Badlands National Park
Badlands Wall climbs, prairie loops, fossil displays, and eroded formations.
Use the sections and guides below to explore this subject in a clear, practical order.
Explore Badlands National Park
Sage Creek Wilderness Route
Plan Sage Creek Wilderness Route in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideDeer Haven Trail
Plan Deer Haven Trail in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideConata Basin Overlook Walk
Plan Conata Basin Overlook Walk in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideHay Butte Overlook Route
Plan Hay Butte Overlook Route in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideOld Northeast Road Walk
Plan Old Northeast Road Walk in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideSage Creek Rim Trail
Plan Sage Creek Rim Trail in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideBig Badlands Overlook Walk
Plan Big Badlands Overlook Walk in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideBurns Basin Overlook Walk
Plan Burns Basin Overlook Walk in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guidePrairie Wind Overlook Trail
Plan Prairie Wind Overlook Trail in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideSheep Mountain Table Walk
Plan Sheep Mountain Table Walk in Badlands with trailhead checks, route character, hazards, pacing, and return-trip decisions.
Read this guideNotch Trail
A rugged badlands route using a log ladder to reach an overlook above the White River Valley.
Read this guideDoor Trail
A boardwalk followed by marked travel into a maze of eroded badlands formations.
Read this guideCastle Trail
The park’s longest maintained trail crosses mixed-grass prairie beneath extensive badlands formations.
Read this guideSaddle Pass Trail
A short, aggressive climb up the Badlands Wall to connections with Castle and Medicine Root trails.
Read this guideCliff Shelf Nature Trail
A loop of boardwalk, stairs, and natural trail through a juniper pocket below the Badlands Wall.
Read this guideWindow Trail
A short boardwalk to a natural opening in the Badlands Wall overlooking an eroded canyon.
Read this guideFossil Exhibit Trail
An accessible boardwalk with fossil replicas and displays explaining extinct animals once found in the Badlands.
Read this guideMedicine Root Loop Trail
A prairie loop with distant views of the Badlands formations and a quieter open-country experience.
Read this guideCastle and Medicine Root Loop
A longer combination route pairing Badlands formations along Castle Trail with open mixed-grass prairie on Medicine Root.
Read this guideDoor, Window, and Notch Trail Combination
A compact sampler linking two easy boardwalk overlooks with the ladder and ledge experience of Notch Trail.
Read this guide