Montana trails · Bridger Ridge
Bridger Ridge
A 12.3-mile out-and-back in Montana, with 4,156 ft of climbing. Reaches Saddle Peak and other arch/pass/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 63% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 4.1. It gives back about 3,649 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Saddle Peak (summit)
- Baldy Mountain (summit)
- Bridger Peak (summit)
- Ross Pass (pass)
- Flaming Arrow Rock (arch)
- College 'M' (viewpoint)
Getting there
"M" — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 12 min drive (6 mi) from Bozeman. 45.70972, -110.97743 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:08 a.m., the sun rises at 7:38 a.m. and sets at 6:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:10 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 01 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 24.5-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 15 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- UPPER BRACKETT CREEK + BRIDGER RIDGE + BRIDGER FOOTHILLS — 13.3 mi loop, 4,400 ft gain
- BRIDGER RIDGE + COLLEGE M + COLLEGE M SHORTCUT — 1.4 mi loop, 932 ft gain
- BRIDGER FOOTHILLS + COLLEGE M + BRIDGER RIDGE — 1.9 mi loop, 947 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Hyalite Creek — 18.0 mi
- Indian Ridge — 21.8 mi
- Indian Ridge Trail — 21.8 mi
- Gallatin Crest — 22.5 mi