Custer Gallatin National Forest · Montana

Bridger Foothills

21 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 534 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle, e-bike · motorized use allowed · seasonal: hiking 06/01-11/30

Trailhead College M Trailhead and Picnic Area Drive there

Battle Ridge Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Provides access to a ridgeline trail in the central Bridgers, eventually feeding into Ross Pass and the Bridger Foothills National Recreation Trail.

Provides access to multiple connector trails.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Middle Cottonwood Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Popular hiking trail providing access to the southwestern portion of the Bridger Foothills National Recreation Trail.

Parking area at end of access road.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Custer Gallatin National Forest

Other trails from the College M Trailhead and Picnic Area

All 817 trails in Custer Gallatin National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.