Fun facts about the area

  • We live just outside Missoula in what’s known as the Bitterroot Valley—a 96-mile-long valley known for outdoor recreation, small towns, and historic sites. It's located along the western border of Montana, between the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains. Learn more here.

    • This valley is often called the "Banana Belt of Montana" because of its mild climate and long growing season. Even though we still experience negative temps, the rest of Montana gets even colder!

    • The main towns within the Bitterroot that we frequent are Stevensville, Corvallis, Hamilton, and Darby.

    • The Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the valley in 1805. Check out the Hamilton museum for lots of info on this!

  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) operates a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory—the highest level of containment for studying infectious agents—in the Bitterroot Valley.

    • Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) is one of 13 operational or planned BSL-4 facilities in the United States and it’s become a source of both fascination and local lore. The facility, with its sprawling campus, houses a range of animals, including monkeys and camels. Yet, the activities behind its secured doors remain a mystery to most…

    • “RML is best known for its research into vector-borne diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever, and Lyme disease—three illnesses caused by microbes whose names pay tribute to the former RML scientists who discovered them.” - nih.gov

    GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where Jesse works, produces a critical compound used in every global vaccine GSK manufactures, including those for malaria, RSV, cervical cancer, and shingles.

    • “The foundation of the original company was based on research into immune system stimulating properties of bacterial cell wall components and led to the development of monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), an adjuvant that improves the durability and specificity of vaccines. The GSK laboratory in Hamilton is the sole manufacturing site of the MPL adjuvant…” - Bitterroot Star

  • Welcome to where we call home! Stevensville is considered the oldest city in Montana and ranks as the 45th oldest city in the United States.

    • The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, straddling the Montana-Idaho border, is one of the largest wilderness areas in the U.S. (the 3rd largest outside Alaska and often considered the most comparable). It boasts one of the largest elk populations in the country and is also home to bighorn sheep herds.

    • Fun fact: Kelly used to run an outfitting company here, including expeditions with a mule string and bush plane fly-ins to remote camps 20 miles deep into this rugged terrain. That company was acquired by Jonas Expeditions and we highly recommend them for trips back there!

  • Darby is a small, charming historic western town that’s a must-see. It’s also home to the Chief Joseph Ranch, the setting for the show Yellowstone.

    Many locations throughout the Bitterroot Valley were featured in Yellowstone, and it wasn’t uncommon to spot film sets or actors around town.

    Locally, opinions about the show’s impact vary—some appreciate the spotlight and the economic boost, while others lament the influx of tourism and rising housing prices.

  • We live along Highway 93, which stretches from Arizona to Montana (and technically continues into Canada).

    The route from Missoula to Kalispell (Glacier National Park) is considered the most scenic, but the drive from Missoula to Bozeman (Yellowstone Park) is pretty great too.

    For our friends visiting MT or this area for the first time, you’ll find plenty of picturesque views—but also lots of casinos and some, let’s say, interesting aesthetic choices. I don’t want the photos and Instagram stories to be too misleading if you make the trek here!