Parking
Use the auto pull-off at Medicine Root Trailhead on Old Northeast Road; it puts you at the east loop junction. Starting from Castle or Saddle Pass changes the route and adds distance.
Overview
About Medicine Root Loop Trail
Why go
- A full prairie circuit without the steep Saddle Pass climb.
- Distant Badlands formations stay in view across the open route.
Heads up
- Little shade for most of the walk.
- Rain or tall summer grass can make the tread harder to read.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Badlands map
Full mapElevation2,585–2,635 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Badlands alert
- ClosureNotch Trail closed for ladder repairsNotch Trail and all areas within 100 feet of the designated trail are closed; do not enter the closure area.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Badlands Tour Guide
Your drive to Medicine Root Loop Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Badlands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Badlands audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Medicine Root Trailhead0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching Medicine Root Trailhead on Old Northeast Road, the start of a loop through rolling prairie.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Badlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Door, Window and Notch Trailheads
- Ben Reifel Visitor Center
- Cedar Pass Lodge and Waysides
- Cliff Shelf Nature Trail
- 116 audio storiesacross Badlands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Bighorn Sheep, Prairie Dog, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 11 trails, 34 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“We recently toured Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and more! We learned so much from this app as we toured each of these sites. The audio tours are worth the money.”
Trail guide
Hiking Medicine Root Loop Trail
A prairie walk with distant viewsMedicine Root Loop Trail is a 4.
Medicine Root Loop Trail is a 4.18-mile loop from the Medicine Root Trailhead pull-off on Old Northeast Road. It links the Medicine Root and Castle trails through rolling mixed-grass prairie, with Badlands formations in the distance. The park rates it moderate and estimates two hours. Choose it for a longer open-country walk; this is not a close-up climb onto the Badlands Wall.
Follow the full loopFrom the pull-off, follow Castle Trail west to the Saddle Pass junction, then turn onto…
From the pull-off, follow Castle Trail west to the Saddle Pass junction, then turn onto Medicine Root for the return east. That completes the circuit without taking the steep Saddle Pass Trail. Using Saddle Pass as an approach adds a climb and changes the route's distance, so leave it out if you want this 4.18-mile loop.
Read the prairieThe route rolls through mixed-grass prairie, around low rises and past scattered cottonwoods.
The route rolls through mixed-grass prairie, around low rises and past scattered cottonwoods. The formations stay across the landscape rather than right beside the tread. The grassland is home to butterflies, birds, rodents and snakes; keep your distance and give wildlife room.
Plan for sun and rainShade is sparse for most of the walk.
Shade is sparse for most of the walk. The park recommends two quarts of water per person for a two-hour hike. Rain can leave muddy, slippery stretches, and tall summer grass can make the tread harder to pick out. Watch for cactus along the path.
Access and rulesThe direct start is the auto pull-off at Medicine Root Trailhead on Old Northeast Road.
The direct start is the auto pull-off at Medicine Root Trailhead on Old Northeast Road. The Castle and Saddle Pass approaches make different, longer versions of the walk. Pets are not allowed on park trails, and visitors must stay at least 100 feet from wildlife.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Badlands
760 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,060 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
904 sightingsPrairie DogMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
333 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
304 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
87 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Badlands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
