Peets Hill at Burke Park sits half a mile from downtown Bozeman and serves as the centerpiece of the Main Street to Mountains trail system, the network of connected paths that links downtown Bozeman to the surrounding open spaces. You do not need a permit, you do not need to drive anywhere, and if you live on the south side of town you might walk here from your front door. Ask locals where to get a panoramic view of Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley without driving somewhere, and Peets Hill is the answer most of them will give you.
The trail starts with the sharpest pitch of the loop from Church Avenue, but it is brief and the grade levels out quickly into a wide gravel ridgeline walk with 360-degree views of the city and surrounding ranges. If you need a flat route, skip the Church Avenue trailhead entirely and park at the Josephine Drive lot on the hospital side of the hill instead. That lot has a designated accessible parking space and connects directly to the flat loop on the crest of Burke Park, which means you can reach the Medicine Wheel, the overlook, and the best sunset views in town without touching the steep section at all. At the very top of Burke Park, look for the concrete Native American Medicine Wheel surrounded by metal silhouette benches. Stand in the center and the silhouettes align with the actual physical peaks of the Gallatin Valley. It is one of the more thoughtful additions to any trail in the area and worth spending a few minutes with. Down on the flat lower path, a stone labyrinth sits off to the side, a quieter feature that most people walk right past.
The park stays busy year-round. In summer it is dog walkers, runners, and photographers timing the sunset. A summer morning visit is worth building into your routine, the trail takes about 10 minutes to climb, and you can spend another quiet hour moving between the overlooks or sitting on one of the benches at each viewpoint. Even in July, when afternoon temperatures can push into the mid-90s, the hill is still pleasant in the morning. In winter the steep sections become one of the most popular sledding hills in town. One thing worth knowing before you go: the open hillside has been badly damaged by dogs, bikers, and hikers cutting across the grass instead of staying on the official gravel paths. The sagebrush and prairie ecosystem here is fragile, so stick to the marked trails rather than making your own line up the slope.
This land was platted for 612 homes in 1892, when Bozeman was campaigning to be named the state capital and needed to show urban density to make the case. More than a century later it remains open space, and that is not an accident. Burke Park was GVLT's first community trails project in 1993, and GVLT's founder Chris Boyd negotiated the original purchase. A portion of the trail is named the Chris Boyd Memorial Trail in his honor, and the Chris Boyd Bridge at the base of the hill was added on GVLT's 25th anniversary to further recognize his work. In 2022, 12 acres at the south end of the park came up for sale and nearly went to a private buyer. GVLT launched the Peets Final Piece campaign, 700 donors from around the country responded, and the land was secured. The City of Bozeman now owns the full parcel, and the improvements that followed, including the two overlooks, the accessible loop at the top, and the Mountain Range Finder and Medicine Wheel, all came out of that campaign.
From downtown Bozeman, head south on South Church Avenue. The main parking lot is at the intersection of South Church Avenue and East Story Street. If you need accessible parking or want to skip the steep initial climb, the upper lot is at the intersection of Josephine Drive and Kenyon Drive, with a designated accessible space that connects directly to the flat loop trail on the ridge. You can also access the trail from the south end of the Bozeman Public Library parking lot via a paved section of the Gallagator Trail, which passes through Bozeman's Sculpture Park on the way up.
Peets Hill is rated a green trail, and the wide gravel surface and gentle overall gradient back that up. With only 102 feet of gain over a mile, the numbers are about as mellow as it gets. The initial pitch from Church Avenue is the one section that feels a little sharper, but it is short, and the rest of the loop is an easy walk. Nothing here is technical. If you want a completely flat route, start from the Josephine Drive parking lot instead, which connects directly to the accessible loop on the ridge.
The main loop is 1 mile. The climb to the top takes about 10 minutes, and most people spend another 20 to 40 minutes walking between the overlooks or sitting on the benches before heading back down. The park has 3.2 miles of total trail, and connecting to the Gallagator or pushing out to Lindley Park adds more distance if you want it.
The hill gains 102 feet over the main loop. It feels a bit steeper than that on the initial pitch from Church Avenue, but the numbers confirm this is a genuinely accessible climb. The elevation starts right at the edge of the city, which means you are already at about 4,800 feet before you take a single step uphill.
