FEATURED TRAIL
Highland Glen
Description
Highland Glen offers singletrack trails that wind through wildflower-filled meadows, into gullies, and along cultivated fields. Providing a welcome natural respite from the bustling Bozeman core, the trails are great for bike rides, trail runs, and quiet walks interrupted only by “moos” from the resident summertime herd of cattle.
At the preserve’s southern access point on Kagy Boulevard, you can connect to Painted Hills Trail, which in turn can be linked with Triple Tree Trail for an 11-mile lollipop loop entirely on singletrack. If you start your journey from the Gallagator Trail by Bozeman Public Library, you can up this mileage to 17 miles roundtrip, completing the crux of the Main Street to the Mountains trail system. Thanks to the generosity of Bozeman Health and the Bridger Ski Foundation, which grooms the trails in winter, Highland Glen offers a year-round prescription for getting outside.
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🟦 Moderate
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6 miles of available trail
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Natural surface singletrack
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Summer: walking, hiking, trail running, mountain biking
Winter: Nordic skiing -
The trail can be muddy in the fall and spring. It is groomed for cross-country skiing in the winter by Bridger Ski Foundation.
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Parking is available at the Softball Complex off Highland Boulevard and Ellis Street.
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Allowed on-leash only due to wildlife and cattle on the property
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Restrooms are open from May to October by the Softball Complex parking lot. There are multiple entrances to the nature preserve from Highland Boulevard and Kagy Boulevard.
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The parking lot at the Softball Complex is an asphalt surface with dedicated accessible spaces and curb cuts for exiting the parking area onto the trails. Highland Glen’s trails are primarily narrow natural surface trails. The fence line trail is approximately four feet wide and has a firm natural surface, and it connects to city-managed compacted gravel trails.
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Call GVLT about maintenance issues at 406-587-8404.
Trail History
At GVLT, we believe being outdoors is the best medicine. And the open space across from Bozeman’s hospital looked to us like just what the doctor ordered. GVLT and Bridger Ski Foundation (BSF) approached Bozeman Health, the property owner, with a proposal to create cross-country ski trails for community use, and the administration graciously agreed. The winter trails were a hit, so we returned to Bozeman Health and asked for permission to develop them into summer trails, and the Highland Glen singletrack trail system was born in 2011. Bozeman Health and BSF were active partners in planning the six miles of trails that now wind through cow pastures, into gullies, and across cultivated fields.
The 0.5-mile Wellness Trail features a bridge and a critical, safe connection to Highland Glen for the nearby neighborhoods and businesses off Haggerty Lane.
In 2022, GVLT worked with Bozeman Health to create the Homestead Connector, completing a loop that connects from the Wellness Trail to the East Ridge Trail of the preserve.
GVLT and our partners continue to enhance and preserve this incredible landscape, providing physical and mental health benefits 365 days a year.
GVLT and our partners continue to enhance and preserve this incredible landscape, providing physical and mental health benefits 365 days a year.
