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South Cottonwood Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 118 Google reviews · Running trail in Bozeman, Montana · Hours vary
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Not reported
Confirmed from South Cottonwood Trailhead's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Popular trail following a creek and river with wooded areas and vistas, plus wildflowers.
What runners say about South Cottonwood Trailhead
“A great hiking spot with a beautiful trail and several creek areas to stop and relax along the way.”
“We only went as far as the creek in the valley then hiked back out - a nice easy hike to give us and the dogs some exercise, probably only a mile and a half round trip.”
Great hiking trail with beautiful views along a mountain stream. The trail is quite long, so recommend knowing the distance you’d like to go and planning accordingly.
This is a favorite in and out (or committed through) hike. It can be as easy or hard as you want though it never gets obnoxiously steep. We often see butterflies near the creek crossings. There is no restroom at the trail head. The creek crossings are on super sturdy bridges.
Love this trail! One of my favorite hiking, running, biking trails! Beautiful drive to the trailhead and plenty of parking. Well marked and maintained with just enough up and downhill to keep it fun. The hike is a mix of wooded areas opening to gorgeous vistas and crosses cottonwood creek.
Great parking. A few creek crossings, with pedestrian bridges. Somewhat moderately trafficked, lots of off leash dogs. Trail can be narrow in some spots if your on an equine, or encounter one.
Trail conditions & character
“A great hiking spot with a beautiful trail and several creek areas to stop and relax along the way.”
“We only went as far as the creek in the valley then hiked back out - a nice easy hike to give us and the dogs some exercise, probably only a mile and a half round trip.”
“It doesn't lead anywhere in particular, but if you're up for a longer hike/run/bike, you can hit up history rock, cottonwood cabin, or even mount blackmore from this trailhead.”
“The hike is a mix of wooded areas opening to gorgeous vistas and crosses cottonwood creek.”
“For a better time go to the big rock outcropping awesome scenery a little hard of a climb but not bad”
Plan your run at South Cottonwood Trailhead
The practical stuff
- AccessHours vary — hours are not posted for this trail, so check before an early or late run
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Websitefs.usda.gov
- Phone(406) 587-6701
- Social Instagram · Facebook
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