Final Piece of the Bridger Ridge Trail Secured for the Public
Following the successful transfer of a trail easement on a short but critical stretch of the iconic Bridger Ridge Trail (BRT) to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) last month, the entirety of the trail that passes through a rugged stretch of mountains well-known for its tremendous recreational value is now officially on publicly managed land.
This transfer marks the completion of a multi-year effort to secure the only remaining section of the BRT that was not in public hands.
Newhall Family Partners with GVLT to Create Trail Easement
The .6-mile section, which passes through a large open meadow south of Mount Baldy, crosses private property owned by the Newhall family. Since purchasing their property in 1963 to use as a summer pasture for cattle, the family generously allowed public access to the trail.
Understanding the trail’s vital importance to the community, the Newhalls chose to go a step further to ensure this access remains in perpetuity. In 2022, they partnered with GVLT to create a formal trail easement. Without this protection, future access could have been eliminated, potentially forcing a reroute off the Bridger ridge spine and onto the challenging downhill slopes unsuitable for trail building. The trail easement consists of a 20-foot right-of-way—10-feet on either side of the existing trail—which equates to 1.5 total acres through the Newhall family’s private property.
The project was made possible by a generous group of community partners and donors, including SITKA, the Trom Family, Knoff Group Real Estate, Seessel Family, Bridger Canyon Property Owners’ Association, The Mountain Project, Mystery Ranch, onX, Megyn and William Lansing, Dan Porter, and dozens of individual supporters.
Public Access: Forever Protected
Following completion of the trail easement with the Newhall Family in 2022, GVLT began the technical process of conveying it to the USFS to integrate it into the surrounding National Forest land.
“By completing the final step of transferring the easement to our partners at the Forest Service, we have ensured public access will be forever protected,” explains GVLT Trails Program Manager Adam Johnson. “From the M Trailhead all the way to Fairy Lake, the spine of the Bridgers now has public access protected by the USFS in perpetuity.”
A Proven Model for Trail Building
Securing critical trail access and conveying it to public land managers is one of the many ways GVLT has helped to expand and enhance the community’s world-class trail system. Other successful transfers include:
To the USFS: 160 acres in Middle Cottonwood and the Sourdough Canyon trailhead
To the City of Bozeman: Peets Hill/Burke Park
To Gallatin County: Several trail easements along the Painted Hills trail