Last Run Inn – Montana Snowbowl Ski Resort

When an afterthought of a meal turns out to be more than that, it’s definitely worth a mention and a visit.

Located about 12 miles northwest of Missoula, Montana, in the Lolo National Forest, you’ll find Snowbowl Ski Resort. Known to locals for its steep runs thanks to an elevation gain of 2,600 feet, the small resort looks down on the growing western Montana city.

He said: Montana Snowbowl opened its doors the same month and year I came into the world – December of 1962. It’s a small but friendly and welcoming outfit. And the same holds true for the Last Run Inn. It’s a simple eatery with a small bar, enough room to flip and prepare pizza dough, and a wood-fired brick oven.

Now, to me, there’s a big, big difference sitting next to a wood-burning fireplace compared to an electric fireplace. And it’s not just the popping of the wood as it burns either. A wood-burning fireplace generates heat that warms you to the bone. Plus, there’s the fragrance of burning wood that takes you  back to sitting around a campfire. Good times, good warm heat!

Same holds for wood-fired pizza. It’s a much more authentic and “flavorable” experience. I had my first wood-fired pizza when I was a missionary for my church back in the early 1980s in southern Italy. After one bite of the real thing, I knew it wasn’t like what came out of the traditional ovens at Pizza Hut. It was just different. Tasty and different.

The Last Run Inn offers a limited but versatile menu. Sure, you could order artichoke dip, hummus with a pita or chips and salsa, but to me it’s about building your own pizza. Meat choices include pepperoni, ham, sausage, bacon and jerk chicken. Veggie topping options include mushrooms, artichokes, jalapenos, pepperoncini, pineapple, red onions, roasted red peppers, black olives, sundried tomatoes, roasted garlic and feta. And, of course, cheese! We opted for the simple ham, cheese and pineapple.

Delivered to us as we sat outside on the deck overlooking an infield with workers prepping for a wedding to be hosted later that day, and a chair lift beyond them shuttling folks up the mountain, our pizza was steamy hot! Each bite included a liberal amount of mozzarella cheese and our toppings of choice. The wood-fired method left a slight charring on the bottom of the pizza and a crispy but not overcooked crust. Yes! It’s pizza the way pizza should be made…and eaten!

She said: The ham and pineapple pizza hit the spot. It tasted just like you’d hope a wood fired pizza would taste. The gooey cheese and perfectly charred crust is just what you’d want after a day at Snowbowl. It’s no wonder their menu is limited. They’ve mastered it, so why order anything else?

Oh, by the way…Montana Snowbowl is a great place for skiers and snowboarders in the winter but, in reality, it offers year-round fun. At the top of the ski lift that leaves from the lodge, you’ll find a challenging 18-hole disc golf (locals call it “folf,” as in frisbee golf) course that features the 1,050-foot, par-5 7^th hole.

If your timing is right, usually mid to late July into early August, you’ll smell them before you see them – huckleberries! Going for $40-50 dollars a gallon at the farmer’s market in town, there are literally miles and miles of huckleberry bushes atop the mountain free for the picking, with more than enough fruit for humans and bears alike.

There are also miles and miles of bike trails for those who ascend the lift only to descend on their mountain bikes. Or if you’d like to try a different type of adventure, rent a diggler from the lodge. The mountain scooter has a wide wheel base with a small platform between the wheels to stand on and hand brakes that help you navigate the terrain as you pick a trail to ride back down to the lodge.

Heading up

Digglers in 2020

Or if you’re a unique thrill seeker, you could also take up unicycling and then sit beside your muni (mountain unicycle) as you catch a ride up on the chairlift and then ride it down to the bottom like my son and I did back in 2013. (Fun fact: unicycle.com featured the video we made that day as a way to advertise one of its then-newer products.)

And why did we originally head to Montana Snowbowl on this hot, summer day? To fly above the mountain on a zip line. Three guides took our group of eight on four different zip lines circling the Snowbowl base area. The first, “The G-Line,” was a warm-up of sorts that covered a mere 200 feet. “Butler Brink” then launched us two-by-two across the headwaters of Butler Creek to a stopping point about 600 feet away. The third zip line, “Tamarack Tunnel,” featured a 700-foot flight through the trees more than 100 feet above off the forest floor to the landing below. Rounding out our journey on the “Huckleberry Hustle,” we flew nearly 1,000 feet more than 150 feet up above the base area and landed next to “Go Big” (a mountainside that doubles as a favorite patch for huckleberry pickers).

The zip line tour takes about 90 minutes, involves moderate hiking and costs $44 apiece. Oh yeah, it also builds an appetite that can later be satisfied with wood-fired pizza at the Last Run Inn.