Montana | TrailLink

The " Great American" Route Through Montana

The preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail through Montana will connect communities already well-known for their outdoor recreation assets—including Livingston, Bozeman, Three Forks, Butte and Missoula. History abounds along the route as well: The area around the state’s Great American gateway trail—the developing Headwaters Trails System in Three Forks—has a history stretching to Sacajawea and the 1804–1806 Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery expedition; and in Livingston, the Highway 89 South Pedestrian Trail travels through the original gateway town for the country’s first national park: Yellowstone.

Close collaboration with trail managers and public officials in Montana will help facilitate the creation of the 344+ miles needed to complete the Great American route over the next several decades.

Ridin' The GART

June 2020 acewickwire

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Frenchtown, MT
Trail Condition: Very nice asphalt path with a newly completed section of excellent condition.
Signage: None.
Comments: A new portion of the trail has recently been added to the trail. From Mill Creek Rd (east end of trail) going southeast to junction with Hwy 93 near Wye is 6 miles of new trail. It parallels the frontage road, like the original section of trail. This new section of trail does encounter a couple hills. Thus not level like the original section. Overall nice trail. Lots of clover growing along the trail and smelled good the day I rode. A new other trail users were encountered.

Ridin' The GART

August 2024 acewickwire

Nice trailhead with picnic tables, etc. along side the Clark Fork River. Short trail but paved and wanders around through trees and alongside small ponds. A couple narrow bridges. Several loops to follow. Rode from here, along trail behind the old prison, through town to the south end of the Old Yellowstone Trail.

Ridin' The GART

July 2020 acewickwire

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Bonner, MT
Trail Condition: Very good fairly new pavement.
Signage: None.
Comments: TrailLink indicates this trail is 0.6 miles but from the Blackfoot River bridge to the Milltown State Park – Confluence Area I had a mileage of 1.2 miles. A new trailhead is at the nicely renovated bridge. The bridge is worthy of a stop. Otherwise the trail just parallels a busy road to the confluence area.

Ridin' the GART

July 2020 acewickwire

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Bozeman, MT
Trail Condition: Most excellent pavement, fresh and new. Doesn’t get any better surface.
Signage: Some warning, no directional.
Comments: This is an uphill climb (west to east) beside the highway. But the trail is wide and new, making it worth the effort. Once at the parking area at the eastern end, it is all down hill back to the west. This starts on the edge of town and ends beneath the big “M” on the hillside.

Indiana Trail Reviews

Accordion

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Missoula, MT
Trail Condition: Gravel from The Milwaukee Road Path connection and around a part of the golf course. Then nice paved path until end at eastern end.
Signage: Some warning signs. Watch for golf balls when near the golf course.
Comments: This is a nice add on to the end of The Milwaukee Road Path when coming from the west. Travels through a nice golf course/community on one side and river the other.

January 0001 Anonymous

Missouri Headwaters State Park to Three Forks

August 2023 estherfrey_tl

Beautiful trail with gorgeous scenery. There are a few areas that are bumpy but fine if you aren’t riding a road bike.

Safe trail to run

July 2024 ryancaincarlson

I was traveling through the area and looking for somewhere safe to run where I would not be on the roads. I parked at the Town and Country Grocery Store, crossed the street to pick up the path and headed south. The path follows Highway 89 (as the name suggests) so expect to be traveling alongside the road. I went 4 miles out and 4 miles back.

decent route

September 2024 rowanthompsontschimperle

It’s good if you’re looking for a straight shot up to Belgrade however it definitely is not very scenic as there is heavy traffic right next to it. Also there are a decent few cracks in the road so if you don’t have any suspension on your bike be careful.

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Livingston Depot Center Trail
Location: Livingston, MT
Trail Condition: Mostly ok with some needed weed control. Most of the trail is asphalt with a short section through the park at the depot on narrow concrete sidewalk.
Signage: No directional, some warning.
Comments: This trail starts at the train depot in the center of town and ends up parallel to busy highway 89. Nothing special about this trail. Would by-pass this one.

1/31/24. I cold but sunny day for a bike ride. The trail is in good condition. I continued to ride another 8 miles on the road towards Belgrade. Saw 4 mature eagles and some deer. Unclear where to park and no restroom. I parked at the school

February 2024 skycrest1702

It has its moments of beauty. Well traveled and well marked. It's a fun trail.

July 2024 5pfairfax

How to Access the Pipestone Terminus of the Milwaukee Road R2T

September 2022 frango58

Take Rt. 2 to Pipestone Pass. Around MP 75.5 (about 1/4 mile north of the Pipestone Pass parking area on Rt. 2), look for a locked gate that says "Closed to Traffic". Go around the gate and DOWN the path for about 300 yards (you will probably have to walk this). You will see an informational kiosk next to the abandoned RR tunnel. The R2T starts here.

