Caras Park Anatomy & History

Caras Park Anatomy

Caras Park Pavilion

The Caras Park Pavilion is a defining feature of the park, with its recognizable canopy acting as an emblem of the city skyline. When you rent Caras Park for an event, you gain exclusive access to this central pavilion space. The pavilion is equipped with drop-down walls for added privacy, as well as electrical outlets on nearly every post, making it functional, flexible, and event-ready.

Over the years, Caras Park has seen many iterations of this beloved pavilion, from vibrant circus tents in the early days to the iconic structure we know today, built in 1997. Now, after decades of use and thousands of community events, it’s time for a new chapter. The 2025 Caras Park Canopy Campaign is currently underway to replace the existing pavilion canopy, while repainting the pavilion structure, ensuring this space continues to serve Missoula for generations to come.

Bandshell

Located right next to the Pavilion, the bandshell is a smaller covered stage perfect for concerts, community performances, and intimate speaking events. It comes equipped with electrical outlets and a ramp, making it an easy plug-and-play solution for musicians and event organizers alike. When you book Caras, you get access to both the pavilion and bandshell.

Arena Seating

Arena seating surrounds the bandshell stage in Caras Park, fully installed in 2022. It now features shaded awnings for comfortable viewing during sunny summer days and is designed to give audiences the dual experience of watching performances while also enjoying views of the Clark Fork River. It’s the ideal spot to relax, enjoy live music, and feel connected to both the event and the landscape. Want to host your own event at Caras to take advantage of this space? Learn more here.

The Riverfront Terrace at Brennan’s Wave

Brennan’s Wave is one of Caras Park’s most iconic features, drawing in surfers and spectators alike. It is one thing to have a park next to a beautiful river — but it is something special to have a wave you can surf as well. Throughout the warmer months of the year, as you stroll through Caras Park, you might get lucky and be able to watch the surfers yourself.

The Caras Park River Access Project was recently completed, with the intention to revitalize the riverfront area of Caras Park, right next to Brennan’s Wave. This project brought a brand-new ADA ramp, updated seating, and beautifully designed riverbank landscaping. This space is now fully accessible for people of all abilities, providing an inclusive and immersive experience along the river’s edge.

Beartracks Underbridge Playspace

What was once a dim, unused space beneath Beartracks Bridge is now a vibrant underbridge playspace—a creative, welcoming area for people of all ages. The transformation includes art installations by Ann Karp of Sideways Gaze, along with new picnic tables, a basketball hoop, ping pong tables, cornhole boards, and even stylized dumpsters that make waste collection feel like part of the experience.

This space is just the beginning. As part of the 2025 Caras Park Canopy Campaign, future improvements will bring in skating and climbing features, as well as enhanced lighting to make the playground even more inviting day and night.

What Happened to the Hill at Caras Park?

In the fall of 2021, the small hill on the west side of Caras Park was removed, and the area was leveled. While the hill was a cherished feature for many in the community, its removal helped make the park more accessible, less hazardous, and better suited for high-traffic events and everyday use.

Flattening the area also made way for improved infrastructure, including a walking path and enhanced development of the riverside trail. Beneath the newly installed lawn, a stormwater infiltration system was added to filter out trash, needles, and other debris before it reaches the river. This system plays a vital role in protecting the health of the Clark Fork River, as most of Downtown Missoula’s storm drains lead directly into it.

Though the landscape has changed, the updates prioritize accessibility, safety, and sustainability, helping Caras Park continue to serve the community in new and important ways.

Caras Park Historical Timeline

Early 20th Century

Caras Park runs along the Clark Fork River. As stated in the North Riverside Parks and Trails Plan, the Salish and Kootenai native tribes initially lived in this area hundreds of years ago. New settlements and developments in the 1880s then brought heavy demands on the river, leveraging it for timber and farming.

Over time, the city of Missoula continued to develop and grow, however, Caras Park was yet to be conceived, as it was originally underwater, right next to the historic Wilma Theatre.

Pre-1980s

Once the Clark Fork River was diverted and the shoreline was built up, the area where Caras Park is today continued to be underutilized, serving as a dumping ground and parking lot adjacent.

1980s & 1990s

Caras Park began taking shape in the early 1980s with the Montana Rep Riverfront Summer Theatre utilizing the area, followed by the introduction of Out to Lunch in 1986. The first Caras Park tent—a circus-style orange-and-brown structure—transformed the area. By the late ’80s, it was replaced with a blue-and-white seasonal tent.

1997 & Beyond

In 1997, the current Caras Park pavilion was installed, establishing the park as Missoula’s true city center and town square ever since. Caras Park has seen multiple upgrades in the past five years, including the Caras Terrace Project, upgraded seating and shading, a stormwater infiltration system, restroom upgrades, the Beartracks Underbridge Playground, and improved accessibility features.