Parking
Use the pullout just beyond the Coal Vein Trail turnoff, between mile markers 20 and 21 on the South Unit Scenic Loop Drive; there is no separate lot. The park brochure notes a restroom near mile marker 19, before this access.
Overview
About Badlands Spur Trail
Why go
- A short dirt-track walk reaches the Lower Talkington junction.
- Mellow grades and a straightforward way to add mileage to a longer outing.
Heads up
- The standalone hike returns over the same path.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Theodore Roosevelt map
Full mapElevation2,385–2,470 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Theodore Roosevelt alerts
- ClosureRidgeline Nature Trail inaccessibleDo not plan to use the South Unit’s Ridgeline Nature Trail; it is currently inaccessible because of a road collapse. - The trail is 0.6 mile long.Official details
- InfoChanged access route to Petrified Forest trailheadUse the approved legal route from I-94 Exit 10 to reach the Petrified Forest trailhead; follow the clearly marked posts.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Theodore Roosevelt Tour Guide
Your drive to Badlands Spur Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Theodore Roosevelt 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.
Recorded for this area
An Owl at the Burrow0:00 / 0:29
“At a prairie dog town in summer, look for a small owl standing on long legs beside a burrow. Burrowing owls nest underground, using holes left by animals such as prairie dogs.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Theodore Roosevelt Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Chorus Frogs at Coal Vein
- Coal Vein Trail: The Ground Above the Fire
- Boicourt Overlook: Pavement or Ridge
- Buck Hill: Ripple Marks at the Summit
- 45 audio storiesacross Theodore Roosevelt’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Wild Horse, Wapiti, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 38 trails, 35 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Badlands Spur Trail
A short South Unit out-and-backBadlands Spur is a 1.
Badlands Spur is a 1.7-mile round trip from a pullout on the South Unit Scenic Loop Drive to the Lower Talkington Trail junction, then back on the same dirt path. It is an easy way to get off the road and into open badlands country. Plan about 45–60 minutes, including a few stops. The mapped footpath is about 0.8 mile each way; the 1.7-mile figure includes the return.
Where the spur endsThe standalone walk ends at the Lower Talkington junction.
The standalone walk ends at the Lower Talkington junction. From there, you can turn around or add miles by connecting to the nearby Talkington and Paddock Creek trails. Those longer combinations are separate hikes; they are not included in the 1.7-mile distance.
Ground, views and waterThe route is a dirt singletrack with mellow grades and open badlands views.
The route is a dirt singletrack with mellow grades and open badlands views. There is no water source noted along the route, so carry what you need from the start. The park is exposed to sun in many areas, and this short walk has little reason to count on shade.
Start at the roadside pulloutUse the pullout just past the Coal Vein Trail turnoff, between mile markers 20 and 21 on the…
Use the pullout just past the Coal Vein Trail turnoff, between mile markers 20 and 21 on the South Unit Scenic Loop Drive. It is a road pullout rather than a separate trailhead lot. The park brochure places a restroom near mile marker 19, before this access. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Theodore Roosevelt
1,082 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
346 sightingsWild HorseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
27 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
45 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
87 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
162 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Theodore Roosevelt. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
