Parking
Start at Caprock Coulee Trailhead parking, beside the restrooms; follow Buckhorn Trail toward Prairie Dog Town.
Overview
About Prairie Dog Town via the Buckhorn Trail
Why go
- A short walk with a clear prairie-dog-town destination
- Open prairie and badlands-cliff views along the route
Heads up
- The route uses the same trail in both directions
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Theodore Roosevelt map
Full mapElevation2,012–2,044 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 Prairie Dog Town via the Buckhorn 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 trailhead
Caprock Coulee: Valley or Ridge Walk0:00 / 0:28
“You're nearing Caprock Coulee trailhead, where a wooded valley leads onto ridges above the Little Missouri. The full loop is about four miles and takes two to three hours, with steep climbs and narrow, exposed ridges.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Theodore Roosevelt Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- River Bend Overlook and the Stone Shelter
- Juniper Campground and a Little Mo Walk
- Cannonball Concretions: How the Spheres Formed
- Bentonitic Clay Overlook: Colors and Freshwater Fossils
- 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 Prairie Dog Town via the Buckhorn Trail
A short wildlife walkPrairie Dog Town via the Buckhorn Trail is a 1.
Prairie Dog Town via the Buckhorn Trail is a 1.5-mile out-and-back from Caprock Coulee Trailhead in the North Unit. Follow Buckhorn Trail to the prairie dog town, then return on the same path. Plan about an hour for the walk, plus time to watch wildlife. This is the short walk to the town, not the much longer Buckhorn loop.
Follow BuckhornThe route starts beside the Caprock Coulee trail access, follows the foot of the cliffs, then…
The route starts beside the Caprock Coulee trail access, follows the foot of the cliffs, then opens along the valley edge. Expect a mostly level walk across open prairie with badlands walls beside it. At the starting junction, stay on Buckhorn rather than branching onto Caprock Coulee Nature Trail; use the current markers farther along to stay on the route.
Give the town timeAt the far end, bare patches and burrow openings break up the grass.
At the far end, bare patches and burrow openings break up the grass. Prairie dogs may pop up and call as you pass, but sightings vary; other wildlife also uses these colonies. Stay on the trail and give animals room. Dogs are not allowed on park trails.
Start and returnUse Caprock Coulee Trailhead parking, by the restrooms, and follow Buckhorn toward the town.
Use Caprock Coulee Trailhead parking, by the restrooms, and follow Buckhorn toward the town. The route returns to the same access. If you want the longer Buckhorn hike, that 11.4-mile loop is a separate route.
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.
