Buckhorn Trail

Buckhorn Trail is an 11.4-mile loop through the North Unit backcountry; allow six to eight hours. It takes in prairie dog towns, sagebrush terraces, deep canyons and high open prairie. Choose it for a full day of changing Badlands country. If the prairie dogs are your main goal, you do not need to commit to the whole loop.

This trail can be hard to read where it crosses open prairie. The tread fades, and a broad worn track can lead away from the Buckhorn route, especially beyond a prairie dog town. Download the route map before you start and check your location whenever the tread disappears. If you do not like navigating away from a clear path, the shorter Caprock Coulee walk is a better fit.

The full loop passes prairie dog towns. Look for activity, but give the animals room. Between the towns, the route crosses sagebrush terraces and high grassland and drops through deep canyons. The Little Missouri and its tributaries have cut through soft sedimentary layers over thousands of years; bentonite clay, lignite coal and sandstone make the badlands’ stripes.

A separate route from Caprock Coulee reaches Prairie Dog Town. It is listed at 1.5 miles, but that number’s direction convention is unclear; the best-supported reading is one way, so budget about three miles out and back and confirm the trailhead map before turning around.

Start at Buckhorn Trailhead’s east access on North Unit Scenic Drive; the mapped loop returns here. There is also access at the west end. The east lot is tiny—with room for only a few cars—and the east trailhead has a trash receptacle, and no restroom is listed for this access. Carry all the water you need; natural sources are not potable. Pets are prohibited on park trails. Overnight backcountry camping requires a permit.