Bozeman Area Trails

This is not an all inclusive list but I believe it is all the trails longer than a few miles and that are less than an hours drive from town. Driving distance and approximate time to the trailhead is from the center of Bozeman (Black and Main Street). Some road distances/times, elevation gain and trail distance are approximate and feedback is welcome. Two good maps are the Gallatin National Forest map and the Spanish Peaks map. All gravel roads are accessible by even small passenger cars unless otherwise noted. Trail difficulty can be inferred from distance vs elevation gain but I try to emphasize exceptionally rocky or steep trails. All the trails are rocky at least in parts. Most have good spots that are very runnable. My two favorites are Hyalite in the Gallatins and Beacon in the Spanish Peaks. The Spanish peaks definitely have the best overall network, especially up the South Fork of Spanish Creek. Grizzlies positively roam out of Yellowstone in the Gallatins and Spanish Peaks. I recommend taking bearspray (8-9 oz size) everywhere except the Bridgers and possibly Hyalite Canyon (which could remotely have grizzlies). Attach it to a belt around your waist and tuck it into your shorts so it doesn’t bounce but is readily available if a bear knocks you down. If you haven’t done it before, spray it once to see how far the yellow spray carries. Keep in mind that rainy or windy weather is going to limit its effectiveness. I would absolutely not run alone in mountains south of Big Sky or south of Pray in the Paradise Valley.

Bridgers:   More Details
Baldy trail, 10 min drive (4300’ of gain in 5 miles, 2.6 hours round trip)
The Foothills trail, 10 min drive, 11,000’ in 22 mi one-way, intersects most Bridger trails.
Run up Bridger Bowl Ski Area, 25 min dr, to access the ridge, 2500’ in 1.5 mi.
Bracket Creek, 25 min dr, to Grassy Mountain trail to Olson Creek (3000' in 22 miles) or up to Ross Pass in the Bridgers, 2000’ in 3 mi.
Fairy Lake trailhead, 45 min dr, to Hardscrabble (9,300’) or to Sacajewa (9,400’) both about 2,000' in 2.5 miles.
Sypes Canyon Trail, 15 mind dr, up 1800' in 6 mi to junction with Foothills or on up to Baldy 3800' in 5 miles.
Middle Cottonwood Trail, 25 min dr, up 1.3 mil to intersect Foothills, then on up 3 miles and 3000' to saddle to Bostwicks where you can keep climbing 1000' and a mile to Saddle Peak (9,200') .
Truman Gulch, 30 min dr where you can go about 2 miles to intersect Foothills Trail and go left to Ross Pass (3 more miles) or right to the Bostwicks and Saddle Peak or Middle Cottonwood.
Corbly Gulch, 50 min dr where you can climb 4000' in 4 miles to Sacajewea
North Cottonwood, 50 min dr where you can go up easy 4 miles to a beautiful, often goat filled bench and then right 3 miles to Sacajewa.

Spanish Peaks:    More Info
 South Fork of Spanish Creek, 50 min dr, to Beacon, Summit Lake, Mirror Lake, Spanish Creek Loop (22 mi, 5600’) or North Fork, Big Bro, Jerome Rock Lake, South Fork loop.
Indian Ridge, 35 min dr
Hellroaring Trails, 35 min dr,
Lava Lake trail 40 min dr to Table Mountain (9,600’) or Jumbo Mountain (10,400’) or Deer Creek trail.
Deer Creek trail 50 min dr to Table Mountain (9,600’) or to Moon Lake or to the South Hellroaring trail

Gallatins from Gallatin Canyon:   More Info
Storm Castle Rock, 35 min dr,
Garnet Mountain fire tower, 35 min dr.
Portal Creek, 60 min dr.

Gallatins from town:   More Info
 Kirk Hills, 10 min dr.
Leverich Canyon, 15 min dr.
Bozeman Creek(aka Sourdough Creek), 10 min dr.
Triple Tree, 10 min dr.
South Cottonwood, 35 min dr.
Goose Creek, 25 min dr. Trail Creek exit off I-90.
New World Gulch to Mystic Lake, 25 min dr.

Hyalite Canyon to:
History Rock, 30 min dr
Mt Blackmore (10,100’), 30 min dr
Hyalite Peak (10,200’), 40 min dr
Emerald Lake, 45 min dr.

Further afield:     lots of great trails in the Crazies and Absaroka’s and Spanish Peaks out of Big Sky, 1-2 hours from town. Feel free to email for advice. runski@bresnan.net.