Just past the iconic “M” on the southern face of the Bridgers, a sign nailed to a blackened pine warns hikers they are entering a burn scar. Downhill off Bridger Canyon Drive, a burned tractor, caked in soot, displays a sign for vehicles passing by: “State Farm is Not a Good Neighbor. They Do Not Pay Their Claims.”
The two signs show the fallout of the Bridger Foothills Fire, which roiled Gallatin County four years ago.
Four years ago, the Bridger Foothills Fire roiled Gallatin County. Started in early September by a lightning strike, the fire visibly raged from town. It burned over 8,000 acres, destroying 30 homes and 48 other structures. Fortunately, no lives were lost. The fire — the only large-scale burn near Bozeman’s urban corridor in recent memory — pushed Montana communities to prioritize wildfire preparedness.