Best Hiking in North Dakota

Trying to find the best hiking in North Dakota? Bivy has great hiking, biking, paddling, climbing, skiing, riding and more, with hand-curated trail maps, as well as detailed driving directions.

1

North Dakota, Billings County

06 :59 hrs
19.5 mi
140.87183 ft
Extreme

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. This hike creates a loop using the Upper Paddock and Upper Talkington trails. There are several creek crossings, you will visit some less-traveled areas of the park, and be rewarded with fabulous views and lots of wildlife. Pronghorn, bison, elk, coyotes, rabbits, prairie dogs, rattlesnakes, and more have been seen here.

2

North Dakota, McKenzie County

06 :56 hrs
18.3 mi
198.24603 ft
Extreme

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. The Achenbach Trail travels through the western area of the North Unit and can be combined with the Buckhorn Trail to make a loop that circles then entire North Unit. It traverses wilderness areas with many ups and downs and requires crossing the Little Missouri River at several points. Before heading out, you will need to find out if the river is safe to cross.

3

North Dakota, McKenzie County

04 :02 hrs
10.9 mi
185.46936 ft
Expert

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. The Maah Daah Hey trail connects all three unites of the park and this hike utilizes a segment of it to create a loop with the Long X Trail. On this hike you will find spectacular scenery and views and great opportunities to view wildlife.

4

North Dakota, Billings County

02 :40 hrs
3.5 mi
68.8609 ft
Hard

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. The Jones Creek Trail cuts through the rock formations of the park, running through the creek valley, meandering through patches of sagebrush and wildflowers, and offering up beautiful panoramic views. Shorter loops are possible.

5

North Dakota, Billings County

00 :19 hrs
0.9 mi
12.285095 ft
Easy

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. The Coal Vein Nature Trail begins with an interpretive sign that explains how a small fire burned continuously in this area from 1951 to 1977. The fire started in a coal vein and just kept going, attracting hordes of tourists for many years. The trail itself is primarily flat with several interpretive signs along the way. You will view a small gorge filled with trees, briefly descend into it, and then walk back up out the other side.

6

North Dakota, McKenzie County

01 :40 hrs
4.3 mi
129.9726 ft
Hard

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. The Caprock Coulee Trail has a self-guided brochure for the first short segment. After this point, the trail become more rigorous. You will visit the River Bend Overlook for a fabulous view and the scenery and views throughout the hike are very beautiful.

7

North Dakota, Billings County

04 :01 hrs
11.3 mi
82.56409 ft
Expert

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. This loop starts at Lower Paddock Creek trailhead and connects to the Lower Talkington Trail and the Jones Creek Trail to for a great circuitous hike. The prairie and badlands scenery is phenomenal.

8

North Dakota, McKenzie County

04 :19 hrs
11.5 mi
155.40997 ft
Expert

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. You will hike through Prairie Dog Town, climb eroded banks, traverse high up on open prairie, and have fantastic views as far as the eye can see. The showcase of scenery on this trail is breathtaking.

9

North Dakota, Billings County

00 :17 hrs
0.7 mi
19.26416 ft
Easy

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. The Ridgeline Nature Trail is a self-guided trail with a brochure to explain some of the features you will see. The trail has a variation of flat parts, as well as short uphill and downhill segments. Once you are on top of the ridge there are a couple different viewpoints that offer spectacular panoramic vistas.

10

North Dakota, McKenzie County

01 :32 hrs
1.5 mi
116.96515 ft
Moderate

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is nestled within the western reaches and Badlands of North Dakota. The park covers 110 square miles of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. Hiking opportunities are endless and very rewarding. This trail follows a segment of the Caprock Coulee trail to River Bend Overlook. River Bend Overlook offers fabulous panoramic views of the Badland scenery, vast prairies, and plentiful wildflowers.

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