Hundreds enjoy Missoula’s self-guided biking farm tour

The sixth annual Bike to Barns tour, hosted by the nonprofit Community Food and Agriculture Coalition in Missoula, is running until Sept. 30.

Participants can take a mapped-out bike adventure tour to 14 local farm stops, meet local producers, eat and purchase food and win prizes.

This year’s event features a free lunch and scavenger hunt.

“Bike to Barns has become an annual tradition for many Missoulians, families and friend groups,” said Jennifer Zaso-Hitchcock, the nonprofit’s communications and development director. “It’s the perfect introduction to learning more about local agriculture in our community while having a lot of fun.”

The goal of the event is to raise awareness about the importance of local food systems.

“It’s important for people to have hands-on experiences on local farms and meaningful interactions with local farmers to build an understanding of the issues that are faced by the agricultural community while also seeing the personal importance of local food in people’s lives,” Zaso-Hitchcock continued.

Local farms along the route include Red Hen Farm, Green Bench Orchard, Orchard Homes Icelandics, Turner Farms and more.

The event is a way for local farmers to get new customers and raise awareness about what they offer.

“Bike to Barns has become such a staple community event that I looked forward to participating in as a biker each year,” said Ellie Costello, who operates Trust Land Farm on the corner of Third and Tower streets. “Now, as a farmer with a stop along the route, I am even more thrilled to see new faces coming through our farm stand in our first year of business. What a great way to introduce the community to the wealth of farms in Missoula.”

Zaso-Hitchcock said that farmers have reported about 300-400 bikers each year and that the event has created a new clientele group for producers that didn’t exist before the event was created six years ago.