Nestled between two mountain ranges on the western edge of Montana, the Bitterroot Valley offers uncommonly beautiful scenery. Immediate access to the Bitterroot National Forest provides diverse recreational opportunities including big-water rivers, hiking, horsepacking through glacier-draped high country, and fly-fishing blue-ribbon trout streams. Read what Frommer's has to say about the Bitterroot:

Although in part a bedroom community for Missoula, the Bitterroot Valley has become a second home and retirement paradise for folks who have fallen in love with the Missoula-area mountains, but not with the Missoula-area traffic. Though not as well known as other areas of the state, the fly-fishing in the Bitterroot River is excellent, making it a preferred destination for anglers in the know.

The Bitterroot has the reputation as Montana's banana belt, because the microclimate in the valley offers a long growing season. A lot of Missoula-area golf fanatics head to Hamilton in February because the golf course there greens up for play much earlier than the ones even a few miles farther north.

• Average High is 79 F
• Average Low is 49 F (Tania says bring a sweater)