As the weather is warming up and the flowers are all starting to bloom, this time of year is the best time to go on nice hikes, it’s not too hot just yet and it isn’t cold. Going on some of the lovely hikes we have around missoula is a nice way to get some exercise while spending time outside, but while you hike what plants should you be looking out for? 

Here are 12 hikes you should do around Missoula and what some of their native and invasive plants and flowers they have along the trail.

The Jumbo Saddle Summit Trail is located up Lincoln Hills, and along that hike you’ll see some native plants live arrowleaf balsamroot, a yellow sunflower like plant that grows all along the start of the trails. When you start to get higher up you will see Lipine, a little purple flower, as well as Indian Paintbrush, a flower that true to its name looks like a paintbrush dipped in orange or red paint. The invasive plant seen on this trail is the Spotted Knapweed, it grows in big clusters and covers whole fields. 

The next Hike that’s fun to do, Sweeney Peek, is 7 miles out from Florence and has subalpine fir, which can be deciphered by its blue-green needles and gray bark. Sweeney also has Beargrass which looks like a white puff with a cone, the other native flower it has is alpine forget-me-nots, which are small low to the ground blue flowers. Sweeney has some spotted knapweed but overall is mostly native plants. 

Right next to Sweeney is Little St. Joseph Peak, while these two peaks are close to each other you will find Douglas fir which has very soft flat needles, the Western Larch which looks much like the Douglas fir but has a slightly darker color, the third native spices to keep an eye out for is the Wild Rose, which is a delicate soft pink flower with small thorns. While hiking Little Joseph the invasive plants you should be looking out for is the Canada thistle, which is a spiky plant with purple flowers, they like to stick to dogs. 

If you do Little Joseph, then you might as well go do Big St. Joseph. Again this hike is located in Florence, and along this hike you will find Lupin, Huckleberries and Western Larch, these trees are deciduous meaning they shed their needles, you can find the same invasive species on this hike as Little Joseph. 

Up Canyon Road is Marshall Mountain. You are shaded by some Quaking Aspen which have pale white bark and pretty yellow leaves. There are also Golden currant, they are pretty yellow flowers that grow on a bush and have a tinge of red circling the center of the flower. One of the prettiest flowers grows on Marshall, the Rocky Mountain Penstemon is a cone shaped purple flower that leaks dark blue from the tip of the pedals. While Hiking Marshall you will also see Spotted Knapweed and Canada thistle. 

In the Bitterroot Range you can find Lolo Peak which is a fun hike that has some really pretty Native plants, Mountain Heather, this flower is a droopy pink and bell shaped, the fun thing about this hike is that is also has Huckleberries that you can much on along the trail  as you hike to the summit! 

Another awesome hike is St. Mary’s in Stevensville. On this hike you will see Beargrass, but also Wild Strawberries and the Engelmann Spruce, which has many twists and knots in its bark and branches which is how it can be deciphered from other spruce trees. Along St. Marys there is leafy spurge, this plant is bright light green and spreads fast and into many paster areas often taking over the space that native plants need to grow. 

 Some hikes that only have Native plants but are not invasive are Diamond Lake, Heart lake, Bonanza Lakes and Morrell Falls Hike. On these hikes you can find an array of species. On diamond lake there are lots of alpine meadow species like the glacier lily and Indian paintbrush. On the Heart Lake trail there are lots of wetland species such as cattails and sedges. High elevation flora including alpine wildflowers are scattered throughout the Bonanza Lakes hike. And lastly Morrell Falls Has Western red cedar and Lady ferns.  

  If you have free time, going on a hike and looking out for these plants and flowers is a super beneficial way to spend your time and become accommodated with the beautiful hikes around Missoula!