Greenough Park

If you’re in Missoula Montana, you gotta stop by this park and picnic next to the water! There are benches to sit on at the entrance of the park. If you walk further, you can sit next to the water and enjoy the sound and the momentum of it all! There are narrow pathways to walk and a green area for kids running around freely and having fun!

We had a small celebration of life here and it was lovely, easy access to the water and a nice large flat picnic area right where you park and a small playground. It was a beautiful day.

Wow! I loved this park. It has a playground area but the trails were the best part. Me & my husband are from Great Falls and thought it would be a short trail past the bridge but it kept going! There is paved trails & dirt for walking which get closer to the water. So beautiful!

We loved it here!! Great area to walk and a great park. So quiet and serene.

Wow. We just looked up a random park with a trail for our puppy and kids to walk around and this one was beautiful. Clean. Little playground with covered tables nearby. There were port a potties also. A beautiful river with multiple bridges to walk across. It smelled so nice and fresh there. I already want to go back.

Excellent neighborhood park only a few minutes from downtown but feels super peaceful and quiet. Walking paths, creek access, and plenty of shade. Very nice park!

It's a very Woodsy park. Beautiful Creek running through. Very Dog friendly 🩵. The park is pretty spread out. Trails you can follow.

Was an excellent trail to venture on with friends and pets. Had a great time letting my puppers chalantly walking around in the creek. Wouldve walked in the water myself but didn't have suitable footwear to do so. Maybe for another time. Would definitely recommend taking the trails off the paved area, definitely worth it. The sights and greenery are endlessly beautiful. You can definitely get lost in the beauty. Make sure you're careful with your footing when you get in the water or in the dense weeds. Also just want to point out to all in case you enter to be careful of these little guys crawling on the ground. Do not pick them up with your hands nor let them touch you or anyone else, especially pets. The hairs can cause serious hives and anaphylaxis. So please be careful if you see one crawling around.

The folks living near this 42 acre park are lucky. A oasis in Missoula with lots of trees and a creek called the Rattlesnake Creek running through it. When I was there it seemed that many locals had walked to the park with their dogs. They are supposed keep their dogs on a lease per local ordinance though three people were letting the dogs run around of the lease. This is a problem especially when the dogs are not well trained and jump up on strangers. I was not to happy about a wet dog jumping on me. There is a small free parking area near Spruce Street with boards put up by the local Audubon Society to educate visitors to what type of birds like the park. Most of the park was donated by The Greenough Family in 1902.

Foot paths lead to secret places where one may sit and watch the light play amongst the trees as the sun glimmers upon the water of Rattlesnake creek. A wonderful distraction from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Greenough Park is many things to many people. While it definitely is one of Missoula's oldest parks, with all the amenities that one would expect to find in a Montana park of this type: hiking trails, picnic areas, and plenty of open & wooded areas to enjoy, there is much more. It's a Central turning-point to a ying-yang gear, A Zen way-station for transitioning to and from. It's a source of inspiration and a place to forget. A location to vanish into the ether, returning only when you choose. A point to recharge. Without a doubt, Greenough Park is one of my most favorite and cherished places on the planet, and is the soul of the Missoula community. Given as a gift to the city of Missoula by Thomas and Tennessee Greenough in 1902 so that the residents of Missoula would always have a place "during the heated days of summer, the beautiful days of autumn and the balmy days of spring find a comfortable, romantic and poetic retreat." (With one catch: attempt to develop it and the ownership would immediately revert to the Greenough heirs) the park's one-hundred plus history has seen its share of change and alteration, but for the most part has remained untouched by the areas encroaching development. And while Missoula doesn't have near the stress & tension found in a megapolis, it's still great asset to have that give you an opportunity to have a picnic in the woods, meditate or read a book by the creek, or get "lost" for an hour or an afternoon on one of the many trails. The park and space mean different things to different people. So much so, that if you were to ask ten different people what Greenough means to them, you would probably get ten very unique answers. So, the best thing one could do is to visit. Sit by the flowing waters of the Rattlesnake, or explore the many trails and come away with your own perspective. It's definitely time well-spent