Running trails in Bozeman, MT
Bozeman has 18 trails in the directory — 7 on crushed gravel or dirt, 3 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 3 shaded, and 9 open 24 hours. 13 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 3,456 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Gallatin County Regional Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 570 reviews
This 87-acre park features mixed-use trails, a playground, climbing boulders, a dog park & more.
Peets Hill/Burke Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 499 reviews
Green space featuring a popular hiking trail & a hill with scenic views & wintertime sledding.
Glen Lake Rotary Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 464 reviews
Park offering fishing, a beach, picnic areas, volleyball, trails, and a dock.
College 'M' Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 353 reviews
Tourist attraction featuring a hiking trail with scenic views at the top.
Drinking Horse Mountain National Recreation Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 329 reviews
Shady, scenic trail featuring views from its summit, along with a fort and a bench.
Sypes Canyon Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 190 reviews
This popular hiking path through rocky & wooded terrain offers dramatic mountain & valley views.
Sourdough/Bozeman Creek Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 181 reviews
Well-maintained trail stretching on for dozen miles, featuring creek views.
Triple Tree Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 167 reviews
Hiking area with varied terrain, including creeks, and meadows, as well as diverse plant life.
Middle Cottonwood Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 133 reviews
Hiking trail featuring mountain views, creek crossings, and the potential for wildlife sightings.
South Cottonwood Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 118 reviews
Popular trail following a creek and river with wooded areas and vistas, plus wildflowers.
Gallagator Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 97 reviews
A mostly level former railway line featuring paved trails that connect four or five parks.
Kirk Hill
4.6 ★★★★★ 93 reviews
Network of paths hiking area popular for its valley vistas.
Tuckerman Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 89 reviews
Kid-friendly recreation area, featuring easy trails meandering through wooded areas and over a stream.
Leverich Canyon Mountain Trail Head
4.4 ★★★★☆ 69 reviews
Downhill biking trail in a national forest with a restroom.
Chestnut Mountain Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 49 reviews
Hiking area that's kid-friendly, featuring rocks and frogs.
Gardner Park
4.9 ★★★★★ 15 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Bozeman
- Match the surface to your legs. Bozeman gives you a choice: 7 natural surface and 5 mixed. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 3 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Bozeman is College 'M' Trail at 5 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 9 trails in Bozeman are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 13 of the 18 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 1 is lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 13 have trailhead parking, 4 have restrooms, and 1 has a water fountain in Bozeman. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 3 shaded, 1 with mile markers, 2 that runners describe as quiet, 13 dog-friendly, and 4 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Bozeman trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Bozeman
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.