The Best Hiking Trails in North Dakota

The Skyline Vista Trail is a short, paved path to an overlook of the Little Missouri River, with "wonderful views of the western horizon," the park proclaims. The trails is fully-accessible, great for anyone in the family, and shouldn't take more than 15 minutes round-trip from where you parked....

This easy nature trail wanders through a wind-sculpted canyon bound for "the best view of the Little Missouri River the South Unit has to offer," the park boasts. This loop trail shouldn't take more than 20 minutes round-trip, and it's a great option for everyone in the family....

The Buck Hill Trail is one of the must-stop overlook hikes on the park's main scenic road. It's short and steep, but worth every step as you hike to the highest point in the park....

The Biocourt Overlook is an awe-inspiring overlook hike that you cannot miss during your visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Per the park, the late "Theodore Roosevelt described the Little Missouri Badlands as "....

The Coal Vein Trail offers answers to many of the questions you likely have about the badland's unique, barren, and vast features were formed. "[The] beautiful layers of rock tell a story of the 60-million-year geological history of the badlands," the [NPS](https://www....

The Painted Canyon Nature Trail is a spectacular introduction to the dramatic landscape the badlands are notorious for. Named after the vivid layers of colorful rock seen throughout this trail, this 1-mile loop is one of the park's most coveted hikes, thanks to its proximity to the interstate....

The Caprock Coulee Trail in Theodore Roosevelt NP's Northern Unit is a classic day hike exploring several unique ecosystems and geological features that make up the badlands. A brochure is available to accompany your hike, and the trek can be as short as 1....

The Ridgeline Nature Trail is a short, sub-30 minute hike along Scenic Loop Rd. with expansive views of the badlands and their accompanying grasslands. Numbered waysides highlight the unique ecology and geology of the ridge, and "kids will enjoy hiking [the] trail, dashing through the grasslands and leap-frogging ahead to the next numbered post to find out what they are looking at," according to [this source](https://www....

The Petrified Forest Loop explores ancient petrified forests and the iconic badlands wilderness along a 10-mile tour of the park's remote backcountry. Seen here, this loop pairs the Maah Daah Hey Trail and the North/South Petrified Forest Trails (which are sometimes listed as the Petrified Forest Loop), and numerous trail junctions offer options for even longer outings....

This circuit, a conglomerate of the Jones Creek, Lower Talkington, and Lower Paddock Creek trails, is an epic tour through stunning badlands, along sagebrush hillsides, and through sandy riverbeds. Wildlife roams freely along the hillsides, and though you are never too far from help, it won't take long before you feel like you're miles into the remote backcountry....