Bozeman, Montana, United States
On a cloudy morning with sunshine forecast for the
afternoon, I started looking for some late day hike options. The Triple Tree Ranch trail starts from a
trailhead about 6 miles directly south of downtown Bozeman at the edge of the
Gallatin Range foothills. With 800 feet elevation gain to the summit of a hill
(plus lots of smaller ups and downs along the way) over 5 miles round trip, it
looked like a good easy evening walk.
And so it was!
I’m impressed at how many outdoor options there are such a
short distance from town here. This particular trail is especially popular
after work, I discovered, with trail runners and mountain bikes as well as more
casual walkers like myself. The scenery is lovely as it passes through open
fields along the ranch’s fence, past suburban ranchettes on the other side, and
then through riparian areas before climbing in easy switchbacks to an open
meadow at the hilltop with great views over the valley. The signs say it is prime mountain lion
habitat, but I still haven’t spotted my first one in the wild yet. The most exciting wildlife I saw was a few wild turkeys.
2025-05-22