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2017 Map of Southwest Missoula

Name: 2017 Topographic Map of Southwest Missoula
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2017
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2017

About this map

The Bitterroot River meanders northward toward its confluence with the Clark Fork, defining the valley floor southwest of Missoula. The landscape is a mix of dense residential grids in the city's southwest corner and the more open tracts of Orchard Homes, where the Montana Rail Link cuts through the river valley. The river’s path is marked by significant crossings including the Maclay Bridge and Buckhouse Bridge, alongside backwater features like Plummers Slough and Doyles Slough that speak to the area's complex riparian ecology.

Rising above the valley, McCauley Butte and the South Hills provide topographic contrast to the level expanses of Maclay Flats. To the west, the boundaries of the Lolo National Forest begin to climb into the foothills, sheltering drainages such as Deadman Gulch and Hayes Creek. This 2017 survey by the U.S. Geological Survey shows the continued expansion of settlements like Lolo along the southern corridor.