College M Trailhead and Picnic Area

The trail offered beautiful views and was populated with many hikers, which made me feel safe. I saw a warning about a mountain lion along the path. Personally, the incline was very steep, and I had to stop frequently to catch my breath. I did not go to the top of the trail. However, it provided excellent photo opportunities and was a great workout!

Beautiful views on this hike. It has multiple legs of options to take and well marked. I will say taking the easier route does add a lot more time to the hike.

The most difficult route is definitely difficult but definitely worth it! Beautiful and fun hike.

No matter what path you take, the hike can be pretty intense up to the "M", but the views along the way are truly breath taking. If you take the longer path (1.5 miles) there are probably four different benches you can sit at to catch your breath and take in the view. The journey to the top is worth all of the effort, and while going back down sounds easy, it was also a good workout.

We love hiking The M! There are 3 main routes to take you up so choose wisely! The easy way up (keep left at all junctions except where it says Sypes then stay right on the M route) is more scenic with lots of spots to catch your breath and take photos. It’s also much easier on the knees. The middle effort trails (start the easy route the veer right when you hit the first fork) offers a more challenging hike but still places to rest and get great photos. There is a bit of a rock scramble area so shoes with grip are helpful. The hardest way I personally don’t enjoy. Tons of slippery loose rock and very steep and it a knee buster going down. It takes me just as long to go the hard way being cautious as it does hustling the longer easy way! So at the end of the day it depends on your fitness level and what your goal is. Tons of college kids and athletes fly up & down the steepest route but I don’t find it enjoyable at all. If you are trail running I recommend the easy way 👍🏼

It was really pretty! The trail my boyfriend and I took was pretty easy, but it was steep. We say some really cute pups. The scenery was gorgeous. The trail was really clean.

Great place to hike with the entire family - including dogs! I recommend the “long” trail, which is 1.5 miles to the top; much less steep than the 0.5 miles trail. Ensure that you have good footwear in the winter as the trail gets icy. Stunning views at the top!

Nice steep hiking trails. Plenty of friendly people hiking, walking or running. Only problem is the smell of dog poop along the trails otherwise it be pretty awesome.

I attempted the "easy" trail a few days ago while I was visiting Bozeman. I'm over 65, and admittedly not in top condition but I wanted to try. There's quite a bit of elevation. I'm glad I tried and got a good work out in Parking wasn't bad at all. It's definitely a good hike while visiting Bozeman.

Super steep & not for the faint of heart. I would highly suggest going in the early morning to miss the crowds as it is a very popular hike amongst tourists and locals alike. Dog friendly and people are kind and friendly! It is a relatively short distance hike but as I mentioned steep so I would recommend some poles if you're not used to it! I personally didn't make it to the top but my husband did and said it was pretty peaceful and serene!

Amazing hike and view there are a couple shortcuts that may help some people who don't want to take extra time they don't need to. The view was beautiful and definitely worth the hike!

If you're looking for a breath taking view of all of Bozeman, this is the perfect place!!! By all means is this place beautiful, refreshing, and workout (if you take the thought route). The tough route which roughly take about 30 min or so is quit steep. I strongly recommend this route if you consider yourself a bit active or willing to workout. It has many obstacles like rocks and steep hill. The view is AMAZING, it allows you to see the city on the right side and massive pine trees on the other. Being from LA we don't have many hike trains, but this one is one of the best trains if done those far. It's an ADVENTURE!!

Sweeping views, thunder, summer rain it all made for a nice hike. I'd looked into somewhere to get onto a trail within a couple hours of touching down in Bozeman and decided we'd hit the famous College M. Short and easy hike but I think the perfect way to start a trip in this area and get in some steps after brunch. I had recently picked up a couple items at a local running store and asked for a few suggestions for the area, they mentioned College M and the exposed trail and Sourdough Canyon which I had bookmarked. We ended up hiking Sourdough Canyon a few days later and I fell in love, but if I lived in the area and needed a quick and easy College M gets the job done. You can go the steeper shorter route or the more gradual further distance way up and behind the M, we chose this route just because we wanted to be outside a bit longer than the extremely short time it would have taken to do the steep shorter route. Parking lot with plenty of space when we arrived. Very friendly trail. Many trail runners and no mountain bikes in sight (which as much as I loved Sourdough Canyon, there were so many of). Will definitely hike these trails again when I'm back in town.

An absolutely beautiful sight to see! I was told by coworkers that it was a "medium" beautiful climb that is work the hike. Fortunately they were right about the beautiful part, but not the medium part. The "easy" route of the hike is nowhere near easy at all and is hard and long. It will definitely take you about 40 minutes to get up. Wear comfortable hiking shoes, bring plenty of water, and do not be ashamed to stop and rest when you need to. The hike is definitely worth it as you get an amazing and beautiful view of the Gallatin mountains, various hills, and Bozeman. I would do it all again!

It's a climb mostly when your older but the trail is well worn and lots of hikers in case I need cared down. People park all over the place because it gets pretty busy but it's nice they have a rest room.

This is an iconic hiking trail in Bozeman, MT. If you've only time to do do one hike while in town, this is a must-do trail. The trailhead is just a few minutes outside of town and is a quick 60-90 minutes depending if you choose the easy or the strenuous, steeper trail up to the "M." The big sky views from the top are incredible and worth every drop of sweat you spared to get up there. This trail can get busy so be aware that the parking area may fill up. Also note that wildlife may be near. It's good to always be aware, alert, and keep a safe distance if needed.