What are the best hikes in North Dakota?

Standouts include Buck Hill (TRNP), Painted Canyon Nature Trail, Mineral Springs (TRNP), Sheyenne Falls — 10 trails in all, mapped with difficulty, distance, and elevation on Roamward.

Are there easy or family-friendly hikes in North Dakota?

Yes — gentler options include Buck Hill (TRNP), Painted Canyon Nature Trail, Mineral Springs (TRNP), good for kids and the RV/camping crew.

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Hikes · North Dakota

Best hikes in North Dakota.

Q: When is the best time to hike in North Dakota?

Summer & early fall. North Dakota hiking is the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park — buttes, bison, and petrified forests.

North Dakota hiking is the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park — buttes, bison, and petrified forests.

Curated trails10

Distance range0.4–10 mi

Biggest climb600 ft

Difficulty5 easy · 5 moderate

TerrainBadlands buttes & prairie

Best seasonSummer & early fall

Don’t missBuck Hill (TRNP)

Boots on

10 hikes worth the detour.

Sorted easy to expert. Every one mapped with distance, route type, and elevation gain — built for everyone from the RV & camping crew to the bucket-list crowd.

Buck Hill (TRNP)

Easy · 0.4 mi · Out & back · 100 ft

a short climb to a high badlands viewpoint

Painted Canyon Nature Trail

Easy · 1 mi · Loop · 200 ft

a quick badlands loop right off the interstate

Mineral Springs (TRNP)

Easy · 2 mi · Out & back · 150 ft

colorful badlands clays in the South Unit

Sheyenne Falls

Easy · 2 mi · Out & back · 150 ft

the states only natural waterfall

Sully Creek

Easy · 3 mi · Loop · 200 ft

riverside badlands near Medora

White Butte

Moderate · 3 mi · Out & back · 400 ft

a prairie walk to the highest point in North Dakota

Pembina Gorge

Moderate · 4 mi · Loop · 400 ft

the deepest gorge in North Dakota

Caprock Coulee Loop (TRNP)

Moderate · 4.3 mi · Loop · 500 ft

badlands and prairie in Theodore Roosevelt’s North Unit

Maah Daah Hey (Wannagan)

Moderate · 6 mi · Point to point · 400 ft

a section of the legendary badlands long trail

Petrified Forest Loop

Moderate · 10 mi · Loop · 600 ft

petrified stumps in the badlands

Plan the North Dakota trip

Hikes, gems, scenic drives — all in one North Dakota guide.

See everything worth the detour in North Dakota, then let Roamward build the trip around it. Know a North Dakota trail we’re missing? Add it — we’re building this with the people who actually hike it.

Full North Dakota guide →All states

More to explore in North Dakota

Worth the detour

National parks

Theodore Roosevelt

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