There’s a new reason to pull over on the back roads of western Montana this summer — and it has nothing to do with a scenic overlook. A newly launched agritourism initiative called the Western Montana Food & Farm Trail is connecting locals and visitors with more than 100 farms, markets, restaurants, breweries, and local food stops across some of the most beautiful valleys in the state. Running June 1 through October 31, the Trail stretches more than 200 miles across the Missoula, Bitterroot, Flathead, and Mission Valleys — and it just might change the way you think about a Montana road trip.
This isn’t a driving tour where you wave at cows from the highway. It’s an invitation to walk into a sunflower field with the farmer who planted it, pick up grass-finished beef directly from the ranch that raised it, and browse a farm store stocked floor-to-ceiling with locally grown and crafted goods. Montana has always had this food culture — the Trail just makes it easy to find.
What Is the Western Montana Food & Farm Trail?
The Western Montana Food & Farm Trail is a self-guided agritourism experience led by Farm Connect Montana, a Missoula-based nonprofit dedicated to building a stronger regional food system. Officially launched on June 1, 2026, the Trail is a regional collaboration that also includes Land to Hand Montana, The O’Hara Commons & Sustainability Center, and Abundant Montana — four organizations that collectively represent some of the most important food-systems work happening in the state right now.
The concept is straightforward: pick up a Trail Field Guide, explore stops across the region at your own pace between now and Halloween, collect stamps along the way, and — if you’re lucky — win some impressive end-of-season prizes. But the experience is richer than any passport program suggests. What you’re really doing is meeting the people who grow your food, discovering the hidden gem farm stores and u-pick operations scattered across western Montana, and developing the kind of connection to place that most travelers never get.
Funding for the project comes through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which speaks to the Trail’s broader mission: expanding economic opportunity for local farms and food businesses while giving the region’s agricultural community the visibility it deserves.
The Field Guide: Your Passport to Western Montana’s Food Scene
At the heart of the Trail experience is the Field Guide — a beautifully illustrated passport-style booklet created by Missoula-based artist Courtney Blazon. For just $10, you get illustrated regional maps, curated itineraries, a full listing of more than 100 Trail stops, seasonal highlights, event calendars, and over $130 in special offers from participating farms and businesses. It’s hard to think of a better $10 you’ll spend all summer.
Field Guides are available both online through the Farm Connect Montana website and at participating businesses, farmers markets, and community hubs throughout the region. The Trail also has a digital map and online listing directory to help you plan before you go — though part of the appeal is letting the Field Guide take you somewhere you wouldn’t have found on your own.
100+ Stops Across Four Valleys
The Trail spans the Missoula, Bitterroot, Flathead, and Mission Valleys — four distinct agricultural regions that together represent the full range of what western Montana grows, raises, and produces. That diversity is part of what makes this trail genuinely interesting rather than repetitive.
In the Missoula Valley, you’ll find farmers markets, community food hubs, and urban-adjacent farm operations. The Bitterroot Valley — one of Montana’s most productive agricultural regions — offers everything from apple orchards to heritage grain farms. The Flathead Valley brings cherry stands, dairy operations, and a thriving craft beverage scene into the mix. And the Mission Valley, tucked beneath the dramatic face of the Mission Mountains, adds ranches and specialty producers that most travelers pass right through without ever stopping.
Trail stops include farms and ranches with on-site sales or tours, farmers markets, restaurants sourcing locally, breweries and cideries, food hubs, CSA operations, u-pick orchards and flower farms, and specialty food producers. There’s genuine variety here — not just a list of farm stands.
Inside a Trail Stop: What to Expect
If you’ve never done an agritourism trail before, you might wonder what a “stop” actually looks like. It varies. Some stops are working farms where you can buy directly — vegetables, eggs, meat, honey, flowers — often at prices better than what you’d find at a retail market. Others are full farm stores stocked with regional products, locally produced goods, and the kind of handcrafted items that make for meaningful souvenirs.
Farmers markets along the Trail bring multiple producers together in one place — a great way to cover a lot of ground in a short visit. You’ll find the full spectrum of what western Montana grows at these markets: greens and root vegetables in early summer, stone fruits and berries through July and August, and squash, potatoes, and storage crops as fall sets in. The vendors know their products intimately and are almost always happy to talk.
The Trail also includes restaurants that source locally, which offers a different kind of stop — one where someone else does the cooking and the connection to local agriculture shows up on the plate. And the breweries, cideries, and specialty beverage producers along the route add yet another dimension, particularly for visitors exploring the Flathead Valley’s growing craft beverage scene.
Stamps, Prizes, and the Passport Experience
One of the more clever elements of the Trail is the stamp-collecting system built into the Field Guide. Visit a participating stop, collect a stamp, and work your way toward prizes and special offers throughout the season. It’s the kind of mechanic that makes a long-haul exploration feel like a game — and gives you a reason to keep going back.
