Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
A remote Big Plateau crossing with an unbridged river ford.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Theodore Roosevelt Tour Guide
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.
See the Theodore Roosevelt audio tourRecorded for this area
A Prairie Dog Greeting“If you spot two prairie dogs meeting nose to nose, watch their greeting. Black-tailed prairie dogs recognize members of their group with what looks like a kiss or a sniff.”
Plays on the road 0.6 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Theodore Roosevelt Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Mike Auney Trail is a 3.1-mile point-to-point route between the gated Roundup Group Horse Camp on the Little Missouri’s east side and the Maah Daah Hey Trail on Big Plateau. Allow about two hours one way. It is a remote backcountry connector with an unbridged river ford and a substantial climb to the plateau. Walking back the same way makes it about 6.2 miles and means crossing the river a second time.
From Roundup, the trail drops toward the Little Missouri. There is no bridge; a visitor report from September 2016 described knee-deep water. That is not a current depth report. Check with park staff before setting out, and do not cross if the water is high or unsafe. After the ford, the trail climbs more than 450 feet toward Big Plateau.
The western end joins the Maah Daah Hey on a grassy plateau. The path can be faint for about its first half mile; wooden posts mark the line, and the tread becomes clearer near the plateau edge. This is a remote connection across the Little Missouri Badlands, not a developed overlook or a loop.
Roundup Group Horse Camp is gated and reservation-only; only registered campers receive the gate combination. The last 1.5 miles of the drive are gravel. Day-hiker access or parking beyond the gate was not confirmed, and the other end is a backcountry junction rather than a road-accessible lot. Ask the park how to reach both ends and arrange a return before going. Pets are not allowed on park trails or in the backcountry.
Wildlife
1,082 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
346 sightingsWild HorseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
27 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
46 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.
Keep exploring
ModerateRoundup Trail3.3 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayA rolling badlands crossing with a faint, tricky finish.
ModerateWind Canyon Trail0.5 mi · 24 min · 1.5 mi awayA quick rim loop for a big Little Missouri River view
ModerateBig Plateau and Ekblom Trail Loop5.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA high plateau loop with two river crossings and badlands views.
ChallengingBig Plateau Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA short, strenuous climb opens onto a wide grassland plateau.
ChallengingLone Tree Loop9.1 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA steep loop to a spring basin and broad badlands views.
EasyCCC Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · 3.3 mi awayA flat grassland path to the Jones Creek junction.
ModerateJones Creek Trail4.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayA creek-valley traverse through the South Unit badlands
ModerateLower Paddock Creek Trail3.6 mi · 2 hr · 3.8 mi awayWalk through a prairie-dog town and follow Paddock Creek upstream.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayRoundup Group Horse CampA private group base for riding the South Unit backcountry.Sight · 1.5 mi awayWind CanyonAn open river-and-badlands view comes after a very short climb.
Sight · 2 mi awayBeef Corral BottomA prairie-dog town and river valley in one quick South Unit stop.
Sight · 3.3 mi awayPeaceful Valley RanchA ranch turned dude ranch, then the South Unit's first headquarters.
Scenic pullout · 3.7 mi awayPrairie Dog Colony PulloffA quick stop to look for black-tailed prairie dogs.
Sight · 4.1 mi awayPetrified Forest - NorthA backcountry hike to upright fossil trees in a badlands valley.
Sight · 4.1 mi awayPetrified Forest - SouthFossil wood and southeast wilderness views, a 3-mile hike away.
Campground · 4.2 mi awayCottonwood CampgroundA riverside base where bison may pass through camp.Parkwolf’s Theodore Roosevelt ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
