The Barmeyer Trail is the first hiking trail that traverses Missoula's newest outdoor recreation mecca, Mount Dean Stone. The trail was constructed in 2018. In the future, this short looped hike will connect to a sprawling network of multi-use trails spanning over 4,200 acres.
The traditional Barmeyer Loop starts at a roadside parking lot 1.3 miles up Pattee Canyon Road. Users can make their way up the South Hills of Missoula from here and to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the city. A loop option heading back to the trailhead makes for a moderate 3.5-mile hike.
There is a backdoor to the Barmeyer Trail for a point-to-point hike across the South Hills. This backdoor route is intriguing as it winds and weaves on public land through backyards and neighborhoods of the South Hills. In this way, the backdoor of Barmeyer feels like a more hidden adventure.
The trailhead for the backdoor trail to Barmeyer is lower on Pattee Canyon Drive, approximately 0.2 miles from Higgins Street. The trailhead is easy to miss, and so is the trail, which starts by cutting through public property sandwiched between two residential homes. The path quickly emerges into a grassy gully surrounded by fenced-in backyards.
The backdoor trail has a moderate elevation gain as it makes its way through this narrow corridor of public land. The trail eventually crosses the rural Ben Hogan Drive before going through an open gate. After the open gate, the path widens as it climbs further up and into the Spanish Peak neighborhood.
A brief street walk through the Spanish Peak neighborhood connects the backdoor trail to the official Barmeyer trail. This junction also marks where the trail makes its way through private property with granted access. Hikers need to stay on the trail the rest of the way up to the lookout from here and stay off the clearly marked private driveway.
Upon reaching the top, a gorgeous view of Missoula encourages a moment of rest. Specifically, Mount Sentinel is in full view and takes a moment to fully take in. Barmeyer is a popular trail for local trailrunners, and this lookout is a popular spot to catch a breath.
From this high vantage point, hikers can head back down the backdoor trail for an approximately six mile out-and-back. Hikers can also continue down the official Barmeyer trail to Pattee Canyon Road for a nearly five mile point-to-point. For those hiking point-to-point with no shuttle, it's about a mile's walk on the side of Pattee Canyon Road to reach the lower trailhead.
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