Custer Gallatin National Forest · Montana

Middle Cottonwood

1.2 mi of trail, end to end · about 500 ft of climbing · 5,467 ft–5,965 ft · native material surface · trail No. 586 · trail class 4 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, bike, motorcycle, e-bike · motorized use allowed

5,467 ft 5,679 ft · 0.6 mi high 5,679 ft

Trailhead Middle Cottonwood Trailhead 5,456 ft Drive there

Middle Cottonwood Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Popular hiking trail providing access to the southwestern portion of the Bridger Foothills National Recreation Trail.

Parking area at end of access road.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.