Coming Soon: Burke Park Traverse

Burke Park/Peets Hill lovers can look forward to yet another enhancement to “Bozeman’s Central Park.”

Next month, we will formalize the “Burke Park Traverse,” an informal path first identified in the 2003 Burke Park Master Plan as a trail that would need to be incorporated into the trail system at a future time. Those who frequent Burke Park are likely familiar with this singletrack trail, which starts at the top of the sledding hill and continues south. The growing population and number of trail users in recent years have led to increasing use of the path and highlighted the need to formalize it to ensure it is a stable and sustainable trail.

An important part of the project will be rerouting the trail in a few places to prevent erosion. DeWolf Trail Excavation is the project contractor. There will be partial closures on the path during construction. No other trails will be closed during the project.

The official Burke Park Traverse is expected to be complete at the beginning of June, when the community will be invited to add the finishing touches at GVLT’s annual National Trails Day volunteer event on Saturday, June 7.

“Formalizing the Burke Park Traverse will provide all types of users, including bikers and trail runners, with an alternative way to navigate through Burke Park without being on the main trails,” explains GVLT Trails Program Manager Adam Johnson.

This trail is the final enhancement in the 12-acre Burke Park Expansion project, which also included building two new scenic overlooks, extending the Chris Boyd Memorial Trail down to Church Avenue, and upgrading the walking loop at the top of Burke Park to an all-abilities trail.