End-of-season prizes include raffles for three CSA memberships valued at over $600 each, along with local food and farm gift certificates, product bundles, and market totes designed by Courtney Blazon. Beyond the prizes, the $130+ in special offers built into the Field Guide itself means the booklet more than pays for itself if you’re actively exploring.
Why This Trail Matters for Montana’s Food System
There’s a meaningful story underneath the stamp-collecting and farm store browsing. Western Montana’s local food economy is vibrant but often invisible to outsiders — and even to locals who don’t know where to look. Farmers and ranchers here are producing extraordinary food under real economic pressure, competing against industrial supply chains that can undercut their prices even when they can’t touch their quality.
Agritourism changes that equation. When a visitor pulls off the highway to buy vegetables directly from a farm outside Stevensville, or a Missoula family makes a Saturday morning tradition of the farmers market circuit, that economic relationship is direct and meaningful. The Western Montana Food & Farm Trail is designed to make those connections easier and more frequent.
“In creating the Western Montana Food & Farm Trail, we hope to inspire both residents and travelers to discover the stories behind their food and connect with the people cultivating a more vibrant, resilient and locally rooted food community,” said Bonnie Buckingham, Executive Director of Farm Connect Montana. “Participation in the Trail is a win for everyone. It creates new opportunities for farms and local food businesses to reach wider audiences while encouraging participants to explore new places, support local producers and experience Western Montana in a more meaningful way.”
Gretchen Boyer, Executive Director of Land to Hand Montana, echoed the sentiment: “This initiative is more than just a guide — it’s an invitation to celebrate and support the local farmers who nourish our communities every day. By connecting residents and visitors directly to the source, we’re strengthening our local food system and honoring the people and landscapes that sustain the Flathead Valley.”
Planning Your Trail Road Trip
The Trail runs June 1 through October 31, which means you have an entire growing season to explore. Each month brings something different — early summer means greens, strawberries, and the first farmers markets of the season; midsummer brings peak variety and the longest days; fall delivers harvest abundance and the kind of golden-hour light that makes western Montana look like a painting.
The Field Guide includes curated itineraries built around each valley, which makes it easy to plan a day trip or a longer road trip that weaves through multiple regions. A long weekend could reasonably cover Missoula and the Bitterroot on one circuit and the Flathead and Mission Valleys on another, with plenty of stops in between.
A few practical notes: farm store hours vary and some stops require advance planning, particularly for farm tours and on-farm experiences. The Field Guide includes hours and contact information for each stop — worth reviewing before you drive 40 minutes only to find a locked gate. The online map at farmconnectmontana.org/trail/map is a good planning companion alongside the physical guide.
To kick off the season, Farm Connect Montana hosted a series of regional launch parties in early June. The Missoula launch took place at LaLonde Ranch on June 7, with a local food picnic, kids’ activities, and an old-time jam session. The Bitterroot Valley celebrated at O’Hara Commons Market on June 10 with live music, local vendors, and Cool Earth Creamery gelato with every Field Guide purchase. The Flathead Valley launch was held at Backslope Brewing on June 16, with locally sourced menu items and a prize raffle.
Trail Launch Events Across the Region
If you missed the launch events, don’t worry — the Trail season has barely begun, and more events are planned throughout the summer and fall. Signing up for Trail updates at farmconnectmontana.org/trail/register keeps you in the loop on seasonal highlights, giveaways, and prize redemption windows.
This Is What Montana Travel Is Supposed to Feel Like
Montana draws millions of visitors every year for the obvious reasons — the mountains, the open sky, the wildlife, the sense of scale that doesn’t exist anywhere east of the Rockies. But the most memorable Montana experiences tend to be the ones that involve actual people: the rancher who waves you over to see the new calves, the market vendor who tells you exactly how to cook the kohlrabi you just bought, the farmer who’s been working the same Bitterroot bottomland for three generations.
The Western Montana Food & Farm Trail is built around those moments. It’s a Montana road trip framework that trades tourist traps for real places and real people — and one that supports the agricultural communities doing the quiet, essential work of feeding the region.
For visitors building a summer itinerary around western Montana, this trail deserves a spot alongside any national park on your list. For locals, it’s the best excuse you’ll find this year to explore your own backyard. Pick up the Field Guide. Start somewhere. See where it takes you.
How to Get Started on the Trail
Everything you need to begin is at farmconnectmontana.org/trail. The Field Guide is $10 and available online or at local hubs throughout the region. The digital map and listings are free. The Trail runs through October 31, 2026 — which means you have the rest of the best season in Montana to explore it.
All photographs courtesy of the Western Montana Food & Farm Trail / Farm Connect Montana.
