Badlands National Park, North Unit: Fossil Exhibit Trail, Castle Trail, and Saddle Pass Trail

Date hiked: 06-29-21

Mileage: Fossil Exhibit trail: .2 miles roundtrip; Castle trail: 10.8 miles roundtrip; Saddle Pass trail: .6 miles roundtrip

Usage: Very high

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The Badlands has an open hike policy, meaning you can hike anywhere within the park, on or off trail. For those who prefer to experience the park on maintained trails, there are eight to choose from:

Fossil Exhibit trail, Castle trail, and Saddle Pass trail

Medicine Root trail

Door, Window and Notch trails

Cliff Shelf trail

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Fossil Exhibit Trail

The Fossil Exhibit Trail is a very short boardwalk hike – therefore accessible to wheelchairs – that follows a .2 mile loop through the badlands. Along the way, a number of exhibits feature fossil replicas of extinct creatures who used to roam the area millions of years ago. It’s also a fun place for kids to scramble around on the formations which surround the boardwalk.

Castle Trail (west 1/3)

The Castle Trail runs 5.4 miles west to east along the edge of the badlands formations, sometimes passing right through them. There is very little elevation gain, and is good for families. It can be split into three parts, each with its own trailhead:

(1) The west portion from the Fossil Exhibit trailhead to the Saddle Pass Overlook.

(2) The middle portion from the Saddle Pass Overlook to Old NE Road.

(3) The east portion from Old NE Road to the Notch trailhead.

Starting at the Fossil Exhibit Trailhead on the west, the trail drops down a set of stairs and onto the open rock. Pillars in the ground dictate the route until it breaks out into the prairie and bends east on an obvious trail.

I saw a lot of bighorn in the Badlands.

Camping is allowed anywhere in the North Unit, and the Castle trail offers a great entry point for backpackers.

After 2 miles, you’ll reach a four way intersection between the Castle trail, Medicine Root trail and Saddle Pass trail.

Saddle Pass

Saddle Pass Overlook

Looking down on part of the Saddle Pass trail. You can see hikers in the center of the photo.

The .3 mile (one-way) Saddle Pass trail gains 206 feet from its trailhead on HYW 240 to Saddle Pass. This is the steepest of the established trails in the park, and one of the most difficult as it gains ground up the rough terrain of the Badlands Wall.

Castle Trail (middle 1/3)

From Saddle Pass, take the north fork at the 4 way intersection to continue onto the Castle trail. You’ll wind in and out between the prairie grass and sandy terrain at the edge of the bluffs for about 2 miles.

Castle Trail (east 1/3)

The trail meets with the northern end of the Medicine Root trail, then crosses a dirt road (Old NE Road) near a small parking area. It veers north, then continues southeast another mile to the Notch Trailhead on HWY 240.

Poles mark the route through here where there is no obvious trail:

MAP

NEED TO KNOW

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