Ridgeline Nature Trail

This scenic 15.5-mile out-and-back trail combines the Ekblom Trail with a portion of the Maah Daah Hey Trail, winding through the rugged Badlands near Medora. The route features dramatic badlands vistas, exposed ridgelines, and sweeping prairie views against the backdrop of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The ever-changing terrain—from ridges to river crossings and plateau views—keeps th...

Buck Hill is a popular stop on Theodore Roosevelt National Park's Scenic Loop Road. The official trail is only a half mile round trip, but the landscape is open and it is worth spending more time in the Buck Hill area wandering around the various hills and lookouts, patching together a 360 degree view of the surrounding park. The south hill will reveal the badlands in all their alien glory and ...

Nestled right along the Little Missouri River, Cottonwood Campground offers 76 camp sites (including pull-through, back-in, and walk-in sites).Walk-in sites sit right along the river where buffalo and wild horses are frequently spotted at dusk and dawn. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring.The campground offers flush toilets in-season and pit toilets year-round. Spigots for drinking ...

Imagine you have been driving for hours through North Dakota. The landscape is uncompromisingly flat and there isn't so much as a tree to obscure the horizon in any direction. Then, with no warning, the topography transforms. The prairie around you crumbles, dropping down into a series of immense ravines, gullies, and hills. What was endless monochromatic grassland becomes a multihued dreamscap...

Make sure you swing by the Visitor's Center to get a map and a paper copy of directions to the trailhead as it goes through private property.The trail starts at the parking lot and heads into a wilderness area. After a few hundred feet you will pass through a gate. Make sure to sign the booklet into the wilderness area. After .5 mi and 100 feet of elevation gain, you will rise up to a plateau a...

Standing at only 3,506 feet on a good day, White Butte in Amidon, North Dakota, isn't going to be the greatest peak you ever conquer, but it will definitely be a memorable one. Located in the Southwest corner of the Badlands of North Dakota, White Butte is simply the highest grassy hill in the plains of the Little Missouri National Grasslands. This trail is still very remote, and offers amazing...