Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
A rolling badlands crossing with a faint, tricky finish.
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 0.5 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
Roundup Trail is a 3.3-mile, one-way point-to-point hike in the South Unit, running from East River Road to a junction with Jones Creek Trail and crossing the Scenic Loop Drive. The route climbs and dips over open grassland hills rather than following a flat wash. Allow about 2½ hours one way. It is a better fit for hikers comfortable with a through-route and backcountry wayfinding than for a quick roadside walk.
From the East River Road start, the trail heads southeast past an eroded slope, then rises and falls over a series of hills. It crosses the scenic road, drops into a valley, and climbs to a ridgeline with broad badlands views before continuing toward Jones Creek. Expect open grassland, scattered trees and long horizons, with little shade.
The route is minimally marked. Markers have reportedly disappeared beyond the ridge, where several worn paths can branch away from the designated tread. Use a topographic map and compass and check your position before descending; cell service can be limited. Do not assume the most visible animal track is the hiking route.
This is a point-to-point hike, not a loop; walking back adds another 3.3 miles. No public lot or legal roadside parking could be verified at the East River Road start. NPS lists Lower Jones Creek among the South Unit parking locations, but confirm the exact connection and arrange a legal drop-off or pickup before choosing this route. The nearby Roundup Group Horse Camp is gated and reservation-only, not public trail parking. Dogs are not allowed on park trails. A backcountry permit is required for overnight camping, not for this day hike.
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
ModerateMike Auney Trail3.1 mi · 2 hr · 0.7 mi awayA remote Big Plateau crossing with an unbridged river ford.
ModerateWind Canyon Trail0.5 mi · 24 min · 1 mi awayA quick rim loop for a big Little Missouri River view
EasyCCC Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · 3.1 mi awayA flat grassland path to the Jones Creek junction.
ModerateJones Creek Trail4.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayA creek-valley traverse through the South Unit badlands
ModerateBig Plateau and Ekblom Trail Loop5.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayA high plateau loop with two river crossings and badlands views.
ChallengingBig Plateau Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayA short, strenuous climb opens onto a wide grassland plateau.
ChallengingLone Tree Loop9.1 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayA steep loop to a spring basin and broad badlands views.
ModerateLower Paddock Creek Trail3.6 mi · 2 hr · 3.5 mi awayWalk through a prairie-dog town and follow Paddock Creek upstream.
Campground · 0.9 mi awayRoundup Group Horse CampA private group base for riding the South Unit backcountry.Sight · 1 mi awayWind CanyonAn open river-and-badlands view comes after a very short climb.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayBeef Corral BottomA prairie-dog town and river valley in one quick South Unit stop.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayPeaceful Valley RanchA ranch turned dude ranch, then the South Unit's first headquarters.
Scenic pullout · 3.5 mi awayPrairie Dog Colony PulloffA quick stop to look for black-tailed prairie dogs.
Campground · 4.2 mi awayCottonwood CampgroundA riverside base where bison may pass through camp.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayPetrified Forest - SouthFossil wood and southeast wilderness views, a 3-mile hike away.
Sight · 4.7 mi awayPetrified Forest - NorthA backcountry hike to upright fossil trees in a badlands valley.Parkwolf’s Theodore Roosevelt ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
