Custer Gallatin National Forest · Montana

North Cottonwood

11 mi of trail, end to end · about 3,900 ft of climbing · 5,993 ft–8,975 ft · native material surface · trail No. 545 · trail class 2 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

6,511 ft 6,388 ft · 3.5 mi high 7,061 ft

Trailhead Johnson Canyon Trailhead 5,980 ft Drive there

North Cottonwood Access Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

An easement providing access to National Forest System lands and the trail along North Cottonwood Creek.

Trail eventually feeds into Bridger Foothills trail. Please respect private land on stay on designated trails.

Trail is popular for hiking and some mountain biking.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

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Other trails from the Johnson Canyon Trailhead

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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.