Connected by the trails we love!
Re-opening ceremony of Alpen Glow Trail, the paving increased usability and access, connecting town to Livingston Hospital and the surrounding trail system. Photo credit: Sarah Stands
When we look at our work through our strategic plan, CREATE, it always comes back to a core philosophy: trails do so much more than connect two points on a map. They connect us to nature, to each other, and they build "third spaces" - those essential community areas where we gather, relate and breathe. They define and deepen our sense of place, root us to this incredible landscape, and keep us healthy both physically and mentally.
These trails don't just appear out of nowhere. They happen because of the deep, hard-earned relationships with our community members and the enduring passion of our team and board to build and carry out this vision.
Volunteers sweeping the Yellowstone Heritage Trail near Old Yellowstone Trail circa 2017
The Miles Behind Us
We’ve been dedicated to trails and active transportation for over a decade. You've likely walked, biked, or run across the groundwork we've helped lay:
Developing the comprehensive Park County and City of Livingston Trail Map and creating the visionary Livingston Trails and Active Transportation Plan.
Partnering with Dan Bailey’s and the School District to host the annual Bike to School day!
Carving out 2 miles of single-track near Livingston at Zollman Field.
Supporting the O-Street Connector and Alpen Glow pathways.
Adopting and maintaining a 6-mile section of the Heritage Trail (from 7th Street to Yellowstone Trail Road).
Pushed for people-first spaces, piloting the Farmer’s Market car-free zones and adding safety pedestrian flags across Park Street.
Conducting walking and biking audits to secure Safe Park Street Crossing motivated the rapid flashing beacons and shared community input for pedestrian connectivity to the Downtown Master Plan.
Hosting fun and family-friendly rides like Wishberry Hollow and Ugly Sweater Brew Pub Crawl.
Collaborating with local landowners and the Forest Service to complete and secure public access to the 17-mile Porcupine Ibex Trail in the Crazies.
Rerouting and reducing grade steepness of the Suce Creek Trail with young folks, Livingston Bike Club and the US Forest Service
Erica Lighthiser addresses the audience for the YHT ground breaking event
Rolling Into 2026: What's Happening Right Now
There is so much momentum building across Park County right now, and we want to highlight a few exciting projects hitting major milestones this season:
1. Groundbreaking on the Yellowstone Heritage Trail (Emigrant Section) Just a few weeks ago, we officially broke ground on a paved, 3-mile section of trail that will travel directly behind the town of Emigrant! One section of the Great American Rail Trail, this is a massive win for local businesses and safety, keeping folks off the dangerous shoulders of Highway 89 so they can experience the valley at "human speed". People have walked and traveled these pathways safely for thousands of years. And now, thanks to this project—and the sections of trail that will follow—they won't be the last.
As Erica shared at the groundbreaking:
"We believe communities thrive when everyone has access to the outdoors. We need safe spaces... where people can walk, bike, scoot, and roll—connecting us to the places we want to go, to nature, and to each other.”
Turning this dream into reality took an incredible vision by local landowners, partnerships with Park County and the Trust for Public Land.
To honor the deep human history of this land, Dr. Shane Doyle (a partner of the project) shared how humans and bison co-existed right where we were standing for at least 13,000 years. He reminded us that the trail passes through ancestral homelands. Rather than being an "untouched wilderness," Paradise Valley was a beautifully utilized home where his ancestors thrived. They drank directly from the Elk (Yellowstone) River, used a nearby buffalo jump, and continually advanced their sophisticated hunting techniques with drive lines and protecting the lead matriarch and her lineage.
Shane Doyle addresses the audience for the YHT ground breaking event
2. The Dry Pine Connector Trail Thirteen years in the making, our friends at the Livingston Bike Club have broken ground on the new 2.3-mile Dry Pine Connector. This trail is purpose-built to maintain low grades and long lines of sight, making it a safe, flowy, premium addition to the local trail network in the North Dry and West Pine area for multi-users. LBC are great partners through their commitment to trail stewardship and maintenance in town and around the county. The new trail will reduce shuttle traffic and risk of wildfire ignition, as well as consolidate recreational activity in an area set aside for all non-motarized users.
Mark your calendar: LBC and Dan Bailey’s are co-hosting a Backalley Bike Shorts film screening and bike raffle fundraiser on Wednesday, July 15th, from 6:00 - 9:00 PM at the Livingston Elks Lodge. Admission is free, there’s swag, a trail Q&A, and great bikes up for grabs. Come out and support them!
Support our Partners through GIVE A HOOT!
Our partners still have a hill to climb to fully fund these trail budgets, and they need our collective support to push them across the finish line. Please consider pitching in whatever you can to their campaigns:
Support the trail builders: Help fund the final stretch of the Dry Pine project directly on the Livingston Bike Club Give a Hoot Page.
Back the pathway: Help fuel the valley-wide path momentum on the Trust for Public Land Heritage Trail Give a Hoot Page.
PCEC is also raising critical matching funds this month to keep our staff on the ground coordinating these deep relationships, implementing trails and active transportation plans, and hosting upcoming weed pulls and backcountry user co-existence workshops. If you believe in a walkable, connected Park County, you can donate directly to the PCEC Give a Hoot Page.
Hiking the new Porcupine Ibex re-route from Porcupine cabin heading south, we key swapped with Livingston Bike Club folks clearing the new trail who started at Ibex cabin
