Parking
Use the signed Door/Window/Notch parking area off SD-240. Start from the Window Trail entrance at the south end of the shared lot; other routes use the same area.
Overview
About Window Trail
Why go
- Accessible boardwalk to a distinctive natural window
- A quick 20-minute round trip
Heads up
- Very short if you want a substantial hike
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Badlands map
Full mapElevation2,644–2,651 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 Window 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
Door, Window and Notch Trailheads0:00 / 0:23
“You're nearing the Door and Window trail parking area. For an easy stop, choose Window's accessible boardwalk, about a quarter mile round trip to a natural opening overlooking an eroded canyon.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Badlands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cliff Shelf Nature Trail
- Medicine Root Trailhead
- Vertical Seams in the Cliffs
- Ben Reifel Visitor Center
- 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 Window Trail
A quick look through the Badlands WallWindow Trail is an easy, accessible 0.
Window Trail is an easy, accessible 0.26-mile out-and-back boardwalk to a natural opening in the Badlands Wall, with a view into an intricately eroded canyon. Allow about 20 minutes round trip. It is a good choice for a short look at the formations without committing to a longer hike.
Follow the Window signsThe route is the boardwalk from the shared Door/Window/Notch parking area to the window and…
The route is the boardwalk from the shared Door/Window/Notch parking area to the window and back. Other trails start nearby, so follow the Window signs and turn around at the overlook; do not add a different trail to the distance.
Take in the canyonAt the end, pause at the natural opening and look through it into the gullied canyon.
At the end, pause at the natural opening and look through it into the gullied canyon. For a photo, include the rock edge around the view so the window reads clearly instead of looking like another wide Badlands panorama.
AccessThis is an easy, short walk on an accessible boardwalk. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
This is an easy, short walk on an accessible boardwalk. Pets are not allowed on park trails. Choose it for the unusual view and low effort; if you want a substantial hike, pick a longer route elsewhere in the park.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Badlands
760 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,061 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
906 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.
