Caprock Coulee Trail

Caprock Coulee Trail is a 4.3-mile loop from the North Unit trailhead, through a wooded coulee, up a grassy butte and along exposed ridges above the Little Missouri. It moves from close-up rock to open river and butte views. Allow two to three hours. Published totals vary from 4.1 to 4.4 miles; this is the full loop, not only the nature trail.

Follow the signed route into the coulee and take the left branch at the first fork; the right heads toward Buckhorn. Counter-clockwise gives you the shaded canyon first and saves the broad views for later. At the final interpretive post, turn back for a 1.6-mile out-and-back. Continuing there commits you to the full route.

The first three-quarters of a mile follows the Caprock Coulee Nature Trail along a steep-sided, usually dry valley. Numbered stops explain the rocks and plants. Juniper and woody cover make this the greener, more sheltered stretch. Look for the exposed piece of petrified wood among the grasses and leave it where it is. It formed about 55 million years ago, when trees such as cypress or magnolia grew in a much wetter landscape.

Beyond the nature-trail marker, the route climbs out toward the grassy butte. The path steepens, with stairs in places, and the trees give way to open high ground. The narrow ridge is the most demanding part, with steep ravines on one side and views across striped badlands on the other. Caprock shelves and clay pillars sit close to the tread while the Little Missouri valley opens below. Watch the path where the ridge breaks into gullies.

About halfway around, the loop crosses Scenic Drive and reaches the River Bend Overlook parking area. Take the short side walk to the stone shelter for the river bend and badlands beyond, then pick up the trail again at the far, east end of the lot. The path climbs a grassy rise, drops through a juniper-filled ravine and follows another narrow ridge before winding steeply down to the starting lot. For a photo, include a caprock shelf in the foreground with the river valley beyond; it shows the scale of both the rock and the drop.

The thin rust-red cap is iron-rich sandstone, harder than the gray sediments beneath it. It resists erosion and protects softer layers, leaving the shelves and pillars that shape the buttes. Blue-gray bentonite formed from volcanic ash; when it takes on water it swells and can flow down a slope. That makes the clay slick after heavy rain or snowmelt. The word coulee came into local use through French-speaking fur traders for narrow, water-cut valleys.

Dry prairie grass covers the buttes and sunny slopes; cooler north-facing ravines hold more juniper and green ash. Sagebrush and prickly pear grow among the grass and clay. Seeps draw animals, so tracks can be easier to find than the animals themselves. Bison and deer may pass through, but sightings are never guaranteed; keep at least 25 yards away.

The small Caprock Coulee lot is on Scenic Drive, roughly six miles west of the North Unit Visitor Center. River Bend Overlook has separate road access, but starting there makes a shorter ridge walk rather than this full loop. Carry enough water for the whole hike; no refill point is identified. Save the trail guide before leaving because trailhead copies have sometimes been missing. A day hike needs no trail-specific permit, though the normal park entrance pass applies. Pets, bicycles and motorized equipment are prohibited on park trails. The River Bend shelter is a shaded rest stop, not a food service.