Missoula RV Adventure: Our Full-Time Life Begins

Our full-time RV life starts now in beautiful Missoula, Montana!

We’re Lindsey and Dan, two RV newbies who finally stopped saying “someday” and decided to chase our dream of life on the road with our doodles. Our journey began in an Airstream, and now we call a Brinkley Model I 235 home. For us, life in tow means carrying our dogs, our adventures, and the freedom to live fully wherever the road leads.

Missoula was our very first stop on this full-time adventure, and we’re giving you the inside scoop on how it went!

Hitting the Road & Our Harvest Host Test

Before hitting the highway, we prepped our home for Airbnb rentals, sold what we could, donated what we couldn’t, and simplified — a liberating but emotional process.

We like to average about four hours of driving a day, splitting longer routes into weekend travel windows so we can work remotely during the week. For this trip, we broke things up with a Harvest Host stay — one of our favorite RV memberships. Hosts (often wineries or breweries) let RVers stay overnight in exchange for supporting their business. We’ve probably done this 20–30 times now and love it.

That night we arrived around 5 p.m., parked under a pastel Montana sky, and used the stop to test how long our AC would run off our 3000 W Pure Sign inverter. It held steady for about 5–7 hours before the batteries dipped to low. Good news: our Brinkley has a manual crank for the slide-out — handy when the battery is too weak to retract it!

Jim and Mary’s RV Park

After finishing the final leg of our drive, surrounded by gorgeous mountain views, we checked into Jim & Mary’s RV Park, a highly rated spot we’d booked months in advance. It’s conveniently located just off I-90 and Highway 93, about 15 minutes from downtown Missoula, which made it easy to explore the city while still enjoying a peaceful, quiet setting.

Our 30-amp site cost $64 per night for six nights, with the seventh night free, which fit perfectly within our usual budget for full-hookup sites. The park was spotless and beautifully landscaped with mature trees, vibrant flower beds, and wide, well-spaced sites that could easily accommodate larger rigs.

We loved that it had a fenced dog park for the boys to run around, but learned that portable dog fences aren’t allowed directly on the grass. We were able to set ours up behind the trailer instead, which worked out fine. Normally, we like to position it near the entry door as an extra safety barrier just in case the dogs ever get the urge to bolt out. but even with that small change, the setup felt comfortable and safe.

Overall, Jim & Mary’s made for a perfect home base: peaceful, well-maintained, and close enough to everything Missoula has to offer without feeling like you’re in the middle of town.

☕ Morning Rituals & Rest Mode

We’re total coffee nerds. Dan’s the cold-brew guy, he uses a glass carafe (https://amzn.to/4gYHZy7) and steeps coffee overnight for 24 hours. I’m the espresso lover, and my little Italian stovetop espresso maker (https://amzn.to/4pRTXOl) and compact Nespresso milk frother (https://amzn.to/46Slo1H) have become my morning essentials. They take up almost no space, which makes them perfect for RV life. There’s something about sipping that first cup while watching the morning light hit the mountains that feels like home, no matter where we’re parked.

After the whirlwind of getting our house ready for Airbnb guests — cleaning, organizing, staging, and saying goodbye to all the routines we’d built — I was more than ready for a little self-care. That’s where ClassPass (https://classpass.com/) came in. If you’ve never used it, it’s a fitness app that gives you access to thousands of studios, gyms, and wellness classes across the country (and even abroad). Instead of being locked into one membership, you buy a monthly credit pack that you can use anywhere, yoga in Missoula one week, cycling in Boise the next.

It’s perfect for travelers or anyone living life on the move. I just opened the app, searched “yoga near me,” and found a beautiful studio downtown that offered a slow-flow class. Booking was instant, and you just check in how you would any other fitness class. It was exactly what I needed: a grounding hour to stretch, breathe, and recharge after weeks of nonstop prepping and driving.

After class, we stopped at the Good Food Store, an organic grocery that quickly became one of our favorite finds in Missoula. It’s like a local version of Whole Foods, but with a smaller, community feel and an incredible deli. We stocked up on fresh produce, grass-fed steaks, and broccolini for dinner. That evening, we fired up the Blackstone griddle (https://amzn.to/49AZTp0) outside the Brinkley, turned on some music, and cooked as the sun dipped behind the mountains — one of those simple moments that reminds us why we chose this lifestyle.

Downtown Missoula & Outdoor Adventures

Missoula is an outdoor lover’s dream. The river slices through downtown, and locals float, kayak, and paddleboard right in the heart of the city.

Downtown Stops

We spent an afternoon exploring downtown Missoula, and it quickly became one of our favorite parts of the trip. The area has this perfect mix of small-town charm and outdoorsy energy, the kind of place where you can shop for handmade goods, grab a locally roasted coffee, and end the day with live music, all within a few walkable blocks.

