'A World Away': Painted Hills Trail Network Expands with Sandhill Addition

By Lilly Keller, Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Outdoor enthusiasts can now explore the expanded Painted Hills and Highland Glen trail system southeast of Bozeman, featuring 1.5 miles of new trails and a 10-car parking lot—just in time for winter.

The Sandhill trail and parking area, developed by Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Outlaw Partners and Bridger Development Strategies, have been in progress since June 2022, alongside the new Sandhill residential community.

Matt Parsons, Gallatin Valley Land Trust’s trails director, said the idea for a new trail emerged after connecting with Derek Williams, founder of Bridger Development Strategies, who wanted the trail to be an “integral” part of the open space around the Sandhill community.

“What’s really exciting is how close this new trail is to downtown and the character of it being a single-track trail,” Parsons said. “It has a variety of terrain; the views are spectacular. It feels like you’re a world away, while actually, you’re only two or three miles from Main Street.

The gravel and single-track trail, accessible from Kagy Boulevard east of the Painted Hills trailhead, offers an alternative route through Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC) land. This new addition creates a three-mile loop within the existing Painted Hills trail network.

To enhance trail sustainability, GVLT rerouted a steep section of the Painted Hills Trail through Sandhill community open space, replacing slippery switchbacks with a longer, gradual climb to reduce erosion.