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Missoula, MT
Trail Condition: All paved. Average width and generally good condition. One short hill with a 5% grade.
Signage: No directional signage.
Comments: Nothing to brag about. Travels alongside a busy road.

Awesome Gradual Climb up the Mountain

July 2025 mileskfarnsworth

I rode this in the reverse direction from Taft to Mullan as part of a bikepacking trip in July 2025. The NorPac was one of the highlights of the trip, with smoother gravel than the Old Milwaukee Trail or the Route of the Olympian. From Taft (the freeway exit for the Hiawatha Route), the trail is fairly easy to find. Just go back on the frontage road past some large industrial buildings, and the trail will start up the mountain underneath I90.

The Borax Tunnel is indeed closed, however, it would be very difficult to even access it. The bypass road is very clearly the only route to take, and while steeper than the rest of the trail, it is not long or too steep (6-7% gradient). The original trail to the tunnel is blocked by a huge piles of old trees at the bottom and a large berm at the top.

Lookout Pass has a few snacks, similar to the East Portal trailhead of the Hiawatha. Staying on the gravel road on the otherside of the parking lot, it eventually narrows and once again you're descending on smooth dirt down the Idaho side. It would be difficult to get lost. There is a major junction with a hard right turn and another instance where the trail bypasses the Shoshone Park road.

If you're coming from the Idaho side to start, the easiest way to describe how to access the trail is to navigate to the Fish Hatchery, and then make a 90 degree turn to the left and enter the trail through the trees.

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Bozeman, MT
Trail Condition: Overall good pavement and wide.
Signage: Some warning, no directional.
Comments: Follows along North 19 Ave with a major intersection crossing. Additional other minor intersection crossings. Fine for getting through the area but nothing special about it.

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Bozeman, MT
Trail Condition: Overall good pavement and wide, with some short sections of concrete narrow path.
Signage: Some warning, no directional.
Comments: Follows along Oak Street with a major intersection crossing. Additional other minor intersection crossings. Fine for getting through the area but nothing special about it.

Ridin' The GART - Still

Started at new trailhead on south end of trail. (Rode the northern portion several years ago. This portion hadn’t been added at that time.) Trail immediately enters into the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. Trail is dirt road/pea gravel and nicely graded. After about a mile the trail exits the Grant-Kohrs Ranch and passes through a gate into private land, close the barbwire gate behind you. Here the trail begins to have very rough sections of roadbed in preparation for a better layer of surface at a later date. Thankfully the sections aren’t real long. The trail surface is then natural sandy soil. Nice surface but hasn’t been graded, still old ranch road bed. There are a couple of gate crossings further on, at these a bike ramp/hump has been added and can just pass over without having to fool with gate. Stopped trail at trail intersection at about mile 4.5. From intersection can continue on to north trail head at abut mile 12. Rough trail and highly recommend mountain bike. Some hills.

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Piltzville, MT
Trail Condition: Average pavement.
Signage: No directional, some warning.
Comments: This trail also parallels a highway. Not overly scenic but okay.

A less-traveled trail with great views

I rode this route in both directions on a bikepacking trip in July 2025. The first leg, we started at the East Portal Parking lot and rode all the way down to Saint Regis. The gravel is smooth and fast going downhill until about Saltese. Around Haugan, the mountains open up, the gradient drops close to 0%, and you're a bit more exposed to the sun. The worst conditions were the last six miles into Saint Regis. Noise from I90 was never an issue, and we passed less than three motorized vehicles the entire time. I'd highly recommend the section from East Portal until the Old Dominion trestle. Would be a nice addition to the Hiawatha for those seeking a bit more distance.

Ridin' the GART - Again

August 2025 acewickwire

Passing by on I-90 and needed a break. Started at Rest Area and rode to end. Not much changed since last summer. Trail still over grown along the older section of trail. Still a nice trail and great for a break from the drive. Did see a couple other people on the trail.

This trail is a segment of the Great American Rail-Trail (GART).
Location: Bozeman, MT
Trail Condition: Gravel/natural surface. Smooth riding but unusual trail for Rail-Trail/TrailLink, as part of this is just a narrow dirt trail alongside the road. Nothing official looking about this trail, however, there is trail name signage at points along it.
Signage: Some directional, warning, and a few informational.
Comments: This is a rails-to-trails trail and a short portion of follows along the old abandoned rails that are still in place. Passes over a bridge next to an original rail trestle, past an old flour mill and ends at a forest park. Glen Lake Rotary Park has a small network of trails through the thick underbrush and trees. Take your time and wander around on this smooth dirt trails. I startled a skunk and now my bike smells just wonderful! Another diversion alongside the trail is the Story Mill Community Park with a number of easy trails to meander along. This is a good ride. Liked this enough to ride it the following day.