Missoula's best places to view fall foliage

Crisp air, pumpkin spice and football. September has brought all of those back to western Montana. The only thing we're missing are the colors of fall!

Leaf watching season across western Montana peaks around mid October.

So what type of weather is the best for vibrant fall colors?

It actually starts way back in spring. A wet and warm spring is ideal. Western Montana got half of that this year. Temperatures were right around where they should've been, but rainfall was well below..

The next thing is a summer that's not too hot. We've been right around where we should be up until these last few weeks,

The final ingredient is a nice sunny fall with cool, but not freezing nights.

Fall is 11 days away, and our 8 to 14 day outlook predicts temperatures will be right around where they should be.

Many Missoulians agree that watching foliage change colors is one of the best things to do, so here's a list of the top 4 places to see them:

1. Mount Sentinel

2. University Ave.

3. Going to the Sun Rd. (and any other national park)

4. Bitterroot Valley