Sypes Canyon Trail

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Features Birding · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Sypes Canyon can be either a 4 mile out-and-back hike (there's a great overlook of the entire Gallatin Valley 2.0 miles in) or a 6.4 mile out-and-back if you go all the way to the Bridger Foothills Trail (which is a great option for extending your hike). This makes for a great spring or early summer hike as Sypes Creek is usually flowing until mid-summer. Because it's a popular route, it stays pretty packed out through the winter as well.

The Sypes Canyon Trail is a good one for getting your heart rate up. It starts out for a short period of time flat and straight but quickly begins switchbacking as it heads towards joining the Bridger Foothills Trail. This trail can be an out and back, or can be joined for a loop with Truman Gulch, The College M Trail, or Middle Cottonwood.

From the trailhead make your way up the path gaining elevation gently. Once you're warmed-up, prepare for the real workout and the switchbacks begin. Things mellow out slightly as you gain one of the shoulders coming off the Bridger Ridge, but things don't get much easier. Continue climbing either until you reach an obvious promontory overlooking Bozeman or continue to the top where the trail joins the Bridger Foothills Trail.