The top of Burke Park has some of the best accessible views in the Bozeman area, with two overlooks offering panoramic views of the city and surrounding mountain ranges. At the highest point, the Mountain Range Finder and Native American Medicine Wheel is the standout feature, a concrete wheel with metal silhouette benches where each silhouette aligns with a specific peak in the Gallatin Valley. It is a genuinely cool installation that also honors the region's Indigenous history. Sunrises and sunsets from both overlooks are consistently excellent.
There is no water on the trail. A seasonal creek runs at the base of the hill, crossed by the Chris Boyd Bridge at the Church Avenue trailhead, where dogs can drink before and after. Bring what you need for the climb.
Pack a snack and head up at golden hour. The two overlooks make this one of the better sunset spots in Bozeman, and the easy grade and short distance make it a practical date night or family outing any time of year.
Summer and fall conditions are good. The wide gravel paths are well-maintained and easy to follow. Spring is messier, the trail turns muddy during the thaw and after rain, and reviews consistently mention slick conditions through April. In winter the steep sections pack down into ice, so microspikes are a good idea from December through March. Stick to the official gravel paths year-round and do not cut across the grass, the open hillside looks like fair game but the sagebrush and prairie ecosystem has taken real damage from people doing exactly that.
Peets Hill is one of the most popular off-leash dog areas in Bozeman, and it shows. Dog waste stations are available at the trailhead. Only let your dog off-leash if their recall is reliable, because the distractions here are constant, other dogs crossing from every direction, people, kids, and plenty of excitement at the top. There is no water on the trail once you leave the base, so let your dog drink before you start.
Paved road the entire way. South Church Avenue is a residential street with no issues year-round.
You do not need a map for this one. The trail system is small and well-signed, and you can see the whole park from any point on the hill. If you want to explore the Gallagator connection or the broader neighborhood trail network, the City of Bozeman's parks map is available on their website.
The main lot at South Church Avenue and East Story Street is free and usually has spots, but fills up on weekday evenings and weekend mornings. The upper lot at Josephine Drive and Kenyon Drive is a better bet when the main lot is full, and it has a designated accessible space. The Bozeman Public Library lot to the south is also an option if you plan to approach via the Gallagator Trail.
Restrooms are open year-round at the upper Josephine Drive parking lot. There are no bathrooms at the main Church Avenue trailhead.
Peets Hill is one of the busiest urban green spaces in Bozeman. Expect steady foot traffic from early morning through evening, dog walkers, runners, photographers at golden hour, and families with sleds in winter. The off-leash policy means the trail can feel chaotic at peak times, especially on weekend mornings. If you want the hill mostly to yourself, a weekday morning in winter is your best shot.
The hillside is open and exposed, so wind can be noticeable at the top even when it is calm in town. Bring a layer in spring and fall. In summer the exposed south-facing slope heats up fast, so start early or go in the evening.
Footwear: Sneakers
Not usually a problem. The open, exposed hillside does not hold bugs the way shaded creek corridors do.
The hill is mostly open grassland with scattered trees. There is minimal shade on the trail, which makes it warm in summer midday and gives it a completely different feel than the forested loops at Kirk Hill.
Full cell service throughout. You are inside city limits.
Day use only. No camping is allowed in city parks.
Main Street to Mountains
Burke Park is the centerpiece of Bozeman's Main Street to Mountains trail system, which connects downtown to the surrounding open spaces via a network of urban paths and greenways. Most of the connections below are part of this system.
Gallagator Linear Trail & Bozeman Sculpture Park
The Gallagator Trail runs along Bozeman Creek at the base of Peets Hill. The Chris Boyd Memorial Trail connects the Church Avenue trailhead to the ridge, crossing the seasonal creek via the Chris Boyd Bridge. The Library approach comes in via a paved section of the Gallagator that passes through Bozeman's Sculpture Park, which is worth a slow walk on its own. The route from the Library to the park bridge is about half a mile and is easy to do on a bike. From the Gallagator you can continue north to Story Mill Community Park or south to the MSU campus trail network.
Lindley Park
The trail connects east to Lindley Park, adding a shaded creek-side stretch to the outing.
Highland Glen Trails
From Lindley Park you can continue into the Highland Glen trail network for more mileage through the neighborhood greenway.
Plug 1 miles and 102 feet of elevation gain into our free hiking time calculator for a personalized estimate.