As floating season gets in full swing, Mountain Line wants to remind Missoulians of a lesser-known stop for the Missoula city bus service that drops floaters at a popular starting point in the Clark Fork River.

The bus service has a stop at the Sha-Ron parking lot as part of the existing Route 4 line between downtown Missoula and Bonner, according to Mountain Line Interim Executive Director Jennifer Sweten, offering an alternative to the canceled University of Montana shuttle. 

An overhead view of the new parking lot near the Sha-Ron Fishing Access site in East Missoula. The county recently instituted a ban on parking on the section of roadway adjacent to Sha-Ron, but the new lot has a trail down to the river, a bathroom and an all-abilities trail down to the old site.

She said in a call with the Missoulian that the line has been used for years as a drop-off point, but with the popular UDASH shuttle between the university and Sha-Ron, the option has been relatively unknown.

"This is not a change, but we want to make sure people know that this is an option," Sweten said.

Sweten said Mountain Line has been working with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Clark Fork River Ambassadors to provide the service.

The Sha-Ron site has boomed in popularity the last several years. In 2023, a new parking lot was built to accommodate the floaters, but lines of cars along Highway 200 still congest the area. 

Missoula County Commissioners said they supported Mountain Line's Sha-Ron drop-off location during a meeting on July 1.

Floaters must deflate their tubes to use the bus line. River ambassadors should be at the site during the day to help inflate tubes. The ambassadors also offer safety tips and floating information. 

A procession of people in various watercraft make their way down the Clark Fork River in Missoula in July 2022.

Route 4 departs from the downtown transfer station every 60 minutes from 6:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. on weekdays. 

On Saturdays, the bus will leave once an hour from 8:45 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. On Sundays, the bus will leave once an hour from 8:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. 

Sweten said she hopes the service will lessen the congestion seen along Highway 200 near the drop off, where the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour. 

"We are doing everything we can to alleviate the pressure there," Sweten said.