will start to become longer than nighttime hours.  No matter how many snowstorms happen between now and June, I take comfort in knowing the days are finally becoming longer than the cold winter nights had been.

Technically, the equinoxes occur when Earth’s orbit and axis tilt cause the Sun to pass directly over the equator, shining its light equally on the northern and southern hemispheres.  This has the effect of giving most places on Earth roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night, which is where the term “equinox” comes from:  in Latin, “equi” means equal and “nox” means night, making it literally “equal night.”

The Equinoxes only happen twice per year, around March 20^th and September 22^nd, and mark the generally accepted beginnings of spring and autumn, respectively.  It’s easy to forget though that just as our northern hemisphere is slowly blooming into spring, the southern hemisphere will be celebrating the autumn harvest.  Another interesting fact:  the sun rises precisely from the east and sets precisely in the west on equinoxes.  

As the days lengthen the average temperature rises and nature is quick to take note.  Trees begin budding and grass shoots and wildflowers begin poking through the last of the slush.  Before too long insects are hatching, the birds are returning and larger wildlife are migrating out of their wintering grounds.  The number of daylight hours keeps on increasing until the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, which is on June 21^st this year.  The days then gradually get shorter through the autumnal equinox, up to the winter solstice on December 21, 2014. 

In Missoula, there is still a chill in the air and ice on the Clark Fork River’s banks.  But thanks to the passing of the equinox, summer’s warmth really can’t be too far off.

Friday Field Notes: Home for the Holidays

During my visit back east I was reminded of how wonderful my parents' backyard is for observing birds and small critters. As I sat on my parents' back porch I was ecstatic to see a number of Black-capped Chickadees, one of my favorite birds in Montana, as they quickly swooped down from the shrubs and large oak tree towards the bird feeder that my parents had positioned in the backyard when I was just a child. Ever since its placement in our backyard, the bird feeder has always attracted Eastern gray squirrels. It still puts a smile on my face to watch the squirrels scurry about, as they gather the birds' littered seeds off of the ground.

Friday Field Notes: Oh, I Have Been Inspired!

I love nature journaling, but, frankly, it has been a number of months since I have opened my journal. A few weeks ago I noticed that MNHC was offering a weekend drawing workshop with the talented Nancy Seiler. I thought to myself, what better way to get back into nature journaling than to take a class where I must make keen observations of natural objects and draw them for 8 hours a day? Although drawing for two days straight was difficult, as I was certainly out of practice, it was well worth it. I am thankful to Nancy and all those who participated in the class for inspiring me to not only practice my nature journaling skills, but to embrace the challenge. I have set a goal for myself to keep a weekly nature journal. My hope is that by carving out time in my busy schedule to work on my journal that I will not only improve my drawing and writing skills, but that I may also find stillness in my life as I connect with nature. 

Entry 1: November 20th, 2013

Friday Field Notes: Election Edition

As election season "bears" down on us and Americans head to the polls to cast their votes, it can seem as if the weight of the world is suspended above us, hanging by a tiny thread. To cut this tension, ease the panic, and introduce some comic relief, I give you this:

A Naturalist's Interpretation of Election Season

DISCLAIMER: What follows is incredibly cheesy humor that only a naturalist will find even remotely amusing. There is absolutely nothing political about this cartoon whatsoever--just some chuckles for nature nerds like me!