FEATURED TRAIL
College M Trail
Description
The College M Trail is one of the busiest trails in the Main Street to the Mountains system and for good reason. The trail offers multiple routes: the easier and moderate options are ideal for a hike-and-talk with friends, while the most difficult way is a short, steep calorie burner. With 750 feet of elevation gain, any of the routes will make you earn the sweeping views from the top, where the letter M sits high above the valley as a symbol of pride for Montana State University. The benches at the top of the M offer spectacular views of the valley. For many, this is a quick hike and can be done during a lunch break. This trail is also popular for outings with visiting friends and family. The wildflowers are abundant in the spring months.
-
🟦 ♦ Moderate to advanced
-
Easiest route: 3.6 miles round trip
Moderate route: 1.6 miles round trip
Advanced route: 1 mile round trip -
Natural surface singletrack
-
Walking, hiking, trail running (biking discouraged because of high use and only allowed to connector with Bridger Foothills trail)
-
The trail can be muddy in the fall and spring, but usually dries out earlier in the spring than other trails.
-
The small parking lot is off Bridger Drive, on your left as you head toward Bridger Canyon. Overflow parking is available across the street at the Drinking Horse Mountain trailhead, connected to the M trailhead via a pedestrian underpass.
-
Allowed off-leash
-
There is a public vault toilet in the parking lot. There are benches along the trail, offering phenomenal views of the Gallatin Valley.
-
The asphalt parking lot has steep grades and does not offer dedicated accessible parking spaces. The College M trail is a natural surface trail and is not considered accessible. The Path to the M asphalt trail can be accessed from the parking lot and is a fully accessible shared-use pathway.
-
Call Custer Gallatin National Forest, Bozeman Ranger District at 406-522-2520.
Trail History
Between 1918 and 1919, students at Montana State University (MSU) carried and later whitewashed stones forming the “M” monument in a location visible from town and the university. Several narrow, steep social trails led to the M. In 2006, partners including GVLT, MSU, and the U.S. Forest Service rebuilt the trails to accommodate increased use and reduce erosion, as well as stabilize the M monument, rebuilt the parking area, and addressed noxious weeds. The M is one of the most iconic hikes in the Gallatin Valley, serving as the final point of the Main Street to the Mountains trail system and the start of both the Bridger Ridge Trail and the Bridger Foothills Trail.