BEE Investigation: Trails Still Powered by Volunteers

Sun, 31 May 2026 07:20:00 +0000

BOZEMAN - A Bee investigation has found that many of the Gallatin Valley’s beloved trails continue to rely on volunteers with shovels, gloves and suspiciously positive attitudes, despite the area’s broader reputation for monetizing nearly every other available square foot.

Gallatin Valley Land Trust hosted its annual National Trails Day event this weekend, drawing residents out in gray weather to repair tread, clear debris and tend to the public pathways that help make local life feel morally superior. Participants described the work as stewardship. Investigators described it as one of the valley’s last major systems still operating on the premise that enough people might show up out of love.

Volunteers on The Bozeman Daily Bee

BEE Investigation: Trails Still Powered by Volunteers