We wandered through a few of the boutique shops along Higgins Avenue, including Noteworthy Paper & Press (a cozy stationery and gift shop that’s hard to leave empty-handed) and Betty’s Divine, a fun, vintage-inspired clothing store with that cool Missoula flair. If you’re a book lover, Fact & Fiction Books is also worth a stop, they feature a great local authors section and always have a cute dog lounging by the counter.

After shopping, we grabbed a drink at Guild Brewing, one of Missoula’s popular craft breweries known for its IPAs and relaxed atmosphere. If beer isn’t your thing, Draught Works and KettleHouse Brewing Co. are just a few minutes away and both have great patios (perfect if you’re traveling with pups).

When dinner rolled around, we headed to Plonk, a stylish restaurant and wine bar downtown. Their upstairs patio was the perfect spot to unwind with salads, cocktails, and sunset views. If you’re looking for other great dinner options, locals also recommended The Keep, which offers sweeping views of the valley, and The Pearl Café for cozy fine dining with French-inspired dishes.

As the evening settled in, we walked over to The Top Hat Lounge, one of Missoula’s best spots for live music. The vibe was laid-back, the sound quality was fantastic, and it felt like the whole town showed up to enjoy a summer night together. If you’re visiting during the warmer months, check out the Riverfront concerts at Caras Park or outdoor shows at Big Sky Brewing Amphitheater, both are must-do experiences that capture the heart of Missoula’s music scene.

Biking 

Missoula’s trail network is incredible, you can start downtown and be surrounded by nature within minutes. We hopped on the Riverfront Trail, which runs about seven miles along the Clark Fork River through downtown, connecting parks, coffee shops, and local breweries. From there, we continued onto the Kim Williams Nature Trail, a peaceful stretch that follows the old Milwaukee Railroad grade into Hellgate Canyon.

The ride was roughly six miles round trip with gorgeous river and mountain views the whole way. At one point, we even raced a train across the bridge — one of those “only in Missoula” moments that perfectly captures the mix of city and wild this town is known for.

If you’re visiting, bring your bikes (or rent some locally), the trails are flat, as well as dog-friendly, and an absolute must-do.

We travel with our bikes using a Kuat double bike rack (https://amzn.to/4hI6MGY), which we love because it easily switches between the back of our trailer for travel days and the back of our truck when we’re out exploring.

Hiking

For hiking, we took Rocky on the Pattee Canyon Recreation Area (just east of downtown Missoula)—a gem of a trail system with 27 miles of non-motorized paths open year-round across the forested canyon. 

We chose the “Lower Loop” section for its gentler terrain and dog-friendly vibe. Rocky is great off-leash, but we still kept a close eye and always paid attention to his cues. It got hotter than expected, so we made the wise call to turn back early—because our pups are part of the adventure too!

Here’s the added scoop:

• The trail network here isn’t just one path—it connects picnic areas, disc-golf zones, forest roads, and singletrack, making it easy to tailor your outing from a quick 1-2 mile stroll to a full 10-mile push. 

• Dogs are allowed in almost all areas of Pattee Canyon (except certain groomed cross-country ski trails in winter). 

• Because the terrain connects town to nature, you’ll find everything from flat, meandering old-rail-grade roads to rolling singletrack that dips and rises through pine and aspen.

• Pro tip: Use the AllTrails app (we download maps before heading out) because cell service can drop in the canyon. After getting lost once, we don’t go out without it.

Whether you’re aiming for a casual walk with your dog, a proper mountain hike, or somewhere in between, Pattee Canyon gives you options—and the flexibility to turn around when your pup says “enough for today.”

The Main Event — CAAMP Live at Big Sky Brewing

One of the main reasons we planned Missoula as our first stop was to see our favorite band, CAAMP! It was our sixth time seeing them, and somehow they get better every show.

The concert took place at Big Sky Brewing Company, which doubles as a brewery and outdoor amphitheater. If you go, bring a chair or blanket for lawn seating and arrive early for food trucks (BBQ, Thai food, Chicken & Burgers, Ice Cream, etc.)— the chicken Pad Thai bowl was phenomenal. Watching the sun set behind the mountains as CAAMP played was pure magic.

Final Thoughts

That’s a wrap on our first week of full-time RV life in Missoula—a place that reminded us exactly why we chose this lifestyle. It’s about more than travel; it’s about exploring new places, taking on challenges together, and finding joy in the simple routines that come with life on the road.

Missoula quickly became a favorite. Between the live music, endless biking trails, outdoor adventures, and a downtown filled with boutique shops and local charm, it just felt like our kind of place. A little outdoorsy, a little artsy, and easy to feel at home.

If you’re planning a trip to Missoula, watch our video for tips on where to stay, hike, and eat. And if you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and say hi in the comments on our YouTube channel — we love connecting with you and hearing about your own adventures.

Until next time — see you down the road!