Blue-collar and academic cultures converge in MISSOULA , framed by the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountains, to produce one of the most vibrant and friendly small towns in the country. It's a town of contrasting faces - truck sales yards and bookstores, continental cafés and gun shops - where nearly everyone seems to be connected to either the city's huge sawmills or the 10,000-student University of Montana.

The visitor center , across the river from the campus, at 825 E Front St (tel 406/543-6623), can provide details on trails such as the grueling one leading from its office up Mount Sentinel , embellished by a huge concrete letter "M." The top gives a great view of the area, especially the rugged Hellgate River Canyon. Other worthwhile trails traverse the Rattlesnake Wilderness , which, despite its name, is serpent-free. The most developed of the city's two small ski areas is Montana Snowbowl , twelve miles northwest, which has a good range of slopes for all abilities and boasts a summer chairlift (Fri, Sat & Sun noon-5pm; tel 406/549-9777; $6, $2 for bikes). Marshall Mountain , 7 miles east of Missoula (tel 406/258-6000), is geared toward the novice.

Tours of the Forest Service Smokejumper Center , ten miles out of town on US-93, look at the methods used to train smokejumpers, highly skilled firefighters who parachute into forested areas to stop the spread of wildfires. A small visitor center explains their work (Memorial Day-Labor Day 10am-5pm; free; tel 406/329-4934).

Missoula is home to a number of authors , among them Norman A River Runs Through It MacLean, crime writers James Lee Burke and James Crumley, and several good bookstores, including Fact & Fiction, 220 N Higgins St (tel 406/721-2881).